Last night I had a migraine and I was asleep at the time.

I was conscious of dreaming and my dream, whatever it was (I cannot remember), was showing a picture, even though my eyes were closed shut of a flickering light that was gradually getting bigger.

My eyes were instantly open and I was awake and the flickering light was still there in my left eye.

This surprised me as when I have had this occurrence before it has been during the day and I have found it goes away very quickly if I close my eyes shut and lay my head down flat.

Well, my head was laying flat on the bed, except for a soft pillow, my eyes had been shut and even now they were open it was night and the room was dark.

I expect nearly all of you have had this horrid experience and it got worse for me as about half an hour later my head felt it was going to explode and I felt nauseous.

This was a really bad one.

Even this morning whist at the computer my left eye keeps filling with water.

Don’t you all feel sorry for me?

Nah. Part of life. Far worse things. And it passed. Yes it did after a couple of hours and some paracetamol.

But what causes migraines?

So, I researched it and it was very interesting because not all migraines are the same and neither the cause.

I decided this morning to be non political and no rant – I am not up to it. Ahhh.

This is what I found.

Nearly 30 million people in the United States have migraines, and three times as many women as men have them.

Migraines are pulsating headaches, often on one side of the head. Physical activity may intensify the pain, but symptoms can vary from person to person and from one attack to the next.

Some people with a migraine experience aura.

The most common auras are visual, such as flickering lights, spots, or lines. “You may see a little jagged line…that will develop some cross hatches, and it might sort of move in a curved direction,” Dr. Calhoun says.

Auras typically last between five minutes and an hour, with a 60-minute “skip phase” before the headache pain sets in, she says.

Some patients have auras without a migraine-type headache or any headache at all.

Mood changes can be a sign of migraines.

“Some patients will feel very depressed or suddenly down for no reason,” Dr. Calhoun [Anne Calhoun, MD, partner and cofounder of the Carolina Headache Institute, in Chapel Hill, N.C.] says. “Others will feel very high.” Dutch researchers recently reported a possible genetic link between depression and migraines, especially migraines with aura.

Data presented at the American Academy of Neurology 2010 annual meeting suggests that moderate or severe depression increases the risk of episodic migraines becoming chronic.

Waking up tired or having trouble falling asleep are common problems in people with migraines.

Studies have shown an association between lack of restorative sleep and the frequency and intensity of migraines.

When migraines strike, it’s tough to get a good night’s sleep. “A lot of people will have insomnia as a result of their migraine,” says Edmund Messina, MD, medical director of the Michigan Headache Clinic, in East Lansing. This inability to sleep can be the start of a vicious cycle, as research suggests that lack of sleep can also trigger migraines.

Some people with migraines have sinus symptoms, such as stuffy nose, clear nasal drainage, droopy eyelids, or tearing, Dr. Messina says.

Before a migraine attack occurs, some people crave certain foods.

“A common craving is chocolate,” Dr. Messina says. [I crave ice cream with or without chocolate.]

Pulsating pain is a classic sign of migraines. The throbbing is often felt on one side of the head.

Migraine pain often burrows behind the eye.

People will blame it on eye strain and many will get their eyes checked, but that won’t make their headaches any better, Dr. Messina says.

“A lot of people will say, ‘My neck gets stiff and then I get a headache.’ Well, it’s probably the early stage of the migraine,” Dr. Messina says. “Or after a migraine they’ll get that neck symptom or they’ll have throbbing pain at the back of their neck.”

Yawning a lot is another tip-off that a migraine is about to strike.

Unlike regular “I’m tired” yawning, it may be excessive and occur every few minutes.

Some people with migraines have sensory aura.

They may have a temporary lack of sensation or a pins-and-needles feeling, typically on one side of the body, moving from the fingertips through the arm and across the face.

According to data from the American Migraine Study II, a mail survey of more than 3,700 people with migraines, 73% experience nausea and 29% have vomiting. (The study was funded by a drug manufacturer.)

In the throes of a migraine attack, the migraine sufferer tends to seek refuge in a dark, quiet place. Bright lights and loud noises can trigger a migraine or intensify the pain. The same is true of certain odors.

Routine activities such as walking or climbing stairs can make migraine pain worse.

Can’t get the words out? Speech difficulties can be another sign that a migraine is on its way.

When an arm goes limp, it can be a sign of a migraine.

One type of migraine, called a basilar-type migraine, can cause dizziness, double vision, or loss of vision.

After the migraine passes, a person may feel like her body has been pummeled.

In a recent study, researchers interviewed migraine patients and found that they commonly experienced symptoms such as fatigue, trouble concentrating, weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, and loss of energy during the post-migraine period.

SOURCE: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20537878,00.html/view-all

A large percentage of the above I fall into.

Unfortunately none of the above has told me how to prevent it again.

At least I know I am not alone. And somewhere in all the reasons given for why I got my migraine last night was emotion. It looks like my migraines will still be part of my life.

Now is one of my eyes starting to get a flicker?

END NOTE: My wife tells me she used to suffer terribly from migraines during her childbearing years that were so bad with severe headaches she would bang her head on the floor. They only stopped when she vomited. She hasn’t suffered one now for years. Is the moral to this I should have been a woman?