Migraine symptoms can vary greatly between each individual who is unfortunate enough to consider themselves a “migraine sufferer”. While each individual does vary in the set of symptoms and triggers they can expect to experience there are some commonly known migraine symptoms and triggers that one should be on the lookout for.
What are the Symptoms?
There are four different stages to migraine symptoms. These stages are prodrome, aura, attack, and postdrome. Not every individual will experience all of these stages, but as an individual who suffers from migraine attacks it is good to know the information so that pinpointing when one may occur in the future becomes possible.
- Prodrome – These are symptoms that most often occur one to two days before a migraine attack takes place. The prodrome symptoms include constipations, depression, diarrhea, food cravings (especially those that are high in sugar or salt), hyperactivity, irritability, as well as neck stiffness.
- Aura – This stage is highly related to the migraine attack, rather than just a run of the mill headache. Auras are usually visual in nature but can also present to be sensory, motor, or even verbal disturbances. The aura stage is one that usually starts gradually but will build up over time most commonly lasting from 10 to 30 minutes. Examples of the aura stage include: Visual occurrences (such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or flashes of light), loss of vision, sensations including pins and needles (usually in the arms or legs), as well as speech or language problems.
- Attack – This is the worst of the stages. In the attack stage the following symptoms most commonly occur: Pain in the head (usually unilaterally and often either pulsating or throbbing in nature), sensitivity to light, sounds, and sometimes even smells, Nausea, Vomiting, Blurred Vision, Diarrhea, Lightheadedness, or sometimes even fainting.
- Postdrome – This is the final phase of a migraine attack and is often described as the individual feeling drained or washed out, some have even described the postdrome period as the feeling of having a “hangover”.
What are the Triggers?
Migraine triggers, just like the symptoms will vary among individuals, especially when it comes to males versus females. Some of the most commonly known migraine triggers are sleep (especially inadequate levels), hormones, lighting, foods, caffeine, as well as stress. Knowing what each of the symptoms and triggers are that seem to happen before, during, or after a migraine attack, can help a migraine sufferer to find prevention techniques and find better relief for their migraines in the future.
Tags: Chronic migraine, headache, migraine, migraine headaches, migraine stages, Migraines, nausea, symptoms, treating migraines
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