Understanding Your Risk Factors for Having Migraine Headaches

I have had migraines for over 25 years and they have steadily gotten worse as I have gotten older. Some of the triggers for my migraines include severe temperature changes especially cold weather, certain smells such as chemicals, certain foods such as chocolate, stress and hormonal changes. I have had migraines for as long as I can remember however they steadily worsened after I started having children and now they continue to worsen due to my hypertension problems and stress level at work.

There are many factors that can make a person more at risk for having migraines, but the dynamics of migraines is not known. Many people unfortunately are misdiagnosed by medical professionals as having only muscle tension headaches, however migraines are typically only on one side of the head and cause everything from nausea and vomiting to light sensitivity. Migraines are not easily treated and can in some instances become incapacitating to the sufferer without preemptive medical treatment.

Factors that can make a person more susceptible to having migraines.

1. People who suffer from migraines usually have a strong family medical history of migraines. This means many sufferers have at least one parent that has suffered from migraines.

2. Migraines usually begin in early adulthood and continue throughout a person's life. Migraines however are commonly seen in between the ages of late 20's to early 40's.

3. Even though men experience high stress levels and are known to have many other types of headaches. Women are more likely to have migraine headaches, approximately three times the risk of men. Many migraines for women are triggered by hormonal changes starting as early as puberty and then throughout the childbearing years. Hormonal triggers usually start just before or after the onset of ovulation and menstruation. Hormonal issues may however decrease during pregnancy or menopause, however in some instances some women have reported an increase in migraine frequency.

People with migraines should start a migraine diary in order to try and decipher a pattern as to what triggers their migraines. Many times keeping a migraine diary of daily activities and dietary changes can help a person learn what factors are triggering their migraines and how best to try and decrease their migraine frequency.

If you are experiencing severe migraines it is imperative that you seek proper medical treatment. I have been a nurse for a long time and having to struggle with severe migraines is very frustrating and almost literary takes over your life. I should know on average I have a migraine to varying degree almost every other day. The best advice I can give is limit stress, change medications around until you find one that with preemptive measures can give you the best chance at quickly relieving a migraine from becoming a full blown event.

References for this article include:www.migraineissues.com/ms/guides/causes_of_migraine/main.html
health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/migraine/risk-factors.html
www.healthcentral.com/migraine/understanding-migraine-000097_4-145_2.html