What Causes Headache and Migraine?

Headaches and migraine can be a debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide. There are a number of causes of migraine headaches some of them genetic, others biological, while some are environmental/ dietary. This page provides information about what causes headache and migraine and some of the common classifications of headache.

There are a number of different types of headaches, with 3 described below:

Tension headache is the most common type of headache and is described as a feeling of pressure or tension in and around the head. It is usually characterised by a dull ache on both sides of the head or a heavy weight on top of the head. There may also be aching and tightness in the neck and shoulders.  

Two thirds of people will have at least one tension headache in their lifetime and despite the discomfort, most people can continue with their usual activities.

What Causes Headache (Tension)? Tension headache is thought to be caused by muscle tightness in the scalp, forehead and the back of the neck. It is often triggered by tension and stress, tiredness, long periods of reading, typing or concentration (eye strain), poor posture, spine and neck injuries, high blood pressure and physical or emotional stress.

Migraine headache is the most common headache in young adults and affects women more than men. Studies show that approximately 15 to 20% of women and 5% of men have one or more migraine headaches per year.

Typically, migraine headaches affect one half of the head, are pulsating, and last from 4 to 72 hours. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, photophobia (increased sensitivity to light), and phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound).  Approximately one-third of people who suffer migraine headache also experience an aura-unusual visual, olfactory, or other sensory experiences that are a sign that the migraine will soon occur.

Many women can experience migraine attacks with menstruation, often occurring a couple of days prior to bleeding or 2 to 3 days after menstruation. This is a time when oestrogen levels are low which also reduces neurotransmitter levels (particularly serotonin).  Many people with migraine headache also suffer from depression and pre-menstrual tension (PMT).

Cluster headache is an extraordinarily painful, rare (affects about 1 in every 1000 people) chronic disease affecting five times as many men as women.  It usually develops between the ages of 20 and 40.  Cluster headaches are termed 'cluster' as the attacks usually occur in groups or clusters, typically for several weeks once or twice a year at the same time of year. 

Symptoms of cluster headaches include:

• Excruciating, boring, burning pain (much more severe than migraine) localised around one eye

• very pronounced pain behind one eye, commonly radiating to forehead, temple, cheek and upper gum on same side of face

• drooping of eyelid, watering eye that may become bloodshot, running or blocked nostril on the affected side

• steady rather than throbbing pain

• attacks of 15 - 180  minutes

• 1-3 attacks per day

• attacks can occur on consecutive days for 6-8 weeks

• remission periods of months to years

• onset of pain about an hour after going to bed.

What Causes Headache and Migraines?

The reason why headaches and migraines can be so difficult to treat is because they can be caused by a multitude of factors. What may be an important cause for one person may have little effect on another sufferer, therefore to effectively treat headaches (and particularly migraines) a person's specific cause(s) must be identified. Below provides information about what causes headache and migraine:

• Low oestrogen levels (specifically, oestradiol). The relationship between oestrogen and migraine is the reason why women suffer from more migraines and is a primary cause of menstrual migraines.

• Decreased serotonin. Low serotonin levels can trigger migraines and people suffering from migraines have lower serotonin levels. Low serotonin is one of the major causes of migraine headaches and is often associated with depression and irritability.

• Emotional stress. 70-80 percent of migraine suffers report stress as a trigger to migraines and headaches.

• Excessive glutamate. This is an excitatory neurotransmitter that can trigger migraines.

• Inflammation/ immune response. Studies show that excess inflammation can trigger migraine headaches.

• Food allergies/ intolerances. High risk foods associated with migraines include foods containing nitrites (e.g., bacon, process meats), aspartame (diet drinks), monosodium glutamate (packaged foods, Chinese restaurants), tyramine (e.g., chocolate, wine), and caffeine. People also have their own individual food allergies/ intolerances that may trigger migraines e.g., diary, corn, gluten.

• Impairments in liver detoxification. The liver is responsible for detoxifying toxins. Impairments in the different phases of liver detoxification can result in accumulated body toxins and can then trigger migraines/ headaches

• Excess toxic exposure e.g., metals, plastics, adhesives, chemicals. All bad!!

• Decreased melatonin. Studies show that migraine sufferers have lower levels of melatonin (a sleep chemical) and this may be associated with migraine triggers.

• Release of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is often increased during migraine attacks.

• Structural imbalances. This includes back, neck and spinal problems.

• Poor diet. Excess sugar, take away foods, soft drinks etc can trigger migraines and results in nutrient deficiencies.

• Hypoglycaemia. Skipping meals and corresponding low blood sugar is a common trigger for headaches and migraines.

• Sleep problems. Too much or too little sleep is reported as a common trigger to sleep problems.

• H Pylori infection. One study showed that H. Pylori infection was common in migraine sufferers and treatment resulted in an improvement in migraines.

• Adrenal hypo- hyper-function. Excessive or insufficient cortisol levels (stress hormones) can trigger headaches and migraines (or at least exacerbate them)

• Excess dopamine. Some studies show that dopamine (a brain neurotransmitter) may be higher in migraine and headache sufferers.

• GABA deficiency. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation. Migraine sufferers a likely low in this neurotransmitter.

To effectively treat headache and migraines it is important to identify what causes headache for a specific person. A one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work for many people when it comes to headache and migraine treatment. To identify what causes headache for a person, the use of headache diaries, nutritional, medical and hormonal tests can be extremely useful.

If you are suffering from headaches or migraines click here to contact for more information and/or to arrange and appointment to see Adrian Lopresti