Unlike normal headaches that many of us suffer with, a migraine is often a hereditary complaint that starts when someone is still in childhood. Left untreated, an attack can force the person to have bed rest but normally the intense pain starts to subside within a few hours. To make matters worse, even after the pains have decreased the sufferer is still left weak from the episode and unable to carry on normal tasks for quite a while.



The frequency of occurrences can vary and one can suffer from it once or several times in a month or only one in a year. A number of the symptoms associated with this condition resemble those seen in people with other common complaints. Migraine attacks only seem to affect people within a certain age range, just before puberty and stop by the time the person has reached about 40; in almost every instance however, attacks usually diminish or end in later adult life usually once the person is over 50 years old.

It is quite common for members of the same family group to suffer with migraine attacks; however, science has not yet proved that there is a genetic factor at work. One area that does seem to have a connection is the medical condition where the blood vessels in the head can become swollen. There are three women to each man that suffer with this condition; however, the chance of a man experiencing the condition on a regular basis is only one in twelve.

One of the signs - migraine with aura, is characterized by an unusual sensation (aura) that is in occurrence 10 to 30 minutes prior to the head pain. The warning signs may include:

Queasiness

Vision is affected

Reduction in the sensations of taste

Lack of sensation in sufferers extremities

these are the most commonly experienced symptoms. The most common type of this condition is known as migraine without aura; many early indications felt by those who have a warning are symptoms felt by those who have no warning but their condition can be made worse if they are in constant motion.

Some medical experts believe it is the contracting blood vessels that are responsible for the migraine with aura effect. The blood vessels may then expand afterwards, which might account for the headache; however, all suffers say the attack knocks them out and they are unable to carry out even the most simple of daily tasks. A sufferer could have one or more triggers to each attack; the most common complaints are highlighted below:

Bad weather

Certain foods

Traveling in a plane

Certain beverages i.e. coffee

Very bright internal lighting

Poor sleep patterns

Work related stress

It is therefore a good idea for the victim to see if there is a pattern to the attacks which could then make it easier to avoid them.