24/06/2023 / Mental Health and Wellness
If you suffer from migraines, it’s important to understand the symptoms and stages that come with this condition. Read on to learn about the various stages of a migraine attack.
Do you suffer from frequent headaches? There is a chance you might be suffering from migraine. Migraine is a neurological condition that frequently results in excruciating headache attacks along with other symptoms such as sensitivity to light, sound, smell, or touch.
Migraine is a neurological disorder that can generate more symptoms than just "very awful headaches."While severe, incapacitating headaches are a common symptom, other signs and symptoms may also include:
nausea
vomiting
difficulty speaking
numbness or tingling
sensitivity to light and sound
Read further in this article to understand this illness better and know more about the stages, symptoms and treatment options.
Migraine is a type of headache that often affects one side of the head and can be extremely painful or pulsating. Extreme sensitivity to light and sound are frequent side effects, along with nausea and vomiting. A migraine episode can persist for hours or even days, and the pain can be so bad that it makes it difficult to go about your everyday activities.
Some people experience an aura, a foreboding symptom, before or concurrently with a headache. Visual disturbances like blind spots or light flashes can be part of an aura, as well as other symptoms including difficulty speaking and tingling on one side of the face, arm, or leg.
The illness can affect people of various ages and frequently runs in families. Males are less prone to develop migraines than are persons who are born with a female gender assignment.
Based on clinical history, reported symptoms, and the exclusion of other possible causes, migraine is diagnosed. Episodic versus chronic migraine headaches (or attacks) are the most typical kind, followed by those with and without aura.
Migraine discomfort is commonly described as:
pulsating
throbbing
perforating
pounding
debilitating
It can also be really painful and feel dull and constant. The pain could at first be minor. But if left untreated, it can worsen from mild to severe.
The forehead region is most frequently affected by migraine pain. It often affects one side of the head, although it can also move or affect the other side.
A typical migraine attack lasts four hours. They can linger for up to a week if untreated or if they don't improve with treatment. Pain may coincide with an aura in a migraine with aura or it may never happen.
There is no known definite cause of migraines, according to researchers. However, they continue to hold the view that the illness results from "abnormal" brain activity that alters brain chemicals, blood vessels, and nerve communication.
Numerous other migraine triggers are also frequently mentioned, including:
bright lights
severe heat, or other extremes in weather
dehydration
changes in barometric pressure
hormone changes in people assigned female at birth, like estrogen and progesterone fluctuations during menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause
excess stress
loud sounds
intense physical activity
skipping meals
changes in sleep patterns
use of certain medications, like oral contraceptives or nitroglycerin
unusual smells
certain foods
smoking
alcohol use
traveling
A migraine can be difficult, with symptoms that alter over the course of hours or even days. They frequently go through numerous phases:
Prodromal phase (before the migraine)
Aura phase
Attack phase
Postdrome phase (after the migraine)
Many people may experience the following symptoms hours or even days before their migraine starts:
Either abnormally excited and energized or depressed
Easily irritated and peckish Cravings for certain meals
sleepy and yawning a lot
a greater need to urinate
These signs and symptoms preceding the headache can occasionally aid doctors in identifying the condition as a migraine.
One in three to one in four migraine sufferers also experience a "aura" that precedes or coincides with the headache. Though that might not occur with every headache.
An aura may consist of:
1. Vision changes, such as:
A jerky, uneven arc of light. It could have an intricate shape. Usually, it enters your field of vision from the left or the right. It could grow bigger over a short period of time.
A visual blind zone in your line of sight. The flashing lights and this issue make it difficult to drive or concentrate on little items.
You could "see" past images or experience hallucinations.
2. Skin sensations
During an aura, you could experience "pins and needles" or tingling throughout your body. Numbness may also result from it. Although they can impact any part of the body, these emotions frequently manifest on the hands and face. Over the following few minutes, they might keep growing.
3. Language Problems
You could find it challenging to communicate with people. Some signs could be:
Having trouble expressing yourself verbally or in writing
difficulty interpreting written or spoken words
Confusion
difficulty concentrating
A migraine attack can last anywhere from a few hours to many days. You'll likely wish to rest quietly during this time and find it challenging to carry out your usual activities.
Migraine headache pain:
generally starts above the eyes
Usually just affects one side of the head, although it can affect both sides or even the whole head. The neck and lower face may also be impacted.
feels like it's throbbing.
may throb more intensely as you move around or lean forward.
