Aura

These symptoms stem from your nervous system and often involve your vision. They usually start gradually, over a 5- to 20-minute period, and last less than an hour. You may:

• See black dots, wavy lines, flashes of light, or things that aren’t there (hallucinations)
• Have tunnel vision
• Not be able to see at all
• Have tingling or numbness on one side of your body
• Not be able to speak clearly
• Have a heavy feeling in your arms and legs
• Have ringing in your ears
• Notice changes in smell, taste, or touch
• Attack

A migraine headache often begins as a dull ache and grows into throbbing pain. It usually gets worse during physical activity. The pain can move from one side of your head to the other, can be in the front of your head, or can feel like it’s affecting your entire head.

About 80% of people have nausea along with a headache, and about half vomit. You may also be pale and clammy or feel faint.

Most migraine headaches last about 4 hours, but severe ones can go for more than 3 days. It’s common to get two to four headaches per month. Some people may get migraine headaches every few days, while others get them once or twice a year.

• Postdrome

This stage can last up to a day after a headache. Symptoms include:

• Feeling tired, wiped out, or cranky
• Feeling unusually refreshed or happy
• Muscle pain or weakness
• Food cravings or lack of appetite
• Migraine Causes

Migraine headaches are a symptom of a condition known as migraine. Doctors don’t know the exact cause of migraine headaches, although they seem to be related to changes in your brain and to your genes. Your parents can even pass down migraine triggers like fatigue, bright lights, or weather changes.

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• For many years, scientists thought migraines happened because of changes in blood flow in the brain. Most now think this can contribute to the pain, but is not what starts it.
• Current thinking is that a migraine likely starts when overactive nerve cells send out signals that trigger your trigeminal nerve, which gives sensation to your head and face. This cues your body to release chemicals like serotonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP makes blood vessels in the lining of your brain swell. Then, neurotransmitters cause inflammation and pain.
• Migraine Risk Factors

The American Migraine Foundation estimates that more than 38 million Americans get migraines. Some things may make you more likely to get them:

• Sex. Women have migraines three times more often than men.
• Age. Most people start having migraine headaches between ages 10 and 40. But many women find that their migraines get better or go away after age 50.

Family history. Four out of five people with migraines have other family members who get

• them. If one parent has a history of these types of headaches, their child has a 50% chance of getting them. If both parents have them, the risk jumps to 75%.
• Other medical conditions. Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, sleep disorders, and epilepsy can raise your odds.
• Migraine Triggers

Some common migraine triggers include:

• Hormone changes. Many women notice that they have headaches around their period, while they’re pregnant, or when they’re ovulating. Symptoms may also be tied to menopause, birth control that uses hormones, or hormone replacement therapy.
• Stress. When you’re stressed, your brain releases chemicals that can cause blood vessel changes that might lead to a migraine.
• Foods. Some foods and drinks, such as aged cheese, alcohol, and food additives like nitrates (in pepperoni, hot dogs, and lunchmeats) and monosodium glutamate (MSG), may be responsible in some people.
• Skipping meals
• Caffeine. Getting too much or not getting as much as you’re used to can cause headaches. Caffeine itself can be a treatment for acute migraine attacks.
• Changes in weather. Storm fronts, changes in barometric pressure, strong winds, or changes in altitude can all trigger a migraine.
• Loud noises, bright lights, and strong smells can set off a migraine.
• Medications. Vasodilators, which widen your blood vessels, can trigger them.
• Physical activity. This includes exerciseand sex.
• Tobacco
• Changes to your sleep.You might get headaches when you sleep too much or not enough.
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• Migraine Types
• There are several kinds of migraines. The most common are migraine with aura (also known as a classic migraine) and migraine without aura (or common migraine).

Other types include:

• Menstrual migraine. This is when the headache is linked to a woman’s period.
• Silent migraine. This kind is also known as an acephalgic migraine. You have aura symptoms without a headache.
• Vestibular migraine. You have balance problems, vertigo, nausea, and vomiting, with or without a headache. This kind usually happens in people who have a history of motion sickness.

Abdominal migraine. Experts don’t know a lot about this type. It causes stomach pain, nausea,

• and vomiting. It often happens in children and may change into classic migraine headaches over time.
• Hemiplegic migraine. You have a short period of paralysis (hemiplegia) or weakness on one side of your body. You might also feel numbness, dizziness, or vision changes. These symptoms can also be signs of a stroke, so get medical help right away.
• Ophthalmic migraine. This is also known as an ocular or retinal migraine. It causes short-lived, partial, or total loss of vision in one eye, along with a dull ache behind the eye, which may spread to the rest of your head. Get medical help right away if you have any vision changes.
• Migraine with brainstem aura. Dizziness, confusion, or loss of balance can happen before the headache. The pain may affect the back of your head. These symptoms usually start suddenly and can come along with trouble speaking, ringing in your ears, and vomiting. This type of migraine is strongly linked to hormone changes and mainly affects young adult women. Again, get these symptoms checked out by a doctor right away.
• Status migrainosus. This severe type of migraine can last more than 72 hours. The pain and nausea are so intense that you may need to go to the hospital. Sometimes, medicines or medication withdrawal can cause them.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine. This causes pain around your eye, including paralysis of the muscles around it. This is a medical emergency because the symptoms can also be caused by pressure on the nerves behind the eye or by an aneurysm. Other symptoms include a droopy eyelid, double vision, or other vision changes.

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• Migraine Frequency

Doctors divide migraine into three levels of frequency.

Episodic migraine means you get migraine now and then. High-frequency episodic migraine means you get eight to 14 headache days per month. This condition also makes you more likely than others to develop chronic migraine.

Chronic migraine means you have headache on more than 15 days of the month and eight of those days have migraine features such as:

• Moderate to intense head pain
• Pain is on side of head (one or both)
• Pain throbs or pulsates
• Pain gets worse when you move
• You have nausea or vomiting
• You’re sensitive to light and sound

About 12% of Americans get migraine from time to time, but only about a third of those have chronic migraine.

Chronic and even high-frequency episodic migraine can be disabling conditions. And the higher the pain intensity of each headache, the more disabling it can be. That’s why it’s especially important to work closely with your doctor on a treatment plan.

• Are Migraines Curable?

There’s no cure for migraines yet. But medications can help prevent or stop them, or keep your symptoms from getting worse.

You can also avoid things that trigger your migraines. Lifestyle changes like easing stress and having good sleep habits can help, too.

• Are Migraines Fatal?

Most migraines don’t cause lasting harm.

Rarely, you can have a complication called migrainous infarction. That’s when you have a stroke while you’re having a migraine. But there’s no evidence migraine can trigger a stroke.

It’s extremely rare, but a hemiplegic migraine can sometimes lead to a coma or other serious complications.

A very intense headache that starts suddenly can be a sign of another, more serious condition, like a stroke or aneurysm. Get medical help right away if this happens.