How Your Surroundings Affect Your Headspace

From the climate and environment you live in to stress and circumstances, many things cause headaches. However, in some cases, those headaches can actually be migraines, which can be much, much worse. It’s not just an average headache that you’re having in this case. These are migraine headaches, also known as migraine attacks.

Statistics have shown that over 37 million people in the United States alone suffer from migraines regularly. If you think you’re suffering from migraine attacks, it’s essential to be aware of the signs and symptoms of these types of headaches. In this blog, you’ll find a few ways to help you decide if your headache might be a migraine instead. 

Dizziness 

Migraines are said to be one of the leading causes of dizziness. You may be having a migraine attack if you feel dizzy or unsteady during your headache. 

Debilitating Throbbing 

If you have a throbbing in your head so bad that you can’t move, function, or even think, your headache may be a migraine. A common headache causes a dull pain in the head, whereas a migraine feels like you can feel your heartbeat in your head instead. There are quite a few remedies for migraines, some only offered by prescription and others such as white willow bark that are more home remedy based instead. 

The Pain Is Only on One Side of Your Head

While you can have migraines on both sides of your head, in ninety percent of cases, the pain is on one side of the head only. It’s still unclear why a migraine mostly presents on one side of the head. Still, if you have that type of pain, then you could be having migraines instead of tension or sinus headaches, which present all over the head or center themselves in the cheeks, eyes, and forehead. 

You See Sparking Lights or Flashes

Sparking lights, flashes, and auras happen to quite a few people who suffer from migraines. The aura usually occurs right before or during a migraine. Some symptoms are zig-zag flashes, pixelated vision, different colors, or flashes of sparking lights. Auras don’t happen with normal headaches, so if you experience these flashes when you have a headache or right before you get one, then you may need to make an appointment with your primary care provider for a diagnosis. 

Next Level Nausea and Vomiting

Many migraine sufferers feel nauseous and even vomit during one of their attacks. When a migraine activates the nerves of your brain, it activates the nerves in your stomach as well, which results in nausea and vomiting. 

A Heightened Sense of Smell, Hearing, and Vision

The brain becomes hyper-excited when you have a migraine, which often causes you to notice smells, noises, and lights more than you usually would. The best way to combat this during a migraine attack is by lying down in a dark room with as little noise or light allowed to enter as possible. 

What You Can Do

If you think you’re experiencing migraine attacks and have the symptoms above, it’s best to contact your primary health care provider for an appointment. There are many remedies out there, but it’s best to know if there is an underlying cause as well. 

These are just a few of the signs and symptoms of migraines that you need to know about. If you have any or all of these, it’s possible that your simple headache is instead a migraine and needs to be treated differently.