Migraines mess up your life. But did you know that there remain two significant types of migraine headaches? These two types are chronic migraines and common migraines. A typical migraine contains such symptoms as:
• Extreme head pain.
• Throbbing on the sides of the head.
• Nausea frequently accompanied by vomiting.
• Dizziness.
• Feeling a tingling sensation in your hands, feet or face.
• Seeing an aura. Auras look like flashing lights, shadows, colors, halos, or lines which are visual anomalies.
• Pain when looking at lights, hearing sounds, experiencing some touches and some smells.
People who get migraines tend to get them once or twice per month. Those individuals who get migraines at least 15 days per month are diagnosed as having chronic migraine headaches. Individuals with chronic migraines have a tough time functioning in normal life due to the severity and frequency of these attacks.
Chronic migraines cause health issues throughout the body, not just pain in the head. One of the significant health issues that specifically need to be addressed is the drain on a person’s energy levels due to these headaches. Fatigue is caused by continually battling the triggers of these migraines, such as sensitivity to light, sound, stress and smells as well as with pain issues.
Dealing with Chronic Migraines
Chronic migraines contain episodes of pro-and post-syndrome cycles. So if you suddenly feel exhausted or lethargic, you may have a headache coming on. During an actual migraine, you’re not going to have any energy to keep going. You’ll be too busy dealing with the massive amount of pain. And, finally, the after-effects of migraine occur.
A prodrome occurs when the nervous system is about to experience a migraine. If you encounter a migraine prodrome, you’ll begin to feel that something isn’t right with your wellbeing. You may feel such symptoms as:
Some people who notice prodrome symptoms occurring can take action to head their headaches off. In this case, a wait and see attitude doesn’t help the problem. If you notice signs of a migraine coming on, take your medicine as soon as possible. Also, you should take care of yourself and get enough rest to keep your energy levels up as high as possible in between migraines. Activities such as dealing with stress, spending time with friends and going for a walk may assist you in keeping your attitude high and energy levels up in between migraines.
Medical studies continue to specify the reason for migraine headaches. A tendency to have migraines tends to run in families. The brain seems to have a change in chemistry around the time of the problem. Migraines and abnormal brain activity also seem to go hand in hand. Unique causes of migraines that are somewhat controllable may be a lack of sleep, stress, and the amount of caffeine consumed. Sometimes having a dose of caffeine helps you when you feel like you’re going to have a migraine. But excessive amounts of caffeine can also backfire and give you a headache.
Many women who experience migraines find that the health issue appears to be related to their hormonal changes during menstruation. Also, women who take birth control seem to have more problems with these severe headaches. Not surprisingly, people with migraines also tend to be depressed.
Take excellent care of your health to promote relief from the pain of chronic migraines. For instance, try to:
• Get at least seven or more hours of sleep per night to keep rested.
• Avoid certain foods and chemicals added to foods which trigger migraines. So eliminating excess caffeine, MSG, nitrates, alcohol and artificial sweeteners, or any specifc foods or chemicals which are your triggers, can go a long way to lowering the number of headache episodes that occur.
• Manage the stress in your life. Learning meditation techniques can go a long way to making your life more pleasant as well as relieving your headaches. Get counseling if necessary to deal with stressors in your life.
• Eat healthy, additive-free foods regularly.
• Exercise routinely. Adding a walk to your daily exercise routine or a yoga practice can help you stay at a healthy weight and reduce your stress levels, too.
• Keep a headache diary to learn more about possible triggers. Also, note what you ate and what you were doing before the headaches occur to help you notice possible triggers.
Don’t wait to get help during a migraine. If you continuously vomit, pass out or have vision loss during a headache, get to an emergency room as soon as possible. Also, if you have unique or new symptoms that concern you, get help at your doctor or the emergency room right away.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation or advice related to your health or finances. No reference to an identifiable individual or company is intended as an endorsement thereof. Some or all of this article may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and it may contain certain inaccuracies or unreliable information. Readers should not rely on this article for information and should consult with professionals for personal advice.