Those people that suffer with the very powerful headaches often referred to as 'a migraine' may well have started having them when they were in their childhood or around puberty. Left untreated, an attack can force the person to have bed rest but normally the intense pain starts to subside within a few hours. Not only is the victim in pain but they can be physically exhausted after the attack.

Medical science still hasn't discovered why there can be such long periods without a headache for some people and not others. Many of the symptoms experienced by sufferers are closely connected to other everyday illnesses. Migraine can affect people from as young as ten and up to the age of forty; almost no cases are recorded after the age of 50.

It is not uncommon for a number of family members to share a migraine headache problem and hereditary links are believed to exist; however, science has not yet proved that there is a genetic factor at work. There seems to be a common connection amongst sufferers where blood vessels and nerve endings near the brain, swell

Sufferers may acquire sensitivity to a medical condition that brings about inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves near the brain, resulting to pain. There are three women to each man that suffer with this condition; only one in twelve men will experience an attack in their lives.

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. There are many indications this may happen which will vary between sufferers which can be one or more of the following:

Nausea

Problems with vision

Reduction in the sensations of taste

Lack of sensation in sufferers extremities

Other symptoms exist but these appear to be the most common. The most common type of this condition is known as migraine without aura; this condition can escalate and is made worse by any movement, loud noises and bright lights which can cause the person to vomit.

Science is still trying to discover the reason for migraines and why some people are more susceptible to the condition than others although one theory has suggested that contracted blood vessels in the brain may be the cause.

If the blood vessels then expand suddenly, this may cause the intense headache; those who are afflicted say the headache is often so intense that it impedes with regular routinely daily activity and may even keep them awake. The range of possible triggers that create an attack is huge; the most common are listed below:

Weather patterns

Certain types of food

Altitude

Traveling in a plane

Specific kinds of drinks

Very bright internal lighting

Infrequent or irregular eating habits

Tension

Monitoring and recording the triggers in a diary can help avoid future attacks so it is something that all sufferers must learn to carry out.