Causes for Migraine
The exact cause of migraine is not understood in totality. It is caused by a disturbance in the functioning of the nervous system which may be triggered by environmental factors or changes in the body itself. Migraine tends to run in families which shows that genetics has a role to play in the development of migraine.
In many women, migraine tends to recur at some point of their menstrual cycles regularly, either before, during or after the menses. This is known as a menstrual migraine and it is related to the hormonal changes that occur in the body during the menstrual cycle. Menstrual migraines tend to disappear during pregnancy.
There are certain common factors which trigger the onset of migraine in many patients. These are as follows:
- Weather changes
- Hormonal changes before, during and after the menses in women
- Alcohol
- Birth control pills
- Inadequate sleep
- Physical or mental stress
- Irregular meals or skipping a meal
- Strong odors
- Certain food articles
- Environmental changes
- Excess of noise or light
Once identified, the patient must modify his lifestyle so as to avoid these triggers wherever possible.
