What Are Migraines?
Almost everyone gets headaches. You might feel pain in your temples or at the back of your head from a tension headache after a busy day. Most regular headaches produce a dull pain around the front, top, and sides of your head, almost like someone stretched a rubber band around it.
A migraine is different. Doctors define it as a recurrent headache that causes other symptoms. The pain is often throbbing and can happen on one or both sides of the head. People with migraines often feel dizzy or sick to their stomachs. They may be sensitive to light, noise, or smells.
Migraines can be disabling, and teens with migraines often need to skip school, sports, work, or other activities until they feel better.
Who Gets Migraines?
If you have migraines, you're not alone. Up to 10% of U.S. teens and young adults get migraines. And after age 12, during and after puberty, migraines affect girls twice as often as boys.
Experts believe that the likelihood of getting migraines is inherited. If one of your parents gets migraines, you have a greater chance of having them than someone who doesn't have that family history.
What Causes Migraines?
The exact cause of migraines isn't known. Scientists think that they happen because some neurons (nerves in the brain) stop working properly and send the wrong signals. This may affect the nerve system that regulates pain.
Whatever the cause, experts do agree that different things trigger (set off) migraines in people who have them. Eating particular foods can bring on a migraine in some people. Others find that not getting enough sleep causes them.
Common migraine triggers include:
- stress
- menstruation (periods)
- skipping meals
- dehydration
- too much caffeine (more than 200 mg a day, such as the amount of caffeine in energy drinks)
- some foods (alcohol, cheese, citrus fruits, pizza, chocolate, ice cream, lunch meats and hot dogs, nitrites, aspartame, and MSG)
- sudden changes in sleep patterns
- changes in hormone levels
- smoking
- weather changes
What Happens During a Migraine?
Most migraines last from 30 minutes to 6 hours; some can last a couple of days.
Every migraine begins differently. Some people just don't feel right. Light, smell, or sound may bother them or make them feel worse. Sometimes, if they try to continue with their usual routine after the migraine starts, they may become nauseated and vomit. Often the pain begins only on one side of the head. Trying to do physical activities can make the pain worse.
Some people get auras, a kind of warning that a migraine is on the way. The most common auras include blurred vision and seeing spots, colored balls, jagged lines, or bright or flashing lights or smelling a certain odor. The auras may only be seen in one eye. An aura usually starts about 10 to 30 minutes before the start of a migraine.
Some people have a migraine premonition hours to days prior to the actual headache. This is a bit different from auras, and may cause cravings for different foods, thirst, irritability, or feelings of intense energy.
Some people with migraines also have muscle weakness, lose their sense of coordination, stumble, or even have trouble talking either just before or while they have a headache.