Suffering from migraines can have a seriously negative impact on both your work and social life, but what exactly causes those splitting headaches?
Men, women and children can suffer from migraines. Some people may have a migraine as often as a few times a week, whereas others might only experience them occasionally.
According to the NHS, there are several types of migraine. These include:
- Migraine with aura – where there are warning signs before the migraine begins, such as seeing flashing lights.
- Migraine without aura – where the migraine occurs without warning signs.
- Migraine aura without headache, also known as silent migraine – where an aura or other migraine symptoms are experienced, but a headache does not develop.
Although the exact cause of migraine is unknown, triggers are thought to include hormonal, emotional, physical, dietary, environmental and medical changes to your usual routine.
Scroll through the slideshow for more information of what may be causing your migraines.
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If you suffer from regular migraines it is important to visit your GP, as some experts have found migraines to indicate other underlying health issues such as abnormal blood vessel structure in the brain.
Migraine remains undiagnosed and under-treated in at least 50% of patients, and less than 50% of migraine patients consult a physician – but your GP could really help you to reduce your suffering.
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GPs can help you to identify the triggers of your migraine and also prescribe medication to help you manage your condition like painkillers, triptans (medications that can help reverse the changes in the brain that may cause migraines), or anti-emetics (medications often used to reduce nausea and vomiting).
For more information visit the NHS online.