Why Do I Have Migraine Headaches?

Many people suffer for months, or even years, before they learn the cause of migraine headaches. In fact, they may not even know that their headaches are migraines. The pain may have been misdiagnosed as tension headaches, sinus headaches, or some other malady.

You may be among those sufferers. You may even know that yours are migraine headaches. You have heard that migraine headaches have triggers. You may have heard that food can be a cause of migraine headaches. Someone may have warned you that sunspots or some other meteorological change can be the cause of migraine headaches. Everything you heard is general. Suggestions were muddled. Explanations were tentative, at best.

Finally, you wanted to know specifically, “Why do I have migraine headaches?” You wanted to get personal – to know your personal cause of migraine headaches!

Doctors Differ on Causes of Migraine Headaches

Doctors differ widely in their answers. Less thorough-going physicians may simply treat symptoms and show little interest in the root cause of migraine headaches. Better physicians may seek to identify the cause of migraine headaches in general, but not in your specific case. Most will agree that the cause of migraine headaches is probably chemical or electrical in nature.

Electrical Cause of Migraine Headaches

This belief states that the cause of migraine headaches is a wave of electrical activity. This electrical wave spreads across certain parts of the brain. As it spreads, it probably creates the migraine aura, by which we mean the temporary symptoms that tell you a migraine is coming. The electrical wave changes the neurons, or nerve cells, and then the blood vessels beside them.

Chemical Cause of Migraine Headaches

Those who lean toward the chemical cause of migraine headaches point to one of three possible chemical actions.

1. Nitric Oxide: fluctuations in chemicals within the brain. Studies have shown that the trigeminal neuron releases nitric oxide (NO). NO widens blood vessels. NO is involved in nerve cell activity, and is possibly a help in recognizing pain.

2. Serotonin: Another chemical cause of migraine headaches may be linked to changes in serotonin levels. Serotonin widens blood vessels. Scientists know that serotonin regulates pain, but they don’t understand how.

3. Hormones: It is known that hormones, linked to genetic structure, bring about a wide variety of changes in our bodies. Some researchers believe the cause of migraine headaches is hormonal. Adrenaline that is closely related to stress, for example, may be a cause of migraine headaches. Other hormones related to fatigue or relaxation, as well as environmental triggers such as alcohol and highly processed foods can also cause migraine. Pregnancy hormones can be a cause of migraine headaches.

Chemical causes of migraine headaches can interact. Female hormones of pregnancy may interact with serotonin. Stress hormones may interact with nitric oxide.

Trigeminovascular Cause of Migraine Headaches

As of this writing in August 2007, the most popular belief regarding the cause of migraine headaches is the trigeminovascular theory. Your trigeminovascular system includes your face: eyes, nose, mouth, and jaws. The belief is that migraine is the result of a chemical imbalance that begins in the brain. Some type of trigger initiates a succession of biological and chemical occurrences. These events create the warning aura. When the trigeminal nerves in your scalp and face release chemicals, arteries in your brain become inflamed. The inflammation causes the pulsing arteries to scream in pain.

Genetics

There is strong indication that your genes are a cause of migraine headaches Migraine seems to occur in families. Researchers have become convinced that inherited abnormalities in genes that control the activities of certain cell populations in the brain are the cause of migraine headaches.

Conclusion

Whether the cause of migraine headaches is any of the above three is not known conclusively. Each seems to be a piece of the puzzle. The final piece may remain to be discovered.

CAUTION: The information given here is presented for educational purposes only. If you suffer from migraine headaches, or you believe your pain is migraine, please see your physician. She or he will help you try to identify the cause of migraine headaches in your individual case.