Often found as something a whole family may suffer from, migraines will often start when a person is very young. Most suffers will go to bed as the headache (usually on one side) takes hold and which could last a matter of a few hours but if left without attention, could last for days. Once the attack is over, the victim will still feel exhausted and not able to do much for some time.

There doesn't seem to be any regularity to the attacks either as one individual might have a number each month whilst another sufferer will only have an attack once a year. Many of the symptoms experienced by sufferers are closely connected to other everyday illnesses. Migraine is most prevalent in people between the ages of ten to forty years old; in almost every instance however, attacks usually diminish or end in later adult life usually once the person is over 50 years old.

Members of the same family are often cursed with migraine and there is believed to be a hereditary link; too date however, no definitive, confirmed hereditary cause has so far been found. An inflammation of blood vessels and nerves near the victim's brain seems to be a common trait amongst sufferers. Another area that still isn't fully understood is why these headaches are more prevalent in women with approximately three times as many women suffering than men; only one in twelve men will experience an attack in their lives.

Some sufferers have a strange feeling anything up to 30 minutes before an attack; called a migraine with aura and may say they feel they have an attack coming. There are many indications this may happen which will vary between sufferers which can be one or more of the following:

*Nausea is very common *Problems with vision *Strange sounds or smell *Problems with speech

Other symptoms exist but these appear to be the most common. The most common type of this condition is known as migraine without aura; these victims have no warning, but the symptoms can also be intensified if they move to much.

It is believed that conditions that cause the blood vessels in the brain to contract could be an explanation for migraine but this still hasn't been proved so the search for cause continues. Some suggest that it is the rapid expansion after this narrowing that causes the awful headaches; most victims become unable to do anything for some time after the attack. As there are so many situations that could trigger an attack, only a few are listed here:

*Adverse weather *Certain foods *Being at great height *Drinks containing caffeine *Strong bright lights *Not enough food *Stress

Only by carefully documenting everything that was going on prior to the attack can the victim hope to find out what starts the attacks off.