What causes migraines and how do you get rid of them?
MIGRAINES can ruin your day with intense pain and lead you to hide away in a dark room until they pass.
They are worse than a bad headache and require specific treatment to try and stop them getting too bad.
What are the stages of a migraine?
There are four stages of a migraine - prodrome, aura, headache and post-drome.
Prodome
- Constipation
- Mood changes, from depression to euphoria
- Food cravings
- Neck stiffness
- Increased thirst and urination
- Frequent yawning
Aura
- Visual phenomena, such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or flashes of light
- Vision loss
- Pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg
- Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body
- Difficulty speaking
- Hearing noises or music
- Uncontrollable jerking or other movements
Headache
- Pain on one side or both sides of your head
- Pain that feels throbbing or pulsing
- Sensitivity to light, sounds, and sometimes smells and touch
- Nausea and vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Lightheadedness, sometimes followed by fainting
Post-drome
- Confusion
- Moodiness
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Sensitivity to light and sound
Often the only way to get rid of a migraine is to take painkillers and sleep it off.
Sufferers normally rest up in a dark room until it has passed - which can be up to 72 hours.
Medicines used to prevent migraines include the anti-seizure medicine topiramate and a medicine called propranolol that's usually used to treat high blood pressure.
What are typical migraine symptoms?
- Throbbing, pulsating pain
- Light sensitivity
- Sound sensitivity
- Nausea
- Pain on one side
- Vision changes, blurred vision
- Aura
- Vomiting
Is a migraine a serious problem?
Its not a serious problem to worry about, but can have a detrimental affect on your life if you suffer badly from regular migraines.
They are common health conditions, affecting around one in every five women and one in every 15 men.
But if you start to have these symptoms with a severe headache - and it's not your normal migraine - seek help:
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Loss of balance
- Numbness or tingling
- Speech trouble
- Confusion
- Seizures
LATEST IN HEALTH
What causes migraines?
It is not totally clear what causes migraines, but hormonal changes in women, diet - including aged cheeses, wine, food additives, salty and processed foods - stress, medications and changes in sleep patterns can all bring one on.
If you suspect a specific trigger is causing your migraines, such as stress or a certain type of food, avoiding this may help reduce your risk of experiencing migraines.
It may also help to maintain a generally healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, sleep and meals, as well as ensuring you stay well hydrated and limiting your intake of caffeine and alcohol.
The exact cause of migraines is unknown, but they're thought to be the result of abnormal brain activity temporarily affecting nerve signals, chemicals and blood vessels in the brain.
It's not clear what causes this change in brain activity, but it's possible that your genes make you more likely to experience migraines as a result of a specific trigger.
Migraine attacks can sometimes get worse over time, but they tend to gradually improve over many years for most people.