Headaches come in all shapes and sizes. But if you have chronic problems with painful, debilitating headaches you could be suffering from migraine headache. There are several clues that you may be having a migraine instead of another type of headache. You’ll want to start by keeping a journal of your symptoms so that you can track patterns in your pain and determine what type of headache you have.
People who suffer from migraine headache often have an early warning sign called the “aura”. This is typically the feeling of seeing flashing lights. You can compare it to the feeling of seeing spots when someone has taken a photo of you with a flash on their camera. However, this feeling doesn’t go away for several minutes to an hour. For many people this is the first sign they are having a migraine headache instead of another type.
Migraine headache is also usually accompanied by severe head pain on one side of the head about 30 minutes after the aura begins. The pain can also be accompanied by nausea and even vomiting. Pain can be so severe that you want to just lie in a dark, quiet room. You may find it difficult to sleep while experiencing the pain of a migraine. Continue reading “How to Know If You Have a Migraine Headache” »