What elevates your migraine risk?

Your head is pounding as if someone is driving an ice pick into it. You can’t focus on your task, much less listen to the TV blaring in the background. All you want is to lie down in a dark, quiet room, hoping the pain and dizziness will subside in a few hours. You have a migraine.

“A migraine is a common neurological condition that affects both children and adults,” says Dr. Andrew MacDougall, a neurologist at Advocate Health Care. “It’s characterized by intense head pain lasting between 4 and 72 hours. In many cases, the head pain is severe enough to make you stop what you’re doing and rest – causing many people to miss school or work.”

Along with head pain, you may experience these other symptoms:

• Vision changes, such as an aura
• Dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and sound

Over one billion people worldwide experience a migraine at least once in their life.

“Migraines can occur at any age in both genders,” Dr. MacDougall says. “They are most common in women between the ages of 15 and 45. Your risk is also increased if you have a family history of migraines.”

Certain health conditions also increase your risk for migraines, including:

• Diabetes
• Dyslipidemia, or high cholesterol
• Hypertension, or high blood pressure
• Obesity

Migraines can also coincide with some mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, but these conditions do not cause them.

Additionally, chronic migraines can be triggered by certain biological, dietary or environmental factors.

“Some women find that their migraines correlate with their menstrual cycle. Also, consuming too much caffeine or widely varying your consumption is a trigger for some people,” Dr. MacDougall adds. “Some triggers can’t be avoided, such as weather changes.”

To help you identify triggers, keep a migraine journal. Write down when the migraine began, what you were doing, how long it lasted and what helped relieve it.

At-home remedies to prevent a migraine:

• Get adequate sleep
• Drink plenty of water
• Limit dietary triggers
• Get regular exercise
• Use a hot or cold compress
• Manage stress

“When conservative measures fail, there are several medications that can be offered for migraine prevention and for rescue treatments taken on demand to stop a migraine,” Dr. MacDougall says.

Living with migraines isn’t easy, but you can learn to cope. Speak with your health care provider if at-home remedies fail or if migraines keep you from doing your daily activities.

Want to learn more about your risk for diabetes? Take a free online quiz.