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A migraine is not only an uncomfortable headache. You can spend days in bed due to incapacitating, throbbing, one-sided headache agony from it. Exhaustion, nausea, changes in vision, irritation, and other symptoms can be brought on by movement, lights, noises, and other stimuli. So that migraines don't take over your life, a healthcare professional can assist you in managing your symptoms.
Synopsis
What is Migraine?
A migraine is a strong headache that radiates to one side of the brain and generates pulsating, throbbing pain. A migraine's headache phase typically lasts four hours or longer, but it sometimes lasts for days.
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Exercise causes this headache.
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Bright lights.
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Loud sounds.
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Powerful smells.
The migraine is inconvenient. They may disrupt your daily schedule and make it more difficult for you to fulfil your social and personal commitments. You can get treatment to help you control your migraines.
Kinds of Migraine
Migraines can be of several sorts. The most typical types of migraines are:
1. Migraine prodrome
About 60% of migraine sufferers experience sensations such as these hours or days before they have a headache.
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Sensitivity to scent, light, or sound. Light and sound levels that you often find comfortable or even unpleasant may cause you discomfort. Certain odors might seem particularly disagreeable, such as those of cleaning supplies, perfume, automobile exhaust, and cigarette smoke.
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Exhaustion with no apparent cause. You may also yawn a great deal.
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Hunger pangs or an inability to eat. You can have a generalised hunger pang or have a specific food want, like sweets. Alternatively, you might not feel like eating.
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Changes in mood, including irritation and melancholy.
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Feeling hydrated and urinating more frequently.
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Diarrhoea, constipation, or bloating are examples of digestive issues.
Prodrome signs might be mistaken for attack triggers, according to experts. A sudden desire for chocolate, for instance, may result from a hunger for sweets, which you would then attribute to your headache.1.
2. Migraine Aura
When a migraine attacks, up to 25% of sufferers have auras either right before or right after the headache begins. These nerve system problems, which frequently affect vision, are caused. Less than an hour normally passes between the five to twenty minutes when they begin slowly. Potentially, you have:
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Vision issues include tunnel vision, flashes of light, wavy lines, and black spots.
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Your face, hands, or limbs may tingle or feel numb.
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Trouble speaking clearly. You may slur or mumble what you say.
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Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears
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Deficiency on one side of your body or face
Attack of Migraine
This stage, which is also known as the headache phase, is typically marked by headaches. This discomfort could
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Start off with a dull discomfort and progress to a throbbing pain
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Worsen when engaging in strenuous activity
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Impact the front of your head, one side of your head, both sides of your head, or the full surface of your skull.
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Aside from headaches, you could also:
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Have nausea (approximately half of the migraineurs vomit, and around 80% have nausea).
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Be clammy and pallid.
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Feel lightheaded or faint
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Experience stiffness or discomfort in your neck
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Feel apprehensive or melancholy
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Sneeze a lot or feel congested
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Be light-sensitive (you may also be bothered by noise or smells).
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Feeling tired and unable to sleep
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When do migraines occur?
Serious ones can last more than three days, but usually, they last four hours or so. While some individuals experience them once or twice a year, others have them practically daily.
Post-drome of Migraines
After a headache, this phase may last for up to a day. Eighty per cent of migraineurs have postdrome. Among the symptoms are:
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Feeling worn out, irritable, or exhausted
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Feeling remarkably content or revived
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Weakness or discomfort in the muscles
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Desires for food or a lack of appetite
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Difficulty focusing
Risk Factors for Migraines
According to estimates from the American Migraine Foundation, about 38 million Americans suffer from headaches. Certain factors may increase your risk of getting them:
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Sex - Compared to males and those designated male at birth, women (and those designated female at birth) get migraines three times more frequently.
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Age - Most persons between the ages of 10 and 40 begin to have migraine headaches. After menopause, if you have periods, you could notice that your attacks lessen or stop.
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Background in the family - Four out of five migraineurs have migraineurs in their family. You have a 50% probability of developing these headaches if one parent has a history of them. The chance increases to 75% if both parents have them.
Diagnostics for Migraines
Before establishing a diagnosis, your doctor will ask about your health history and your symptoms. Keeping a journal of your symptoms and any triggers you've identified might be helpful. Note down or input into a monitoring application:
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What symptoms do you experience, along with the location of the pain
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How frequently do you have them?
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Duration of their stay
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Additional family members who suffer from migraine
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Every medication and dietary supplement you consume, including over-the-counter (OTC) items
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Additional medications you recall consuming previously
In order to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms, your doctor could prescribe testing. These might consist of:
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Blood examinations
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Imaging procedures such as CT or MRI scans
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EEG, or electroencephalogram
When to Give Your Doctor a Call
Consult a physician if a headache persists or doesn't go away. If you have a severe headache, get medical attention immediately.
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A stiff neck accompanied by vomiting, nausea, and fever
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Your limbs are weak or numb.
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Speaking difficulties or slurred speech
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It occurred extremely quickly.
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It's the worst headache you've ever felt, and it prevents you from going about your regular business.
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It was perfect after a head injury, workout, or sexual encounter.
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Disorientation or forgetfulness
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After a day, it becomes worse.
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It's the worst one you've ever had, and it's accompanied by redness in just one eye.
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You're also getting visual difficulties, and it aches to chew.
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This is the first time you've experienced this kind of headache, and you're over 50.
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