Bad headaches keeping you awake at night? Migraines headaches are even worse.

What is a migraine? Migraine is usually a moderate or severe headache felt as a throbbing pain on 1 side of the head. Symptoms like feeling sick, being sick and increased sensitivity to light or sound may also occur. It is a common health condition, affecting around 1 in every 5 women and around 1 in every 15 men. They usually begin in early adulthood.

You always know how your migraine headaches start but have no idea why you get them. Doctors think that it might have been the imbalances in certain brain chemicals.

The trigeminal nerve is a pathway of pain that runs your eyes and mouth. Your levels of a chemical called serotonin may fall at the start of a migraine, and this nerve can release chemicals called neurotransmitters that travel to your brain and cause pain.

There are several risk factors for migraines. The first is your genes. If someone in your family gets migraine headaches, you are more likely to have them. Migraine can be more likely to hit you in your teens and tend to peak in your 30s, become less severe later.

Do you know what triggers your migraine?

1. Hormonal changes

Shifts in the hormone estrogen can bring on migraines in women. Medications like birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy can trigger headaches or make them worse.

2. Emotional stress

This is one of the most common migraine triggers. Anxiety, worry and fear can create even more tension and make a migraine worse.

3. Skipping meals

If you miss a meal, your blood sugar could drop, triggering a headache.

4. Alcohol and caffeine

Raging headache after having a glass of wine or drinks high in caffeine? These drinks can triggers migraine.

5. Sensory overload

Bright lights, loud sounds and strong smells can bring on these headaches in some people.

6. Irregular sleep pattern

If you get too much or too little sleep, you may get a migraine. Travelling or jet lag can be a cause.