First, some DIY doctoring. Are these headaches throbbing, or pounding? Do they last anything from three hours to three days? Do you feel sick or throw up with them?

Do they tend to affect one side of your head? Do they make you avoid bright lights or loud noise? And are they so incapacitating that they’d stop you, say, watching the footy on TV? Answer ‘yes’ to most of these and OK – I agree you’ve got a migraine.

So, what next? Try avoiding any ‘triggers’. But don’t look too hard at your diet. If cheese, chocolate, red wine or any of the usual suspects sparked your migraine, you’d probably have figured it out by now.

Diet may play a part – but it’s usually through eating irregularly and, in particular, skipping meals. Not getting enough sleep is another common trigger, so try to get into a sensible routine.

These days, there are plenty of treatments available over the counter to help bludgeon your migraines into submission. Options include paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen and. Soluble versions are probably best, and it’s important to start them at the first sign of an attack. Soon, some of the more powerful migraine busters – known as ‘triptans’ – are also to become available without prescription.

But it’s worth seeing your GP if you throw up with your migraines. He can prescribe an anti-sickness treatment. Not only will that make you feel better, it’ll also give painkillers a chance to work – they’re not going to do much good if you’re puking them down the toilet.

It’s also worth making an appointment if you’re getting frequent attacks, because your doc can prescribe migraine preventors. They’re not a miracle cure, but they may well reduce the frequency and severity of your headache misery.