It's Not Just A "Bad" Headache
This month is recognized as National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month (MHAM). It is estimated that across the United States of America, there are over 40 million people affected by migraines and over 1 billion people across the world. In the last 5 years, migraines have been recognized as the #2 cause of disability globally, with women being the most afflicted.
A headache is one of the most common types of pain experienced in the world. It is described as a throbbing, constant sharp, or dull pain in your head or face. There are more than 150 types of headaches known to doctors and they are usually categorized into 2. These are primary headaches or secondary headaches.
Primary headaches are those that are not caused by a medical condition. They include cluster headaches, migraines, tension headaches, and new daily persistent headaches (NDPH). While secondary headaches are linked to medical conditions like medication overuse, head injury, high blood pressure, sinus congestion, trauma, tumors, and blood vessel disease in the brain.
Although many people say a Migraine is a bad headache, it is a disabling neurological disease according to the American Migraine Foundation. A migraine may last up to 4 hours or longer in extreme cases, and continue for a few days.
Statistics collected by World Health Organization describe a migraine attack to be characterized by
- A headache, which is of moderate or severe intensity on one or both sides
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Sweating or Chills
- Pallor ( pale skin color)
- Tired
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
How To Tell If You Are About to Have a Migraine Attack
A migraine attack has 4 phases from start to finish namely prodrome, aura, headache, and postdrome. The first 2 phases prodrome and aura come before the main headache and with the following symptoms, extreme fatigue, yawning, high irritability or moodiness, difficulty in concentrating, and having food cravings, and a change in vision ( i.e seeing bright flashing dots or lights), tingling skin, change in speech, tinnitus (ringing in the ear). These symptoms act as a warning sign to take medicine before you get a migraine attack and are usually temporary.
The headache phase of an attack typically involves pain in the head lasting from a couple of hours to a number of days coupled with nausea, vomiting, or light and noise sensitivity.
Postdrome is the final stage and is commonly called the “migraine hangover” stage with its symptoms including fatigue, body aches, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, and light sensitivity.
Although doctors cannot pinpoint the exact cause of migraines, the following are a few common triggers that have been found.
- Stress
During events ( fight or flight moments) that the body finds stressful, chemicals in the brain are released to help the body cope with this pressure, therefore sometimes leading to migraines.
- Caffeine
Too much or withdrawal from caffeine can trigger migraines.
- Overusing medication
Taking too many head pain relievers can trigger the opposite effect.
During their menstrual periods, a drop in estrogen, or the use of birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy can trigger migraines. While migraines may be worsened during puberty and/or menopause.
- Light
Flashing lights, UV lights, and light from televisions or computer screens can trigger migraines.
Migraine Treatment
There are two primary forms of treatments for chronic migraine attacks: Acute treatment is where patients get medication during an attack to relieve pain and to stop the migraine from progressing, while preventive treatment aims to reduce the frequency, intensity, and length of attacks.
Behavioral or home treatment, such as stress management, yoga meditation, lying down in a cool, dark room and, biofeedback solutions have been seen to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.
There is no known cure for migraines but the treatments above may help you manage the symptoms. Here at Impact Family Wellness. we understand that migraines can be devastating and can prevent you from enjoying your day-to-day life, that's why if you or a family member suffers from the symptoms in this article, call us to schedule a meeting and we can see how to keep migraines from taking over your life.
