What’s a migraine? What does a migraine feel like?

A migraine is a type of headache. It’s usually caused by changes in the brain that alter the way your nerves send pain signals to your brain.

What does a migraine feel like?

Migraines usually cause moderate to severe throbbing or pulsing pain on one side of your head. They can also cause nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Some people also have visual symptoms like seeing flashing lights or wavy lines, but these are more common in certain types of headache than migraines.

The pain tends to peak after about an hour, and it can last up to two days if you don’t get treatment. The headache may come back once or twice more during the same episode, or it may become less severe and turn into what we call “postdrome” — a sense of fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and other symptoms that may last for hours or days after the headache is gone.

What type of headache is a migraine?

Migraines are a type of headache that can be intense and recurring. But what is a migraine?

Migraines are a type of headache that can be intense and recurring. But what is a migraine?

A migraine is a severe headache, usually felt on one side of the head, that affects vision and often causes nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. These headaches can last from an hour to three days or longer.

Migraine symptoms include:

• Pain on one side of the head that can spread to other parts of the head
• Nausea and vomiting (some people have an upset stomach)
• Sensitivity to bright light and sound (some people have trouble hearing)
• Fatigue (feeling tired)

What is an aura?

An aura is a perceptual disturbance that occurs before the onset of certain disorders. Auras are most commonly associated with migraine headaches and epileptic seizures, though they can also be associated with healthy people. The term “aura” is derived from the Latin word for “girdle”.

Auras can occur in people with epilepsy or migraine, especially when these disorders are in their milder stages. They can also occur in people who have no medical problems at all.

An aura is a field of energy that surrounds a person, place or object. It can be seen or felt in various ways, such as through color or sound.

An aura is believed to be a reflection of one’s personality and state of mind. A skilled aura reader can see past events, emotions and physical health in the aura.

The colors that make up an aura are not necessarily constant and may shift over time. For example, someone who is ill may have a darker greenish-blue color around them, while someone who is feeling happy may have a warm yellow hue around them.

Auras are more visible when you look at them through closed eyes or when you’re meditating. They can also be seen with the naked eye if they are strong enough or when they’re close enough to you.

What are the types of migraines?

• Migraine with aura (complicated migraine): Around 15% to 20% of people with migraine headaches experience an aura.
• Migraine without aura (common migraine): This type of migraine headache strikes without the warning an aura may give you. The symptoms are the same, but that phase doesn’t happen.
• Migraine without head pain: “Silent migraine” or “acephalgic migraine,” as this type is also known as, includes the aura symptom but not the headache that typically follows.
• Hemiplegic migraine: You’ll have temporary paralysis (hemiplegia) or neurological or sensory changes on one side of your body. The onset of the headache may be associated with temporary numbness, extreme weakness on one side of your body, a tingling sensation, a loss of sensation and dizziness or vision changes. Sometimes it includes head pain and sometimes it doesn’t.
• Retinal migraine (ocular migraine): You may notice temporary, partial or complete loss of vision in one of your eyes, along with a dull ache behind the eye that may spread to the rest of your head. That vision loss may last a minute, or as long as months. You should always report a retinal migraine to a healthcare provider because it could be a sign of a more serious issue.
• Chronic migraine: A chronic migraine is when a migraine occurs at least 15 days per month. The symptoms may change frequently, and so may the severity of the pain. Those who get chronic migraines might be using headache pain medications more than 10 to 15 days a month and that, unfortunately, can lead to headaches that happen even more frequently.
• Migraine with brainstem aura. With this migraine, you’ll have vertigo, slurred speech, double vision or loss of balance, which occur before the headache. The headache pain may affect the back of your head. These symptoms usually occur suddenly and can be associated with the inability to speak properly, ringing in the ears and vomiting.
• Status migrainosus. This is a rare and severe type of migraine that can last longer than 72 hours. The headache pain and nausea can be extremely bad. Certain medications, or medication withdrawal, can cause you to have this type of migraine.

What are the four stages or phases of a migraine?

1. Prodrome phase. This is the first stage and may last for hours or days before the actual headache begins. It includes a number of different symptoms, including food cravings, irritability, fatigue and depression.

2. Aura phase. The aura phase occurs just before or during the headache phase and can last 5 to 20 minutes. It’s most often described as visual disturbances such as blurry vision, spots in front of the eyes or zigzagging lines, but other senses may be affected too (such as smell). The majority of people with migraines experience an aura phase before their headaches begin but some don’t experience this at all.

3. Headache phase. This is the worst part of migraines and can last anything from 4 to 72 hours after the prodrome stage has finished. Common symptoms include throbbing pain on one side of your head and sensitivity to light (photophobia). Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness and confusion (in rare cases).

4. Postdrome: The postdrome stage goes on for a day or two. It’s often called a migraine “hangover” and 80% of those who have migraines experience it.

How common are migraine headaches?

Migraine headaches are very common. About 14% of women and 6% of men have migraines.

Migraines can start at any age, but most people who have them have their first attack before age 25. Migraines often begin to occur more frequently after age 35.

If you have a family history of migraine headaches, you may be at higher risk for developing them yourself.

You’re also more likely to get migraines if you have other health problems such as diabetes or depression.

Who gets migraines? What are the risk factors?

Migraines are very common. About 1 in 7 people — more than the number of people who have diabetes — have migraines.

Migraine symptoms can start before puberty and continue through early adulthood. The risk of having migraines increases with age, though they can occur at any age.

If you have a family member with migraines, you’re more likely to get them too. The risk is highest if both parents have them. If only one parent has migraines, your risk is still increased but not as great as if both parents had them.

How often do migraines happen?

It’s hard to say how often people get migraines. Some people can go years without a migraine and others get them once a week or more.

In general, the number of days that adults experience migraines decreases as they get older. This is because many people have fewer hormones in their bodies as they age, which reduces their risk for hormone-related headaches.

Migraine frequency can also be affected by other things, such as:

• Hormonal changes during menstruation and pregnancy
• Certain foods and drinks, including chocolate, wine and cheese
• Alcohol withdrawal
• Certain medications, including birth control pills and blood pressure medicines

What are the symptoms of migraines?

Common migraine symptoms include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Light sensitivity (photophobia)
• Sensitivity to sounds (phonophobia)
• Fatigue, weakness or irritability
• Migraines can have additional symptoms, including:
• Blurred vision or seeing zigzag lines (called an aura) that comes before the headache
• A tingling or numbness sensation in your hands or face (called neuropathy)

How are migraines treated?

Treatment for migraines depends on the frequency, severity and duration of attacks. Many people find relief from over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen (e.g., Advil) or acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol). These medications are recommended for people who experience mild to moderate pain for less than three days per month or episodic migraine — when pain occurs once or twice per month.

If you experience more frequent or severe migraines, your doctor may recommend prescription medications such as triptans or ergotamines — medications that treat acute attacks; beta blockers; antidepressants; anticonvulsants; antihypertensive agents; botulinum toxin type A (Botox); calcium channel blockers; corticosteroids.