Migraine can be triggered by many different things, including:

• stress

• exercise

• certain foods and drinks (e.g. cheese, coffee, chocolate, and alcohol)

• bright and/or flickering lights

• loud noises

• strong smells

• lack of sleep or too much sleep

• weather changes.

In women, hormonal changes at certain times of their life or at the onset of menstruation (periods) can trigger migraines.

Migraine may be hereditary, which means that you are more likely to suffer from migraine if a close family member also has migraine attacks.

One theory of how migraine causes headache is that some of the nerves in the head that provide sensation from the face become overactive, causing blood vessels adjacent to the nerves to become slightly leaky, resulting in inflammation of the lining of the brain. Because the lining of the brain is sensitive to pain, headache occurs. As the inflammation goes away the headache resolves.