Headaches are a hazard of busy modern life and almost everyone experiences tension headaches as the result of cold or other infection. Migraine headaches symptoms are different from the common tension headache and there are certain clinical definitions that make a Migraine headache different and more difficult to cope with for the individual.
Migraine headaches symptoms are usually characterized by stages with each stage having different symptoms or added symptoms. It is easier to grasp them if you know the stages.
•Prodome stage is stage 1. This is where the person may display sleeplessness, drowsiness, irritability, restlessness, food cravings, or frequent urination or constipation.
•Aura stage is stage 2. Only 20% of persons with chronic migraines experience the aura stage however those that do experience sensory changes such as flashes of light, zigzags in vision, black spots before the eyes, ringing in the ears, strange tastes or smells.
•Migraine headache is stage 3. This is the headache often accompanied by nausea and characterized by a throbbing pain often on one side of the head. 5% of persons with chronic migraines may not experience the headache stage. Most persons will have sensitivity to light and sound at this stage.
•Postdrome stage is stage 4. This is the recovery stage where the headache is abated but tenderness may still be present and visual disturbances and light and sound sensitivity may still be present. Some people describe the feeling as being hung over or disoriented.
The entire course of the migraine headaches symptoms may last from a few hours to 3 days. This is a significant amount of time to be incapacitated, and when migraine symptoms are severe and frequent they are a significant disruptive influence on a person’s quality of life.
There are migraine medications available that work for many people, in combination with recognizing and avoiding triggers for migraines, the patient can normally enjoy an enhanced quality of life and fewer episodes of migraine headaches.
Prevention and prophylactic medication is important with migraine headaches symptoms because the stress of a migraine headache invokes a response in the stomach that slows down the stomach’s emptying into the intestine. This response makes pain medications taken orally less effective if the migraine is progressed as the medicine is absorbed much more slowly.
Migraine headache diaries are useful for indentifying individual migraine headaches triggers. A diary might include activities, diet, any smells or locations, stresses for the day, how much sleep, any unusual sounds or lights, and the day’s migraine headache symptoms and duration and intensity.
Some of the common triggers for migraine headaches are:
- Strong smells, bright lights or even loud noises
- Allergies to certain foods
- Exposure to chemical pollutants including smoking
- Menstrual cycle including ovulation
- Hunger
- Lack of sleep or sometimes too much sleep
- MSG and Nitrates
- Chocolate and peanuts
Not all migraine headaches symptoms and triggers are the same for every person but these are some common triggers. The migraine headache diary can help a person find their individual triggers and possibly avoid a migraine episode.
Silent migraines or migraines without the headaches still have many of the migraine headaches symptoms except the pain phase. Due to the sensory problems, light sensitivity and sometimes muscle weakness and disorientation that are common migraine headache symptoms this is still a condition that should be addressed and may possibly require medication if the condition is chronic.