What Separates A Headache From A Migraine

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.

Symptoms of a migraine headache can vary from moderate to intense and can affect people differently, however, listed below are the more common symptoms associated with and described by migraine headache sufferers:

• An intense throbbing, pounding feeling typically located on one side of the forehead
  • Pain can also generate in the back of the head
  • Pain can formulate right above one eye
  • The pain is often described as unilateral meaning the pain is typically felt or experienced on one side of the head.
    • Reports have shown that about one third of most migraine headaches are described as being felt on both sides of the head also referred to as bilateral.
    • The pain felt from the migraine on one side of the head can alternate to the other side of the head during the next migraine attack. If you frequent migraine attacks on the same side of the head please speak with your doctor immediately this could imply something more serious is occurring.
    • Nausea
    • Vomiting
    • Diarrhea
    • Paleness
    • Coldness in the hands and feet
    • Sensitivity to light and sound

How You Can Tell A Difference

Though both a headache and a migraine have some similarities, there are a few distinct characteristics of a headache that sets it apart from a migraine.  Pay close attention to the next few bullet points they should explain in more detail what a headache vs. a migraine looks like.

• 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.

Most headaches are often short lived with no cause for concern there are times when a headache causes severe tension in the facial muscles putting a strain on the neck, shoulders eyes these headaches are called tension headaches and can be treated with over the counter medication. Some forty million people suffer with headaches throughout a given year making headaches a very common complaint, the concern is not that a headache has occurred but the frequency of the headache as well as the length in which the headache last. If frequent headaches (not migraines) occur and last longer than a few hours, medical attention might be needed in order to insure that the pain being felt is truly a headache and not something more.

What You Can Do

When faced with a reoccurring problem such as migraine headaches the migraine sufferer is forced to ask his or her self what she/he can do in order to find relief. Migraine sufferers have several treatment options such as the use of prescription medications, herbal supplements as well as acupuncture and massage therapy to ease their migraine pain. Men and women who suffer from moderate to intense migraine pain need to take a few practical steps to help reduce their migraine occurrences. By simply making a few changes to their normal routine, men and women will notice fewer migraine attacks during a single month. Some simple steps to reducing migraine headaches are:

• A set scheduled time for going to bed and waking each morning.
• Having a daily exercise regime
• Avoid skipping meals and long bouts of fasting.
• Avoid stress (if possible)
• Refrain from overuse of caffeine

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