Now a days, everyone is going through stress and it becomes the problem of headaches. So if you are suffering from headaches or migraine headaches then this post is for you.

1. What Is Migraine Headaches?
A migraine is usually an intense pounding headache that can last for hours or even days.
Migraine headaches can affect a person's daily schedule, it can also reduce their ability to work
or study because of intense pain.
This intense or pulsing pain usually arises in the forehead, the side of the head, or around the
eyes.
The headache may get worse gradually. Just because of any movement, activity, bright light, or
loud noise seems to make it hurt more.
Nausea and vomiting both are common symptoms during a migraine.
The diagnosis of migraine headaches is determined based on clinical history, reported symptoms,
and by ruling out other causes.
For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs before or with a headache.
An aura can include visual disturbances, such as bright sunlight or flashes of light or blind spots,
or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of the face or in an arm or leg and difficulty in
speaking.
Causes of Migraine Headaches
Researchers haven’t identified the main cause of migraines. However, they identified some
factors that can trigger your migraine headache symptoms and can increase the risk of it. This

2. includes changes in brain chemicals, such as a decrease in levels of the brain chemical
serotonin.
Migraine may be triggered by any of the following:
 Bright lights
 Severe heat, or other extremes in weather
 Lack of hydration
 Changes in barometric pressure
 Excessive stress
 Loud noise
 Intense physical activity
 Skipping meals
 A lack of sleep
 Use of certain medications, such as oral contraceptives or nitroglycerin
 Unusual smells
 Smoking
 Excess consumption of alcohol
 Travelling
There are some foods that can trigger migraine headache and the most common are:
 Chocolate
 Dairy foods, especially certain cheeses
 Foods with monosodium glutamate (MSG)

3.  Foods with tyramine, which includes red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers,
figs, and certain beans
 Fruits (avocado, banana, citrus fruit)
 Meats containing nitrates (bacon, hot dogs, salami, cured meats)
 Onions
 Peanuts and other nuts and seeds
 Processed, fermented, pickled, or marinated foods
If you experience a migraine headache, your doctor may ask you some questions about your last
few days activities. Writing down what you were doing before a migraine, what foods you ate,
and what medications you were taking before your migraine began can help your doctor to
identify your triggers easily.
Symptoms of Migraine Headaches
The study found that the effect of migraines arises in childhood, or early adulthood and it arises
through four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and post-drome. It is clear that people who are
suffering from migraines do not go through all stages.
Prodrome
People suffer hours or days through this stage before a headache, approx 60% of people who are
suffering from migraines notice symptoms like:
 Being sensitive to light, sound, or smell
 Fatigue

4.  Food cravings or lack of appetite
 Mood changes
 Excessive thirst
 Bloating
 Constipation or diarrhoea
Aura
In some people, Aura may occur before the migraines but it is also possible during the migraines.
Aura is usually visible but they can create other disturbances, as they are reversible symptoms of
the nervous system. Every symptom usually arises gradually and grows up in a few minutes and
lasts for approx 20 to 60 minutes.
Examples of migraine aura include:
 Optical phenomena, such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or flashes of light
 Vision loss
 Pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg
 Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body
 Difficulty speaking
 Hearing noises or music
 Uncontrollable jerking or other movements
Attack

5. The study has defined that migraine headaches can last about 4 hours, but severe takes
approximately more than 3 days to go. People are having this says, it’s normal to get two to four
headaches per month. It is common in some people that, they get migraine headaches every next
day and some people get them once or twice a year.
During a migraine, you might have:
 The pain usually on one side of your head, but often on both sides
 Pain that throbs or pulses
 Sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smell and touch
 Nausea and vomiting
These are symptoms during the Migraine attack stage.
Postdrome
This stage of migraine headache is not long-lasting, it can last up to a day after a headache.
Symptoms involve:
 Feeling tired, wiped out, or cranky
 Feeling sad or unhappy
 Excessive pain in muscles
 Food cravings or lack of appetite
What Triggers A Migraine

6. Usually, there are many reasons that can arise migraine headaches. Migraine attacks can be
triggered by various factors. Common triggers include:
 Food and drink: Health experts have defined that unhealthy certain food and drink may
cause migraines. The human body requires enough liquid and food, Dehydration and
dieting or skipping meals may also trigger migraine headaches.
 Hormone changes: It is possible that women may experience migraines during the use
of hormonal birth control or hormone replacement therapy. It is related to their menstrual
cycles, to menopause.
 Stress: Stress can also cause migraines because it contains feeling overwhelmed at home
or work. If you are working continuously and not even taking enough rest, it can be the
reason of stress. Your body may also be stressed if you are exercising too much and not
taking enough sleep.
 Senses: Some of the natural things can also cause migraine such as loud sounds, bright
lights (such as flashing lights or sunlight), or strong smells (such as paint fumes or some
perfumes) may trigger migraines.
 Sleepchanges: Not taking enough sleep, getting too much sleep or jet lag can trigger
migraines in some people.
 Physical factors: Intense physical exertion, including sexual activity, might provoke
migraines.
 Weather changes: A change in weather condition or barometric pressure can prompt a
migraine.
 Medications: Oral contraceptives and vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate
migraines.

