What Are Your Thoughts About Migraines

Many people have many different thoughts about migraine headaches. Thoughts regarding migraines can vary from what causes them, the intensity of migraines and what treatments should be used to ease the pain of the migraines. Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts but what if the way they are thinking is wrong? Migraine headaches are one of those conditions that often come with much speculation and often misconceptions, this article is going to hopefully focus on clarifying a few of the misconceptions that most people have regarding chronic migraines.

Misconception #1

The first misconception people have regarding migraines is the level of pain that encompasses an individual. Those who have never had a migraine attack find it hard to sympathize with someone who is trying to cope with one. Here is the reality: A migraine headache is more than just an excuse to get out of responsibilities for a day, migraine headaches are in truth a chronic neurological disorder. A migraine headache is caused by an enlargement of blood vessels that creates a series of chemicals to be released and attack arteries in the brain. Once the chemicals have been released to wreak their havoc, the enlarging of the arteries begins to send painful symptoms that only magnifies until the arteries have stopped expanding or migraine relief has been found.

The pain associated with a migraine headache is so intense that a person becomes increasingly sensitive to light and sound which in return leaves them unable to function in an environment where light and noise are common occurrences. The increased sensitivity to light and sound makes it a challenge for one suffering from a migraine headache to function in their workplace effectively, when all they desire is a nice quiet dark place to lie down until the throbbing stops and sanity returns.

A persons need to escape to a dark and quiet place while being inflicted with a migraine headache could be due to the sympathetic nervous system in the body being activated. The desires, feelings that come naturally to humans as part of their natural way of dealing or coping with stress and pain is often associated with one’s sympathetic nervous system. Once the sympathetic nervous system has been activated, symptoms begin to develop that hinder one’s functionality at home and work.

Misconception #2

The second misconception migraine sufferers have is often related to what a migraine looks like. Migraines and their symptoms may differ from patient to patient but they are often confused with headaches. Migraines and headaches are two very different things. Here is the reality:

• A headache attacks quickly and with no warning where as a migraine we learned has preemptive warning signs.
• Migraines can last up to three days headaches a few hours.
• A headache though bothersome does not typically result in a loss of productivity and the inability to function.
• Headaches feel more like a pulsing feeling inside your head; migraines on the other hand tend to be felt only on one side of the head.
• A bout of irritability might occur with a headache but typically resides after some over the counter medicine has been taken, sadly those suffering with a migraine do not bounce back as quickly.
• Feelings of nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound are all characters of a migraine and will not be present with a headache.

Misconception #3

Finally we are going to discuss the misconception that individuals have regarding he treatment of migraines. Many migraine sufferers and non-migraine sufferers believe that over the counter medications are an effective treatment choice when in reality this is not true. Another misconception when it comes to treating migraines is that prescription medications are the best and most effective treatment on the market. Prescription medication should be one of the last treatments tried in helping relieve migraine headaches; however, until recent years, migraine sufferers had very few options in relieving their migraine pain. Finding a natural way to treat migraine headaches is a safer and healthier alternative than prescription medication. Prescription medication can be addictive and have a negative physiological effect on other parts of the body that could ultimately shorten one’s life expectancy.

Tags: aura, headache, migraien headache, migraine, migraine phases, migraine treatment, postdrome, prodrome