Migraines often start in a persons teen years and are very painful headaches nothing like a usual headache that will go after taking a couple of pain killers. These very intense headaches can disable a person for days at a time if they do not take medication but three to four hours is the norm when treatment is given. 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. Some symptoms seem to be consistent with most victims; those of a feeling like those associated with cold or influenza and a problem with bright lights. Migraine is most prevalent in people between the ages of ten to forty years old; however, by the time someone reaches fifty, attacks almost never occur.

It is not uncommon for a number of family members to share a migraine headache problem and hereditary links are believed to exist; whilst genetic factors may be involved, this link has yet to be proved. One area that does seem to have a connection is the medical condition where the blood vessels in the head can become swollen. With this condition, women do not fare as well as men with a ratio of 3 to 1 suffering from the condition regularly; who are only likely to have an eight percent chance of ever suffering with the problem.

Before the migraine attack, some people have a distinct warning called an aura which usually precedes the headache from anywhere between ten to thirty minutes. The warning signs may include:

*Queasiness *Blinking or zigzagging lights *Sense of smell and taste is affected *Problems with speech

whilst there are many more symptoms, the list above contains those which are most prevalent. Some of these indications are symptoms felt by those who have the most common variant of the condition, migraines without aura; these victims have no warning, but the symptoms can also be intensified if they move to much.

The exact reason for having migraine is not clear and yet to be discovered but one assumption is that the blood vessels in areas of the brain become narrower which may be the explanation for the aura. It might be that it is the expansion of the blood vessels afterwards that causes 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. There are many factors that can trigger an attack ranging from:

*Weather patterns *Certain food groups *Altitude *Drinks containing caffeine *Bright lights *Lack of sleep or food *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.