Migraine Symptoms

If you are not sure whether you're suffering from migraine just because you got these headaches more often these days. Then the following are some of the symptoms that might help you to decide.

1) Throbbing or hammering pain on one or both sides of your head.

2) Intensity of the headache ranges from moderate to severe to almost intolerable.

3) Might experience an aura though it's more common that migraine sufferers don't experience auras.

4) Might feel lethargic and sad when you have the migraine attack.

5) Might experience loss of appetite, nausea, extreme sensitivity to light, smells and/or sounds during the migraine attack.

It's widely agreed that the symptoms of migraines can be different for each individual, so don't diagnose your headaches as non-migraine just becuase you did not have some of the symptoms listed above. The best thing to do is get a professional advise. Tell your doctor about your symptoms, and let him be the one to identify the kind of headaches you're suffering from and determine what can be done to wipe out the pain.

Could These Be Your Migraine Triggers?

Knowing what trigger your migraine headache will definitely help you to control your migraine attack or even get rid of it for good.

Typically, Migraine triggers can be classified into the following factors:

1) Lifestyle Factors
i) Depression
ii) Stress
iii) Anxiety

2) Environmental Factors
i) Loud noise
ii) Strong odors
iii) Air Pollution
iv) Weather changes
v) High altitude and air travel
vi) Bright or flickering lights

3) Social Habits
i) Alcohol
ii) Secondhand Smoke
iii) Smoking

4) Nutritional Deficiencies
i) Low blood sugar (hypoglycemina)
ii) Vitamin/mineral deficiency

5) Medications and Recreational Drugs
i) Recreational drugs
ii) Cardiovascular drugs
iii) Decongestants
iv) Diet Pills
v) Painkillers

6) Physiological Factors
i) Hormonal Changes

7) Foods and Food Additives
i) Chocolate
ii) Nuts
iii) Beans
iv) Onions
v) Artificial Sweeteners
vi) Salt
vii) Gamma-aminobutyric acid
viii) Citrus fruits
ix) Tyramine
x) Sulfites
xi) Nitrites and nitrates
xii) Amines
xiii) Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
xiv) Caffeine
xv) Ice Cream

It was found that stress and dietary triggers have been the major trigger in many cases.

Exactly how these factors activate the migraine headaches has been a mystery. However, the common speculation amongs scientist was that the triggers actually causes an irregular pattern of electrical activity in the cortex (the outer layer of the brain).

Different migraine sufferer are found to be sensitive to different triggers and many of the sufferers are not even bothered by any triggers at all. One of the best way to find out what actually trigger your migraine headache is to keep a diary to jot down when the migraine headache occur and what circumstances under which it occurred.

What Are Not Migraines

Sometimes it was kind of hard to diagnose migraines as other main types of headaches have symptoms that overlap with those of migraines. The following are some signs that indicate your headache isn't a migraines.

1) Headache that could be described as dull ache.

2) Shoulder and neck muscles feel knotted up.

3) Headaches only happen after sex or physical exertion.

4) Headaches are getting worse steadily.

But, no mater what, if you still aren't sure whether your headache is migraine, the best advice for you is to look up a doctor and let him diagnose it for you. I'll write more on that (how to get a good migraine doctor) in my future post.

Symptoms of Migraine Headaches

If you are not sure whether you're suffering from migraine just because you got these headaches more often these days. Then the following are some of the symptoms that might help you to decide.

1) Throbbing or hammering pain on one or both sides of your head.

2) Intensity of the headache ranges from moderate to severe to almost intolerable.

3) Might experience an aura though it's more common that migraine sufferers don't experience auras.

4) Might feel lethargic and sad when you have the migraine attack.

5) Might experience loss of appetite, nausea, extreme sensitivity to light, smells and/or sounds during the migraine attack.

It's widely agreed that the symptoms of migraines can be different for each individual, so don't diagnose your headaches as non-migraine just becuase you did not have some of the symptoms listed above. The best thing to do is get a professional advise. Tell your doctor about your symptoms, and let him be the one to identify the kind of headaches you're suffering from and determine what can be done to wipe out the pain.