Have you ever felt an intense and unbearable pain beginning to form in your head? As the pain gets worse, do you begin feeling light-headedness, become sensitive to light and sound, and become nauseous in your stomach? If you have experienced this then you know what it is like to suffer from a migraine headache. Migraine headaches are a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent headaches that are moderate to severe.
Typically, the headaches affect one-half of the head, are pulsating in nature, and last from 2 to 72 hours. Migraine headaches are one of the most common diseases in the world, and much of the world's population suffers from chronic migraine headaches. These headaches can ruin people's productivity because of the immense pain and it can sometimes lead to greater health risk. I should know because I suffer from chronic migraine headaches. I am here to tell you what causes migraines, the signs that a migraine attack is on the way, preventive measures, remedies, and how to live with migraine headaches.
While migraines headaches can be genetically be passed down through generations and the underlying cause for migraine is shrouded in mystery there are some When it comes to migraine headaches there is a plethora of things that can trigger a migraine headache. However, some common triggers for migraines are stress, certain foods like aged cheese or too much caffeine, weather, lack of sleep, and skipping a meal are some of the most common triggers. The best think to do is to keep a journal of some our your common trigger. I like using the app Migraine Buddy to keep up with my triggers. Always find a way to manage your stress, get plenty of sleep, try your best not to skip a meal, and avoiding food that may cause migraines.
When it comes to migraine headaches some people have signs known as either prodrome or aura that alerts the person an attack is on its way. Prodromes are premonitory symptoms that occur before a migraine headache occurs. These symptoms usually appear anywhere between two hours or two days before a migraine attack starts. Some prodromes include irritability, fatigue, diarrhea, and sensitivity to smells and noises. Aura is a transient focal neurological phenomenon that occurs before or during the headache.
Auras appear gradually over a number of minutes and generally last less than 60 minutes. Symptoms can be visual, sensory, or motor in nature and many people usually experience more than one aura at a time. Some auras include tingling near the eyes, visual disturbance, vertigo, and seeing small black dots. Like with your triggers, it is important to keep track of your prodromes and auras that way you can learn the signs to help prepare yourself for a migraine headache.
Now that we know some triggers and signs when a migraine headache is about to come on, it is important to talk about some remedies that can help you when you get a migraine. One remedy to help with the pain that migraines bring are any over the counter painkillers. Some of the medications I personally find Excedrin: Migraine, Aleve, Ibuprofen and Tylenol to be the best to deal will the pain. Some other remedies that can ease the pain of migraines include resting in a dark silent room, taking a hot shower, sleeping, caffeine, acupuncture, massages, and ice packs. However, sometimes when these remedies fail it may be time to go to the doctor and get a prescription to either prevent migraine headaches or to help combat the pain. It is important to explore and record what remedies help ease your migraines that way when your next migraine headache occurs you will be prepared to fight back.
Living with migraine headaches can be a struggle. When a migraine headache strikes, you feel the impact it has on you productivity at school or at work because the pain is too much to bear at times. However, learning your triggers and signs will help you be more aware of how to prevent migraines in the future. When migraine headaches do occur make sure you have the remedies and medication that benefit you most and relieve the migraine headache the fastest. As time goes on if you keep a journal of every time you have a migraine that way you will know how to prevent them in the future and they will become less common each day.
