Migraine headaches differ from ordinary headaches in the severity of the pain that accompanies it. The headaches literally pound inside your head and migraineurs find that they may not be able to continue with day to day work. The slightest of movement can aggravate the pain and you may not usually be able to bear loud lights and sounds.
Additionally, the headaches can last from 4 to 24 hours, and the residual effects of the attacks may continue for a whole day after that. Finally, the typical medication that you’d take for a normal headache will not work for migraines. The effect of over-the-counter medicines will be limited and the pain may be back once the effect of the medicine wears off.
There are some common migraine headache symptoms which typify migraines. These symptoms do not manifest themselves in all patients and during all episodes of attacks. However these five symptoms of migraine headaches discussed in this article are more commonly reported than the others.
Sensitivity to Light & Sound
Sensitivity to light, or photosensitivity, tops the list of common symptoms of a migraine. This sensitivity usually begins before the headache appears and may linger for as long as you have the headache. Regular lighting inside your house or even natural light outdoors that may not have bothered you in the past will begin to trouble you.
Same might be the case with sounds. You may be irritated by sudden sounds, which you may be fine with otherwise. Your auditory senses will suddenly react to even minor noises to the point that it becomes a complete distraction. This phenomenon is known as phonosensitivity. It is for this reason that migraneurs retire to a dark room when they suffer from an attack.
Flashing Lights
Another of the popular migraine headache symptoms is that migraine patients frequently see flashes of lights just before the migraine headaches begin. These flashes of light may be accompanied by bright spots and zigzag lines of light. There are possibilities that these flashes of light might be accompanied by photosensitivity.
Unilateral Headache
As mentioned before, migraine headaches differ greatly from regular ones. In a normal headache the pain spreads through the whole head. In migraines, the headache is localized towards one side of the head. In the next attack you have, the pain may shift to another side. However, in all attacks, the pain will always be on side of your head and not both. A word of advice – if you experience pain on the same side in each attack, it is an indicator of a far more serious problem, and you need to contact the doctor immediately.
Nausea & Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are migraine headache symptoms that usually come together with light sensitivity. You might even experience a feeling of wooziness, and driving a car or even riding in it can be problematic for you. While the nausea may be a symptom that indicates the onset of a headache, in some cases this nausea can also be caused by the intensity of the headache itself.
Cold Hands or Feet
Cold hands and feet is yet another of the classic symptoms of a migraine. This symptom usually manifests itself before the headache begins and sometimes even during the actual attack. The restricted blood vessels in the head affect the circulation of blood in the body, which, in turn, leads to your hands and feet turning cold.
