9 Signs Of Migraine
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“I love my migraine. It’s the best feeling ever.” said no person ever.
Whenever we hear the word ‘migraine’, it is usually in a complaint or a problematic situation. Maybe a friend complaining about it over dinner or a TV advertisement, migraine is that one thing your mom prays that you never have.
A migraine is 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 two to 72 hours.
Usually, a migraine is very conveniently labeled as a bad headache but in reality, it is much much more severe. There are a series of physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms that occur before, during and after you have a migraine headache. According to www.migraineresearchfoundation.org, it is the 3rd most prevalent and the 6th most disabling illness in the world with approximately 12% of the global population as its victims.
What is the possibility that you fall under the 12% population? Keep reading to know about the signs which indicate that a migraine might be coming for you.
Aura:Up to 1/3rd of people suffering from a migraine have an aura which signals that a migraine headache will soon occur. However, these warning symptoms can range from flashing lights to weakness on one side of the body. These auras can last up to an hour. In some cases, the patients have auras with no migraine headache at all.
Head throbs: The most common symptom of migraines are head throbs. About 85% of the people who suffer from migraine experience throbbing on either one side or both sides of the head. The pain associated with pulsating migraines is much more severe than non-pulsating migraines.
Mood swings: Sudden mood swings are a sign of migraines. Dr. Anne H. Calhoun, founder of the Carolina Headache Institute in Chapel Hill, North Carolina says that “Some patients will feel very depressed or suddenly down for no reason whereas others will feel very high.”
Eye and neck pain: Prior to a migraine, the patient might feel pressure or strain behind the eye. This happens because during a migraine, the trigeminal nerve comes inflamed and one branch of the trigeminal nerve runs just above the eyes. Some patients complain of severe neck pain during their migraine headaches. According to the National Headache Foundation, 38% of migraine patients “always” have neck pain and 31% “frequently” have neck pain during migraine headaches.
Lack of sleep:Migraines and sleep are interrelated. Getting very little sleep can lead to a migraine and migraine headaches can lead to reduced hours and quality of sleep. According to www.migrainetrust.org, migraine attacks are said to be more likely to occur between 4 a.m to 9 a.m which falls under the sleeping hours for most individuals.
Frequent urination: Frequent urination is a symptom which falls under the prodrome phase of a migraine. They occur among 60% of the migraine patients and can start 2 hours or 2 days prior to a migraine headache thus signaling the possibility of a migraine or an aura.
Nausea and vomiting: According to a mail survey of more than 3,700 people with migraines conducted by American Migraine Study II, 73% experienced nausea and 29% experienced vomiting. Scientists suggest that migraines are associated with lower levels of serotonin which are also associated with nausea and motion sickness.
Numbness: In some cases, migraine sufferers experience a numb feeling in their bodies before, during or after a migraine headache. This migraine symptom is associated with the sensory aura of a migraine. According to www.migraine.com, In a study of 740 migraine sufferers, about 15 percent of migraine sufferers experienced numbness in the face and 13 percent felt that their leg or arm went numb.
Difficulty in carrying out physical activities: People suffering from migraines find it difficult to carry out their daily activities as the headache interferes with their efficiency of work. Indulging in physical activities like working out or sex can induce migraines or make migraine pain worse.
We hope this article helped you figure out your relationship with migraine. We sincerely hope that you two never work out.
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