Doctors say a migraine is more than just a headache; it’s a complex neurological condition that impacts daily life in many different ways. Unlike a typical headache, migraine is a neurovascular condition that impacts multiple systems in the body, often bringing pain, sensory disruption, and cognitive effects that last for hours or even days.
According to the World Health Organization, migraines are the second-leading cause of disability globally. In the U.S., 42 million Americans live with migraines—that’s one in six households.
“All of the symptoms of migraine are just as much migraine sensitivities to light, to noise, to smell, nausea, disequilibrium, [and] cognitive impairment. So a lot of brain regions are involved,” Sprouse Blum said. “And we no longer think of migraine as a blood vessel stretching disease. We now understand that there’s changes that happen both in the vascular and the nervous system.”
Experts say migraine can be triggered by a variety of factors including stress, sleep disruption, hormonal changes, weather patterns, and diet.