Most migraines (very intense headaches) start when a person is young and sometimes many family members suffer with them. For many who suffer severe attacks, bed rest is the only option but normally with medication, the pain starts to subside within four hours or so. Once the episode has finished, the victim will still require rest as they will probably feel very tired.

Medical science still hasn't discovered why there can be such long periods without a headache for some people and not others. A number of the symptoms associated with this condition resemble those seen in people with other common complaints. Most migraine attacks occur between the ages of 10 to 40 years old although why this is no-one really knows; although it is unusual for the condition to afflict anyone over the age of fifty.

Whilst family groups are known to share attacks, so far there has been a problem finding a genetic trait that links certain family members to migraines; however, science has not yet proved that there is a genetic factor at work. There is a condition that causes an inflammation of blood vessels in the brain and it is possible that people who suffer have sensitivity in this area. With this condition, women do not fare as well as men with a ratio of 3 to 1 suffering from the condition regularly; one in every 4 women will be a victim of it, whilst only 1 in 12 men will suffer with it at some point in their life.

Another symptom that is not consistent is those people that know when they are going to have an attack anything up to 30 minutes before it happens; this sensation is called migraine with aura owing to the type of feeling they experience. There are many indications this may happen which will vary between sufferers which can be one or more of the following:

*Feeling of sickness *Problems with vision *Strange sounds or smell *Problems with speech

whilst there are many more symptoms, the list above contains those which are most prevalent. Migraine without aura however, is the most prevalent type and may take place only in one area of the head; this condition can escalate and is made worse by any movement, loud noises and bright lights which can cause the person to vomit.

Whilst the exact reason why some people suffer with migraine still eludes medical science, the theory that the narrowing of blood vessels to the brain is the closest they have come to discovering a migraines cause. The blood vessels may then expand afterwards, which might account for the headache; those who are afflicted say the headache is often so intense that it impedes with regular routinely daily activity and may even keep them awake. There are many possible triggers for an attack some of which are shown below:

*Bad weather *Food belonging to certain groups *Being at great height *Certain groups of drink *Bright lights *Not enough food *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.