what is the difference between a headache and a migraine (not the difference between symptoms)?
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at
4:02 am
What causes a headache vs what causes a migraine? I heard it’s something to do with capillaries or something but I can’t find a good explanation anywhere?
Tagged with: between • difference • headache • Migraine • Symptoms
Filed under: Migraine Headache Symptoms
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The difference between a migraine headache and a tension headache is that while a tension headache involves the muscles and fascia of the scalp and neck tightening and causing pain, a migraine involves a large chemical change that affects the entire body. Blood vessels in the brain become wider, serotonin is lowered, and nerves misfire – causing severe pain – along with a host of other symptoms.
However this is not clear at this point that migraine is caused by serotonin deficiency.
The most frequent tension headache causes are stress, hunger, alcohol and sinus issues such as infection and allergies. Migraine headaches are much more severe than tension headaches. They also affect women more than men, and can sometimes accompany the menstrual cycle. Migraine headaches sometimes elicit other symptoms than just a throbbing head; such as sensitivity to light or sound. Migraines can last from hours to days, and can affect the sufferer’s ability to focus, concentrate, work and interact with family. They often cause nausea and force the person to lie down in a dark room, to try to sleep it off.