7.  Illness: Infections, such as the cold or the flu, may trigger migraines, especially in
children.
Types of Migraine Headaches
There are different types of migraine headaches in terms of their characteristics, traits, and time
period. The most common types of migraines are classic migraines and common migraines.
Migraines With Aura
This type of migraine used to be called classic migraine, complicated migraine, and hemiplegic
migraine. Researchers say that migraine with aura affects 25 per cent of people who have
migraines.
According to the International Headache Society, you must have at least two attacks that have
these characteristics:
 Having confusing thoughts
 Seeing strange, sparkling, or flashing lights that are not there
 Seeing zig-zagging lines of light
 Having blind spots or blank patches in the vision
 Feeling pins and needles in an arm or leg
 Difficulty in speaking
 Feeling weakness in the shoulders, neck, or limbs
 Seeing things that are not there out of one eye

8. An aura that has at least two of these traits:
 At least one symptom spread gradually over five or more minutes.
 The time period of Each symptom of the aura lasts between five minutes and one hour,
For example, if you have three symptoms, they may show their effect last up to three
hours.
 At least one symptom of the aura is only on one side of the head, including vision,
speech, or language problems.
 The aura may follow two time periods, it may occur with the headache or one hour before
the headache begins.
An aura often occurs before the headache pain begins, but it can continue once the headache
starts. Alternatively, an aura may arise at the same time as the headache does.
Migraines Without Aura
These types of migraines are also called “Common migraines.” In comparison to classic
migraines, Common migraines may start more slowly, last longer, and may disturb more of our
daily routine. The pain of common migraines may be on only one side of your head. Most people
who are going through migraines have common migraines means they don't have an aura.
people who have migraine without aura have had at least five attacks that have these
characteristics:
 Headache attack usually lasting 4 to 72 hours if it’s not treated or if any treatment doesn’t
work on it.

9.  Headache may contain these traits:
o It affects only one side of the head
o Pain is pulsating or throbbing
o Pain level is moderate or severe
o In this headache, the pain gets worse when you move your body, like when
walking or climbing stairs
o It makes you sensitive to light (photophobia)
o It makes you sensitive to sound (phonophobia)
o You may experience nausea with or without vomiting or diarrhoea
Chronic Migraines
A study found that chronic migraines are a combination of migraine and tension headache that's
why chronic migraines used to be known as a mixed headache. There is one another name
'severe migraine' that is used by people. Severe migraines can be caused by the overuse of
medication. This headache lasts for 15 days or more than that.
Vestibular Migraines
Vestibular migraines make you feel vertigo. The spinning sensation usually lasts between a few
minutes and hours.
After research, it is found that approximately 40 percent of people who have migraines have
some vestibular symptoms. These symptoms affect balance, cause dizziness. There is no
specified for vestibular migraine. These symptoms can arise at any age, including children.

10. Menstrual Migraines
Menstrual migraines occur in women. This symptom usually arises in 3 days after the beginning
of a woman’s period. It is possible that women who are facing these may also have some other
migraine headaches at a different time period of the month, but the migraine around the
menstruation is usually without aura.
Research has shown that menstrual migraines tend to be more severe than some other migraines.
It lasts for a long period and has more crucial nausea than migraines. It is not associated with the
menstrual cycle.
Hemiplegic Migraines
Hemiplegic migraines usually affect one side of your body to make it weak. It is similar to
having a stroke.
The area of the body affected by the weakness may include the face, arm, or leg. The weakness
arisen by hemiplegic migraine do not last for a long time, it may last from an hour to one day. It
does not last for more than 24 hours.
Retinal Migraines
Retinal migraines affect your eyes and it may cause some changes in vision that are not
associated with aura vision changes. The symptoms of retinal migraines involve; reduced vision
or even blindness in one eye. These symptoms are just for a limited time period.

11. Problems of reduced vision do not occur immediately but within an hour of the headache.
Sometimes optical migraines are painless.
Risk Factors of Migraines
Usually, there are several risk factors of migraines but the most common migraine risk factors
include the following:
 Family history: Family history matters here, If your parents had migraines, it is more
likely that you will also have migraines.
 Sex: After some researches, it is found that women are more likely than men to have
migraines.
 Age: Migraine can arise at any age, even a 15 years child can also have migraine but
migraine usually occur to the people who are less than 40 years.
Migraine Headaches Diagnosis
Your doctor may ask some questions about your migraine symptoms and about your past days
activities and then he can diagnose migraines by the symptoms you describe. If the diagnosis is
not clear, your doctor will perform a physical exam.
Your doctor might ask to do normal blood tests or imaging tests, such as an MRI or CAT scan of
the brain. These tests will help you to your doctor to ensure that there are no any other causes for
headaches.

12. You must keep a headache journal. This headache journal will help your doctor to identify the
problems or causes that might cause your migraines.
Treatment for Migraines
Still, researchers do not find any treatment for migraine headaches. But if you have severe
symptoms of migraine then medications can treat with them easily, and people can take a step to
reduce the continuity and intensity of episodes.
Medications
You can take pain relief and other types of medication that can often help to reduce your
symptoms. You may take the medication as soon as symptoms start so that you can prevent your
headache from becoming severe.
Some over-the-counter pain relief medications that may benefit people with migraine include:
 naproxen (Aleve)
 ibuprofen (Advil)
 acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Other options include:
 triptans, such as sumatriptan, to help reverse the brain changes that cause migraine
 antiemetics to manage any nausea and vomiting

13. You should take these medications in the limit and not to overuse medication, as doing so can
cause a rebound headache. You can contact with a healthcare provider who can help you to
determine how much of each medication is safe and effective.
Supplements for Migraine Headaches
The following supplements might help prevent migraine, although there is limited evidence that
they work and not much is known about their side effects:
 herbal extracts, such as feverfew
 magnesium
 coenzyme 10
 butterbur
 riboflavin
Home Remedies for Migraine Headaches
You may ease migraine symptoms by:
 Resting with your eyes closed in a dark, quiet room
 Putting a cool compress or ice pack on your forehead
 Be hydrated or Drinking plenty of liquids
 Acupuncture
 Get enough sleep
 Take enough nutrients
 Reduces stress