Everything you need to know
What Is Migraine?
Migraine is far more than a headache. It is a complex neurological condition that affects 1 in 7 people. Understand what is really happening in your body.
What is migraine?
Migraine is not just a headache. It is a neurological condition in which your nervous system gets into trouble and sounds the alarm. The headache is only one of many symptoms.
During a migraine attack, your trigeminal nerve becomes overstimulated. This leads to blood vessel dilation, inflammation around the membranes of the brain and a cascade of pain signals. Your brain is literally in a state of alarm.
Worldwide, more than 1 billion people live with migraine. It is the third most common illness in the world and the leading cause of disability in people under the age of 50.
1 in 7
people have migraine
3x
more common in women
72h
an attack can last
The four phases of an attack
1. Prodrome
Hours to days before
Irritability, fatigue, food cravings, yawning. Your body is already warning you.
2. Aura
Usually 5-60 minutes
Visual disturbances, tingling, speech problems. Not everyone has this, and for some people aura can last much longer or be almost continuously present.
3. Headache phase
4-72 hours
Severe throbbing pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound.
4. Postdrome
24-48 hours
The 'migraine hangover'. Fatigue, trouble concentrating, reduced appetite.
Not everyone recognizes these four phases as clearly or in this order. With chronic migraine the phases often blend together and aura is frequently present on its own. Your own pattern may look different.
Migraine vs. an ordinary headache
The symptoms differ, but the underlying patterns overlap strongly.
| Tension headache | Migraine | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 30 min to a few hours | 4 to 72 hours |
| Intensity | Mild to moderate | Moderate to severe |
| Location | Both sides, pressing | Often one-sided, throbbing |
| Nausea | Rarely | Often, sometimes with vomiting |
| Light sensitivity | No or mild | Yes, often pronounced |
| Sound sensitivity | No or mild | Yes, often pronounced |
| Aura | Never | In 25% of people |
| Movement | Sometimes helps | Worsens the pain |
We support both
You do not need to know first whether it is “really migraine” to get started with us. The two pictures overlap strongly and often blend into one another. Many people experience them in turn, or are not quite sure which label fits.
The factors driving tension headache are often the same as with migraine: an overstimulated nervous system, tension in muscles and connective tissue, and unrest in the brain. We work on those patterns, whatever label you were given.
Types of migraine
There are several forms of migraine. Each form calls for a different approach.
Migraine without aura
The most common form (70-80%). Severe, throbbing headache, often one-sided, with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Attacks last 4 to 72 hours.
Migraine with aura
About 25% of people with migraine experience aura: visual disturbances (flashes, zigzag lines), tingling or speech problems, 5-60 minutes before the headache begins.
Chronic migraine
15 or more headache days per month, of which at least 8 have migraine features. It affects 1-2% of the population and has an enormous impact on quality of life.
Hormonal migraine
Attacks linked to the menstrual cycle, especially in the days around the end of the cycle and around ovulation. It affects more than 60% of women with migraine.
Hemiplegic migraine
A rare form in which aura comes with temporary weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, often with speech problems or confusion. Symptoms resemble a stroke and must be medically ruled out. It occurs in familial or sporadic forms.
Vestibular migraine
Migraine in which dizziness and balance problems take center stage. The headache may be mild or even absent. It affects about 1% of the population and is often confused with other balance disorders.
Triggers vs. underlying factors
This is perhaps the most important distinction you can make if you have migraine. Triggers and underlying factors are not the same thing.
Triggers are the final push: chocolate, wine, stress, a change in weather, too little sleep. They set off an attack, but only when your nervous system is already on edge.
Underlying factors are the elements that make your nervous system oversensitive: chronic inflammation, hormonal disruption, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, gut-brain problems and a dysregulated stress response. They decide whether a trigger gets the chance to set off an attack.
“If you only avoid triggers, you live in an ever-shrinking world. If you address the underlying factors, your world grows larger again.”
Common triggers
Underlying factors
Avoiding triggers is surviving. Addressing underlying factors is recovering.
Building Block Analysis
Curious which factors play a role for you?
The Building Block Analysis maps which building blocks play a role in your migraine. Fully online, with a personal report.
Discover the Building Block AnalysisReady to understand your migraine?
The DNA Migraine Blueprint shows which genetic factors play a role in your migraine. Or read more about what fills your bucket and which factors may be at play.