Is It Possible to Predict Migraine Attacks? Here’s What the Latest Research Suggests!

Migraine Attacks: Migraine is a type of headache in which there is severe pain on one side of the head. This pain feels like a piercing pain. Migraine should not be taken lightly. It is not just a minor headache. According to a study in February 2018, migraine is the biggest cause of disability in people under the age of 50.

Until now, scientists were not fully aware of what triggers morning migraines. But now a new study published in the journal Neurology explains what are the two biggest reasons for migraine attacks. 

This study can now also help in predicting when the patient is going to have the next attack and perhaps it can also be prevented. In this special story, the new study done on migraine has been explained in detail.

First understand how common migraine is

Migraine is very common. Research has shown that about 12 percent of people in the US experience migraine. This means that 1 in every 10 people suffers from migraine. It is more common in women than in men. It is estimated that 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men experience migraine.

Migraine can start at any age, but it usually starts at the age of 20 to 30 years. The cause of migraine is different for every person. Some people get migraine only once a year, while others may get it once a week. Most people have this problem two to four times a month. 

How does migraine occur?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, when you have a headache, certain nerves in the blood vessels send pain signals to your brain. This produces elements that cause inflammation in the nerves of your head and brain nerves. However, why these nerves do this is not yet completely clear.

The risk of migraine increases if someone in the family already has this problem. Diseases like depression, anxiety, sleep problems and epilepsy can also trigger migraine. Apart from this, regular consumption of tobacco can also increase the risk of migraine. 

How to know when a migraine attack is about to happen?

Researchers tried to find out if there is any change in people’s mood, sleep, energy and stress levels before a headache occurs. A new study published in the journal Neurology suggests that smartphone apps or diaries that can track sleep, behavior and emotional state can predict headaches in some patients. 

The study found that people who had migraines in the morning had lower energy levels the previous day and did not sleep well at night. Interestingly, anxiety and any kind of mental illness were not directly related to headaches, especially in the case of migraine.

Some changes can be felt in the body up to 24 hours before the migraine attack, which is called prodrome. During this time, there may be a strong desire to eat something, sudden fluctuations in mood (such as very happy or very sad), sleep is not proper, there is frequent yawning or there may be a frequent visit to the toilet.

The study’s lead researcher, Kathleen Merikangas, a psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health, says that if people track their energy levels, physical activity, and sleep, they may be able to identify when they are about to start having headaches. Changes begin to occur in the body and brain even before a headache begins.

What are the symptoms of migraine pain?

Some patients may experience some brain-related problems before or during migraine pain, which is called migraine aura. These may include dizziness, ringing in the ears, seeing zigzag lines in front of the eyes, nausea, vomiting or feeling frightened by bright light and sound. This can be a warning sign before a migraine attack, but sometimes it can also occur along with a severe headache. However, not all migraine sufferers experience this aura.

After the headache subsides, the phase after the migraine attack is called ‘migraine hangover’. This can last from a few hours to 48 hours. During this time, one may feel tired, have trouble concentrating, feel dizzy, feel weak and lethargic. For some people, this may feel exactly like the hangover that happens after drinking alcohol. For some people, this time between attacks remains completely symptom-free. 

How was the research done and how many people were included?

Scientists included 477 people in Washington DC and surrounding areas. The age of these volunteers was between 7 and 84 years, of which 186 were men and 291 were women, some had suffered from migraine before and some had not.

For two weeks, these people recorded information about their anxiety, mood, energy, stress and headache four times a day through a smartphone app. Every morning they also reported about the previous night’s sleep.

A special device was also used to measure their sleep. At the end of the study, the scientists compared the first case of headache in those who had previously had migraine and those who had not.

Can headaches be prevented?

Research has not been able to prove that tension or depression directly causes headaches, but it has definitely been told how important it is to maintain good sleep and energy levels. Problems like nausea and vomiting during migraine attacks can disturb sleep. This research has not yet found much information on how changes in eating habits and hormones trigger migraine.

Migraine expert Jelena Pavlovic of Montefiore Medical Center in New York says that the most effective treatment for migraine is to get a good night’s sleep every night. Even though migraine attacks cannot be prevented in some patients, the sooner treatment is started, the easier and quicker the headache can be relieved.