Migraine is a chronically recurrent neurological disease.
A migraine can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head.
It's often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities.
For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs before or with the headache. An aura can include visual disturbances, such as 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 speaking.
Medications can help prevent some migraines and make them less painful. The right medicines, combined with self-help remedies and lifestyle changes, might help.
Symptoms
Migraines, which often begin in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, can progress through four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and post-drome.
Not everyone who has migraines goes through all stages.
Prodrome - The disease-announcing, broadcasting, signaling syndrome (symptom)
One or two days before a migraine, you might notice subtle changes that warn of an upcoming migraine, including:
- Constipation
- Mood changes, from depression to euphoria
- Food cravings
- Neck stiffness
- Increased thirst and urination
- Frequent yawning
Aura
For some people, aura might occur before or during migraines. Each symptom usually begins gradually, builds up over several minutes and lasts for 20 to 60 minutes.
Examples of migraine aura include:
- 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
A migraine usually lasts from four to 72 hours if untreated. How often migraines occur varies from person to person.
Migraines might occur rarely or strike several times a month.
During a migraine, you might have:
- 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
Post-drome
It represents the final phase and manifests itself after a migraine attack.
After a migraine attack, you might feel drained, confused and washed out for up to a day. Some people report feeling elated. Sudden head movement might bring on the pain again briefly.
Causes
Though migraine causes aren't fully understood, genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role.
Changes in the brainstem and its interactions with the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway, might be involved.
So might imbalances in brain chemicals which helps regulate pain in your nervous system.
There are a number of migraine triggers, including: Hormonal changes in women, too much alcohol, stress, bright lights and noise, sleep changes, physical factors, weather changes, medications, foods and food additives.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20360201
