Millions of migrain sufferers want to know what causes migraines. But exact causes of migraine have not been defined yet. Migraine causes are being studied and the process reminds of constant adding new pieces to a puzzle, says doctor Stephen Ross, associate professor of neurology at Penn State’s College of Medicine. He links migrane causes to abnormal sensitivity of the brain surface to certain factors and overreaction of nerves.
Currently, doctors distinguish a number of factors or triggers that can contribute to migrain causes and initiate a migraine attack. What triggers migraine for one person, will not necessarily do the same for another. As a rule, unhealthy lifestyle, little sleep and stress contribute most.
Migrain triggers
- Stress, continuous anxiety or fear
- Lack of sleep
- Certain foods (individually): red wine or other alcohols, cheese, bananas, chocolate, some canned foods. If you suffer form migraines, pay attention to what you eat prior to migraine attack.
- Skipping meals
- Changes in the environment or season
- Hormonal changes and imbalance. That could be the reason why migraine often occurs in women under the age of 20. Studies show that increased levels of estrogen intensify migraine headaches, that is why hormone medications should be taken with care by people suffering from migraine.
- Menstruation, the period when hormone levels are unstable.
- Certain medical conditions (brain tumor, narrow angle Glaucoma)
Eliminating these migrain triggers or curing these conditions does not necessarily remove migraine but makes the attacks less frequent and severe. However, sometimes that makes migraine completely subside. Often people experience migraines without apparent reason or trigger. In fact, after menopause migraine often subsides by itself. Currently causes of migraine are actively studied.
