Killer Headaches
Migraine headaches can be crippling in their intensity. The symptoms can be so severe that you just can’t function. Your most pressing desire is to find a dark place that’s quiet so you can just lie down until it goes away. Migraines affect up to 17 percent of the female population and 6 percent of the men.
The Pain Of A Migraine Is Disabling
Sometimes a migraine is preceded or accompanied by an aura which is a kind of warning sign. An aura can be a sensation of tingling in your extremities, or visual disturbances that manifest as flashes of light or blind spots. Some migraine sufferers experience photosensitivity (sensitivity to light) and sensitivity to sound.
Other common symptoms are nausea and vomiting. The pain of a migraine headache is excruciating and can disable you for several hours or even days at a time.
New Medications Can Bring Relief
If you’ve seen a doctor for your migraines with no success, it’s worth making another appointment. There have been dramatic improvements in the management of migraines within the last decade.
There’s still no cure, but there are new medications that can bring a reduction in the frequency of migraines and help keep the pain at bay once a migraine headache has begun. Changes in lifestyle and some home remedies can also make a vast difference in quality of life for migraine sufferers.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms that come with migraines:
1) Head pain on one or both sides of the head.
2) Head pain of a pulsating or throbbing nature.
3) Pain that gets worse with physical activity.
4) Pain that interferes with everyday activities.
5) Nausea sometimes accompanied by vomiting.
6) Sensitivity to sound and light.
Left untreated, migraines can last anywhere from 4-72 hours. Some sufferers experience migraines several times a month, and others just once or twice a year.
Classic Versus Common Migraines
Most migraine headaches come on without auras and are called common migraines. Migraines that come with aura have been called classic migraines. In classic migraines, the aura starts about 15 to 30 minutes before the headache begins. The aura can continue during the headache or even occur after its onset. During an aura, you might:
1) See flashes of light that sparkle, perceive zigzag lines within your field of vision, or see a blind spot that widens.
2) You may feel a sensation of pins and needles in one arm or leg, or perhaps feel some tingling.
3) Less often, you may experience a sensation of weakness, or difficulties with language or speech.
