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ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) - Migraines affect millions of people in the United States. According to the American Migraine Foundation, it’s the third most common disease in the world. Now, a new study found people who suffer from migraines might be able to predict when one is coming, hours before symptoms even start.

A migraine is sometimes misunderstood as a bad headache.

“It’s probably one of the most common conditions that we see in practice,” said Dr. Vincent Martin, the director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center and president of the National Headache Foundation at the University of Cincinnati.

But doctors say it’s a neurological disease impacting about 39 million people in the U.S.

“It occurs in about 16 to 18 percent of women and about five percent of men. Overall, it’s about 12 percent of the entire population. So, it’s about one in eight people overall,” explained Dr. Martin.

Migraines typically last anywhere from four to 72 hours, causing moderate to severe pain.

“Usually, the pain is on one side, but occasionally it can be two-sided. And they get a variety of different symptoms such as nausea, and vomiting, and sometimes sensitivity to light and noise as well,” said Dr. Martin.

A new study from the American Academy of Neurology found circadian rhythms play a huge role in migraines. Study participants who experienced poor sleep quality and low energy had a higher chance of a migraine the next morning. For people who had higher energy and higher stress levels, a migraine also typically followed the next day, but in the afternoon or evening. Doctors say recognizing specific triggers means a migraine could be predicted and prevented with medication before it even starts.

“We use some of the ones that stay in the body a little bit longer shortly before a trigger and during the trigger, and then sometimes that can kind of ward it off,” said Dr. Martin.

Along with sleep, energy level, and stress, other common migraine triggers include hormones, certain smells or foods, and even weather changes.

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