A migraine is much more than a bad headache. This neurological disease can cause debilitating throbbing pain that can leave you in bed for days! Movement, light, sound and other triggers may cause symptoms like pain, tiredness, nausea, visual disturbances, numbness and tingling, irritability, difficulty speaking, temporary loss of vision and many more.
What is a Migraine Headache? And Types of headache.
A migraine is a powerful headache that often happens accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for 4 hours to 72 hours, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities. Some suspects get a warning symptom before the start of the Migraine Headache.
There are several types of migraines, and the same type may go by different names:
- Migraine with aura (complicated migraine): Around 15% to 20% of people with migraine headaches experience an aura.
- Migraine without aura (common migraine): This type of migraine headache strikes without the warning an aura may give you. The symptoms are the same, but that phase doesn’t happen.
- Migraine without head pain: “Silent migraine” or “acephalgic migraine,” as this type is also known as, includes the aura symptom but not the headache that typically follows.
- Hemiplegic migraine: You’ll have temporary paralysis (hemiplegia) or neurological or sensory changes on one side of your body. The onset of the headache may be associated with temporary numbness, extreme weakness on one side of your body, a tingling sensation, a loss of sensation and dizziness or vision changes. Sometimes it includes head pain and sometimes it doesn’t.
- Retinal migraine (ocular migraine): You may notice temporary, partial or complete loss of vision in one of your eyes, along with a dull ache behind the eye that may spread to the rest of your head. That vision loss may last a minute, or as long as months. You should always report a retinal migraine to a healthcare provider because it could be a sign of a more serious issue.
- Chronic migraine: A chronic migraine is when a migraine occurs at least 15 days per month. The symptoms may change frequently, and so may the severity of the pain. Those who get chronic migraines might be using headache pain medications more than 10 to 15 days a month and that, unfortunately, can lead to headaches that happen even more frequently.
- Migraine with brainstem aura. With this migraine, you’ll have vertigo, slurred speech, double vision or loss of balance, which occur before the headache. The headache pain may affect the back of your head. These symptoms usually occur suddenly and can be associated with the inability to speak properly, ringing in the ears and vomiting.
- Status migrainosus. This is a rare and severe type of migraine that can last longer than 72 hours. The headache pain and nausea can be extremely bad. Certain medications, or medication withdrawal, can cause you to have this type of migraine.
Some common migraine triggers include
- Stress. When you’re stressed, your brain releases chemicals that can cause the blood vessel changes that can lead to a Migraine Headache.
- Foods: Some foods and drinks, such as aged cheese, alcohol, and food additives like nitrates (in pepperoni, hot dogs, lunchmeats) and monosodium glutamate (MSG) may be responsible for up to 30% of Migraine Headache.
- Caffeine: Getting too much or withdrawing from it can cause headaches when the level in your body abruptly drops. Blood vessels seem to get used to caffeine, and when you don’t have any, you may get a headache. Caffeine itself can be a treatment for acute Migraine Headache Attacks.
- Weather Change: Storm fronts, changes in barometric pressure, strong winds, or changes in altitude can all trigger a Migraine Headache.
- Having your Menstruation
- Skipping Meals
- Strong physical activity
What are the symptoms of migraines?
The major symptom of a migraine is, of course, a headache. Pain is occasionally described as thumping or throbbing. It can begin as a dull throb that develops into thumping or throbbing pain that is mild, moderate, or drastic. If left untreated, your throbbing headache pain will evolve from moderate to severe. Pain can change positions from one side of your skull to the other, or it can influence the front of your head, the rear of your head, or feel like it’s implicating your whole head. Some people sense pain around their eyes or temple region, and occasionally in their face, sinuses, jaw, or neck.
Other indications of migraine headaches comprise of :
- Sensitiveness to sun, light, noise, and aromas and scents.
- Nauseousness and vomiting, upset belly, and abdominal discomfort.
- Loss of craving and appetite.
- Feeling very hot and warm (sweating) or cold (chills).
- Pale skin color or colorless skin.
- Feeling exhausted.
- Dizziness and dimmed vision.
- Tender skull.
- Diarrhea (very rare).
- Fever (very rare).
Prevention from Migraine
1. Cooling It Down
Settle an ice pack on your forehead, scalp, or neck area to get pain relief. Experts aren’t sure precisely why it works, but lessening the flow of blood might be part of it. You can also attempt a frozen gel pack or a washcloth that’s been soaked in cold water.
2. Over-the-Counter medicines
You won’t really require a prescription to get painkillers like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen. You can also purchase migraine remedies that have a mixture of pain relievers.
3. A Dark room, filled with silence
Radiant light and loud sounds can make your headache even worse. So find a spot off from the activity and pull down the curtains when you’ve got a migraine. It can boost and speed up your healing.
4. Sleep Tight
Get some normal slumber time to help beat back migraines. Too little sleep or too much of it can trigger headaches and lower your boundary for pain. Intend for 7 to 8 hours each night, and attempt to go to bed and come around at the same time every day.
5. Managing Your Triggers
Your migraines are periodically set off by the diet you eat or the circumstances around you. Find out what gives rise to your discomfort and headache and avoid it. Some familiar trouble spots on the card are red wine, flavored cheese, and cured flesh. Brilliant lights, staying at a high stature, and strong aromas can also turn out to be problematic.
Treatment
Consult Dr. khusbhu Goel , (best neurologist in delhi and NCR)
Many treatment alternatives are available, so be patient discovering the one or mixture that’s best for you. Maintain track of your headaches and indications in order to specify and recognize migraine triggers. Understanding how to deter migraines can frequently be the first step in regulating them.
