Dealing With Migraines

Migraine headaches are a condition that affects the majority of the population, whether it is a once in a lifetime event, or for those who are a little more unfortunate the migraine headaches that occur on a chronic basis. The World Health Organization estimated in 2004 that migraine headaches affected nearly 20 million individuals per day, by now that number has risen even more. Estimates state that around 28 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches, and females suffer far more often than males. In order for a better treatment process for relief to take place it is important for those who suffer from migraine headaches to more fully understand their triggers, symptoms, and the different stages that take place during migraine headaches to hopefully provide prevention from future migraine headaches or in the very least relief when migraines as soon as the migraine headaches do occur.

What is a Migraine?

Migraine headaches are not the “normal” headache that may occur late in the afternoon after a bit of stress and can be lessened by simply taking an over the counter medicine. Migraine headaches are defined as severe and painful headaches that are often either preceded or accompanied by sensory forewarnings like flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, and even an amplified sensitivity to light and/or sound. Migraine headaches can last anywhere from hours up to days and can completely put a person out of commission for the duration of the migraine headaches.

The Causes of Migraine Headaches

Certain individuals can very specifically tell what their triggers are or what factors might take place before migraine headaches occur in them personally, however for others these triggers may vary during each episode or over their lifetime. However, there are some common triggers that occur before migraine headaches in most individuals and these triggers are:

• Allergic Reactions and/or Allergies
• Bright Lights or Loud Noises
• Certain Odors or Perfumes
• Stressors (either emotional or physical in nature)
• Sleep Changes or Irregular Sleep
• Smoking or Exposure to Smoke
• Fasting and/or the Skipping of Meals
• Use of Alcohol
• Hormonal Fluctuations that might occur during a Menstrual Cycle, or Menopausal Onset.
• Certain Foods

These triggers that are listed do not necessarily cause migraine headaches every single time they occur and practicing the avoidance of these triggers doesn’t necessarily mean that migraine headaches can be avoided. However, in general the triggers listed above tend to occur in those who do suffer from migraine headaches.

Migraine Symptoms

Again each individual who experiences migraine headaches will differ in the symptoms that occur during a migraine attack. However, there are specific symptoms which in general seem to occur in those individuals who suffer from migraine headaches. Those common symptoms are listed below:

• Moderate to Severe Pain (usually occurring on one side, and switching sides successively when the migraine headaches occur).
• Pain that is throbbing or pulsing in nature
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Increased sensitivity to light and/or sound
• Increased pain during physical activity
• Inability to perform normal activities or responsibilities due to the pain

The Stages of a Migraine

While each occurrence of migraine headaches can be different in each individual, on average there are 4 stages that take place in the occurrence of migraine headaches. These 4 stages are prodrome, aura, attack, and postdrome. Not every single individual will experience all of these stages; however it is important for migraine sufferers to be aware of these stages so that when the first one may begin to occur they can take steps in order to hopefully prevent any full blown migraine headaches.

1. Prodrome is the first of the stages of migraine headaches. This stage can take place one to two days before the migraine headaches actually occur. The symptoms that normally occur during the prodrome stage are depressions, constipations, diarrhea, food cravings (especially for hoods that are high in sugar and/or salt), hyperactivity, irritability, and even neck stiffness.
2. Aura is the second of the stages that occur in migraine headaches. This stage is where the auras can be present in regards to either visual, sensory, motor, or even verbal disturbances. The aura stages of migraine headaches usually will begin gradually and can last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Symptoms that take place during the aura stage can include visual occurrences (such as seeing various shapes, bright spots, and/or flashes of light), loss of vision, sensations such as pins and needles, and even the occurrence of language problems.
3. Attack is the third stage of migraine headaches. During this stage the worst of the symptoms occur such as pain in the head (usually unilaterally and either pulsating or throbbing in nature), sensitivity to light, sounds, or even smells, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, diarrhea, lightheadedness, and sometime even fainting.
4. Postdrome is the fourth and final stage of migraine headaches. This stage is often described by migraine sufferers as sensations of feeling washed out, hangover, or drained of energy.

Tags: headaches, migraine attacks, migraine treatment, Migraines, side effects, symptoms, treating migraines, vascular headachce