Think back to your last migraine…
What were you doing just before it started?
You probably weren’t doing anything too different to what you usually do.
So what caused your migraine to start up?
The Causes of Migraines are Unknown
When most people want to know about migraine causes, what they’re usually looking for are the triggers that bring on migraines.
Unfortunately, the true underlying mechanism that starts migraines still isn’t known.
I know that doesn’t help much, but when it’s worked out, it’s going to make you and a lot of other people very happy.
There is some valid research on what is thought to be the cause of migraines but it hasn’t been completely proven just yet.
The Theory of Migraine Causes
It used to be thought that changes in blood flow to the brain caused migraines.
This is no longer the case.
The most recent theories (particularly research conducted by Genevieve Demarquay and Francois Mauguiere) about what causes migraines relate to your central nervous system.
Your central nervous system contains your brain and spinal cord and controls all the activity in your entire body.
It’s now thought that chemical changes in the brain are the major contributors to the start of your headache.
Specifically, a chemical known as serotonin.
Serotonin’s role is to reduce the perception of pain in your central nervous system. When there is a reduction in serotonin in your brain it can be a large factor in starting your migraine.
Interestingly enough, serotonin continues to decrease after your migraine starts. This causes the release of substances which travel to the protective layer of your brain and cause migraine pain.
Does Magnesium deficiency cause your Migraines?
There are numbers of studies that prove this statement. For example, research conducted by Professor Ardalani proved that increasing magnesium levels helps to decrease attacks of migraine headache, as well the severeness of headache pain (this last index was statistically significant between two groups who took placebo and who took magnesium).
The same conclusions were reached by a scientific group lead by Angele Guilbot in their study on supplements for migraine prophylaxis.
It is not 100% certain that magnesium deficiency is the reason for your migraines but it’s true that magnesium may help to reduce your headache.
Do not forget that The American Migraine Foundation suggest to take 400–500 mg of this supplement every day in order to prevent migraines.
The Causes Of Migraines May Be From The Neck
Neck pain in adolescents is associated with an episodic and chronic migraine according to the recent scientific paper written by Mirjam N Landgraf and her research group. The main method they used was based on questionnaires about headache appearance, neck and shoulder pain, type and frequency, etc., in school students.
The science behind this: in your upper neck are 3 nerves known as cervical spinal nerves and another important nerve known as the trigeminal nerve.
These nerves make up a column known as the trigeminocervical nucleus (I know…Not the easiest name to remember!)
The nerve fibres in the trigeminocervical nucleus have a role in decreasing the pain signals going into your brain.
Your brain has a threshold which limits your perception of pain.
When these nerves stop functioning correctly the threshold decreases. This allows pain to come on a lot quicker and leads to pain referral in the head, eyes, face and neck…otherwise known as some of the symptoms of migraines.
It’s starting to be shown that people who suffer from migraines have a lower threshold in their brain to begin with than non-sufferers.
Theories Aren’t Always Right…But They Can Be!
Like stated above, these migraine causes are not proven to be the definitive reason for your migraines.
But they very well could be!
If you do suffer from migraines, make sure you speak to a health professional to find out if your migraine symptoms may be coming on from a more serious underlying condition or what you can do to start treating your migraines.
If you feel as though migraine treatment can help you call us or book online today to see what we can do to reduce your pain.