If you move about, it could grow worse.
Other signs that could appear around this time include:
heightened sensitivity to scents, noises, and light
Headaches and dizziness
nausea and diarrhea
You might experience post-most-severe phase malaise for as long as a day. These post-migraine symptoms could present as:
extreme fatigue
Sluggishness
Confusion
Headache that worsens when you slouch, move fast, or experience a blood rush to the head
Both the frequency and severity of your migraines may alter with time. All of these steps might not necessarily be present in an attack. Additionally, eventually you might only have the migraine aura. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience any new symptoms or ones that have never been assessed by a doctor because many of the symptoms reported in these stages of migraines can also occur in highly serious diseases like stroke or seizures.
Understanding the phases of a migraine episode might help patients manage their condition. The prodrome and aura stages of a migraine attack can cause symptoms including exhaustion and blurred vision, which can act as warning signs and indicate the need for preventative medicine. For some people, early diagnosis and treatment of a migraine may potentially help to prevent the symptoms. Additionally, knowing the risk variables that can contribute to postdrome "hangovers" may help people predict how long an attack will last and how it will affect them afterwards.
Although there is no permanent treatment of the condition, you can control the condition by preventing it from getting more severe and frequent. You should consult a doctor I'd you are facing any of the above symptoms. There are many medications that can help prevent a migraine attack and even lessen the pain.
Frequently, migraines go unidentified and untreated. If you consistently exhibit these symptoms, your therapy depends on:
Your age
How frequently do you suffer from migraines?
The type of migraines you experience
Their intensity (measured by how long they last, how painful they are, and how frequently they prevent you from attending classes or working)
Whether they cause nausea or vomiting in addition to other symptoms
Any underlying medical conditions you may have
Any medications you may be taking.
Your treatment strategy can incorporate a mixture of:
Lifestyle changes, such as stress reduction and avoiding migraine triggers
OTC painkillers or migraine medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), that you take every day to help prevent migraine headaches and lessen how often you get headaches
When a migraine attack begins, you should take a prescription medicine to prevent it from getting worse and to relieve the symptoms.
Prescription anti-nausea or anti-vomiting drugs hormone therapy if your migraines seem to coincide with your menstrual cycle
Alternative to medicines, such as meditation, acupressure, or acupuncture
After your migraine attack wears off, you suffer from fatigue which may last something between 1-2 days. This phase can be really hectic after you have suffered a severe headache. Here are some measures you can take to help yourself during that phase.
Drink plenty of fluids
Rest
Have healthy nutritious food
Do simple yoga
Do a little exercise
Sleep
Take steps to reduce stress
Avoid migraine triggers
Avoid smoking
The greatest meals to try to see whether they reduce your migraines are listed below. Magnesium is a nutrient that appears to be involved in migraines, and these are all high in it.
Spinach
Almonds
Dark chocolates
Flax seed
Ginger
Fatty fishes
Omega 3 supplements
Bananas
Watermelons
Apples
The signs of a migraine can occasionally be mistaken for a stroke. If you or a loved one experiences a headache that includes any of the following, you should seek medical help right away:
Slurred speech
Drooping of face on one side
Weaknesses of limbs
Loss of consciousness
It's crucial to consult your doctor if headaches are interfering with your everyday life and you are unsure whether they are a migraine symptom. While migraine can feel incapacitating at times, there are many treatments available. Headaches can be a sign of other problems.
Your doctor can put you on a treatment plan that may involve medication and lifestyle modifications the sooner you begin to discuss your symptoms.
Migraines are characterized by moderate to severe throbbing headaches, usually on one side of the head, but occasionally both. They are also accompanied by other symptoms like nausea, vertigo, facial tingling or numbness, visual disturbances, or sensitivity to light, sound, or smell. They might take place many days a week. Every person may experience a different set of symptoms, and these symptoms might vary from one migraine to the next.
Yes, you can get migraines in your genes. Though it's not necessarily passed on from parents to kids.
Yes, people of any age group can get migraines.
Yes, acidity is related to migraine. If you want to avoid more episodes of migraine, you should avoid foods that cause acidity.
A migraine attack may last somewhat between a few hours to 1-2 days.
Yes, researchers have found apples have anti-inflammatory properties which help relieve migraine pain.
Though there is no permanent cure, a doctor can help control your migraines. Consult a physician today if you are facing any of the above mentioned problems.
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