A migraine is an acute and recurring pain, often occurring in only one side of the head of an individual. It is a neurological condition which is often followed by nausea, blurred vision, and difficulty in speaking.

Migraine headaches can begin in childhood and continue to persist until adulthood. It is often found that migraines are hereditary and run through families. An individual is likely to experience a migraine attack at any point in life. Thereafter, the pain can remain for as long as three to four hours or even more in some cases.

Causes of a migraine
There is no definite identifiable cause of a migraine yet. However, there are certain factors that contribute to the occurrence of a migraine. The factors that can trigger a migraine are bright lights, excessive stress, loud sounds, skipping meals, changes in sleep patterns, smoking, alcohol use, and unusual smells.

Certain other secondary factors like traveling too much, intense physical activity, hormonal changes (in women), dehydration, changes in barometric pressure, and certain types of foods may also lead to a migraine.

Symptoms of a migraine
The prima facie symptom of a migraine is a headache. A person is likely to experience intense pain in the head. However, just two or three days before, the other symptoms start to develop. They are as mentioned below:

• A patient of a migraine suddenly starts to crave for food.
• He or she is also likely to experience depression.
• Headaches are accompanied by fatigue and low energy in the patient.
• Low energy means a lack of oxygen, thus the patient encounters frequent yawning.
• Hyperactivity and irritability are other signs of a migraine.
• The neck becomes stiff due to acute pain in the head.

Some other secondary symptoms of a migraine include:

• Blurred vision
• Difficulty in speech
• The vision of different shapes
• Getting flashes of light or bright spots
• Getting a tickling sensation in arms, face, and legs

There are some symptoms that arise during the attack phase which lasts for hours to even days. These include:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Pain in any one side of the head
• Sensitivity to light and sound

The patient is likely to experience mood swings and also changes in feelings which can be either euphoric, fatigued or apathetic. However, a mild headache still persists.

Treatment of a migraine
Migraines are not purely curable; however, they can be managed to some extent so that they occur less often. Even the treatment is not uniform for every patient, it depends on certain factors such as the age of the patient, how often does a migraine occur, the type of a migraine being experienced, the severity of a migraine to name a few.

The treatments are as follows:

• Migraines are a result of excessive stress. Thus, a change in lifestyle is needed where stress adjustment should be the prime focus.
• There may be some self-care migraine remedies which includes lying down in a quiet and dark room, massaging the scalp and temple or placing a cold cloth over the forehead.
• Some medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) can also be implemented to get cured of a migraine.
• A patient can also be involved in counseling. Factors such as stress and other lifestyle problems can be talked about with the counselor.
• In the case of women, hormone therapy can be availed so as to get cured of a migraine, in case it has occurred due to changes in the menstrual cycle.
• Some home remedies like acupressure can be taken. The nerves in the fingers and hands are linked with the brain, therefore, by applying pressure on specific points in the hands and the fingers, pain and other symptoms can be relieved.