Migraine Causes


Migraine Causes, Symptoms, and Remedies


shape your waist The exact migraine causes are still not yet identified. However, theories about migraine causes are focused on the imbalances of some brain chemicals like serotonin, functions of the pain reception center of the brain, and the stability of the blood vessels of the brain.

Although not the exact migraine causes, these are the common conditions and things that trigger migraine attacks.



  • Genetics. A report recently concluded that migraine is linked to a gene found in the 19th chromosome. The type of migraine in the report was a severe one that causes paralysis to the sufferers and even coma in worst case scenarios.
  • Hormonal Changes. This is very common in women. Before or during menstrual periods, women with known history of migraines have increased tendency to have migraine attacks due to increase in estrogen levels. This also applies during pregnancy and menopause where there are also fluctuations in estrogen.
  • Stress. Although stress is a part of life, migraine attacks due to stress are evitable. When a person is stressed out, anxious or excited, neurotransmitters and other hormones that trigger migraine attacks are released in the brain. Stress is among the most common and most manageable migraine causes.
  • Unpleasant stimuli. Strong odors, loud music, bright lights or inappropriate lighting can cause migraine attacks.
  • Changes in weather. Studies have linked extreme changes in temperature to migraine headaches. Some individuals have increased sensitivity to changes in weather pattern, barometric pressure, and temperature that it triggers migraine.
  • Smoking. Smoking is a well known health hazard. Aside from other major diseases it causes, it is also one of the most notable migraine causes.
  • Food allergies. Nuts, seafood, poultry products are the most common causes of allergic reactions and are also migraine causes to people allergic to it. Headache which is already considered as migraine is among the most common symptoms experienced by people having allergic reactions. Other symptoms may include difficulty in breathing, itching of the skin, urticaria, diarrhea, flushing, nausea, teary eyes, and cold sweats.
  • Hunger. People who are very conscious with their figures and practice faulty diet regimens are very prone to migraines triggered by hunger or hypoglycemia (insufficient sugar in the blood). Usually, headaches due to skipped meals are managed by a late meal, but with persons with known migraine history, a skipped meal can cause migraine attacks and not just the typical headache.
  • Sleep deprivation or oversleeping. Too less or too much of anything is of no good. An example if this is sleep. Migraine headaches can be due to having not enough rest and sleep and sleeping for very long hours.


People who suffer from migraine experience the symptoms before, during, and after the attack. Although migraine attacks differ from one person to another, the common migraine symptoms are moderate to severe throbbing pain from one or both sides of the head, nausea and vomiting, photophobia or fear of light and phonophobia or fear of loud sounds, and pain which worsens with activity.

Although there are some uncontrollable migraine causes, you can focus on the avoidable ones. Stress is one of the most manageable migraine causes, it can be handled with exercise and proper relaxation techniques. Avoiding extremes of stimuli can avoid migraine attacks. It can be done by regulating the patient's environment. Lifestyle changes can eliminate not just one of the migraine causes but also help the patient avoid other conditions related to unhealthy habits. Quitting smoking, moderate alcohol intake and having enough rest will help an individual reach his maximum level of functioning without worrying of any health condition. Treatment during migraine attacks is focused on alleviating the pain and other symptoms. Most medications are the over-the-counter pain medications like paracetamol, naproxen, ibuprofen, and exedrin. Ibuprofen combined with caffeine is a famous management for migraine attacks. Aside from medications, there are also known natural treatments for migraines. Pure and fresh grape juice, cabbage leaf compress, lemon crust, and vegetable juices are few of the many natural migraine remedies. Although manageable, avoiding the migraine causes is still the best among the remedies.