How do I know if I have a migraine headache?

While everyone gets headaches now and then, migraine headache may be distinguished by the Headache Patient following:

Aura symptoms: Your first symptoms may include vision problem symptoms such as: flashing lights, zigzag lines, 'blind spots', or graying vision. You may also experience hearing or speech problems, disorientation or confusion and 'pins and needles' feelings in part of the body. These vision and hearing symptoms are also called symptoms of aura, and they usually occur about 20 minutes to an hour before the headache attack, and may disappear before a headache begins or last into the headache phase.. However, not everyone who suffers from migraine experiences aura symptoms and even those who do may not experience them with every attack.
Painful headache accompanied by nausea or sensitivity to light: Severe, throbbing headache that may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, smells, and movement. The headache often occurs on one side of the head.
Frequency of headaches: Migraines typically happen with some frequency. Attacks may occur less than six times during a year or more than 100 times per year. Duration of the attack can vary from less than 4 hours to several days.

How common is migraine?

About one in 10 people suffer from migraine.
Migraine is two to three times more common in women than men.
Migraine can affect people at any age, but it is most common from 25 to 55 years of age.

What triggers a migraine?

Although the exact mechanisms are unknown, many people believe that certain factors trigger their attacks, such as hormonal changes, weather changes, sleep problems, or specific foods.

What is actually happening in my head during a migraine headache?

The exact biological mechanisms are not known, and may be numerous. One of the most popular theories is that a migraine is caused when a physiological trigger, or triggers, cause vasodilatation (expansion of the blood vessels) in the cranial blood vessels, which activates trigeminal nerve endings in the brain. This results in the release of chemical substances called neurotransmitters, of which the neurotransmitter serotonin is a factor in the development of migraine. During the migraine attack, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain also occurs and worsens the pain.