Headaches are something most people experience from time to time, but a migraine is much more than simply a bad headache. For some people, an attack can disrupt work, family plans, sleep and everyday routines for hours or even days.
Learning to recognise migraine symptoms and understanding personal triggers can make the condition easier to manage. It can also help people distinguish an occasional headache from symptoms that may benefit from medical advice or specific migraine treatment.
What does a migraine feel like?
Migraine symptoms can vary considerably from person to person.
The headache itself is often described as throbbing or pulsating and may affect one side of the head, although this is not always the case. People can also experience nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to light, sounds or smells.
Some people experience an aura before or during a migraine. This can involve temporary visual disturbances, such as flashing lights, zigzag patterns or blind spots, as well as other neurological symptoms such as tingling or difficulty speaking.
Not everybody who experiences migraine has an aura, and an individual’s symptoms can also change over time.
Understanding your personal triggers
Migraine does not always have one obvious cause, but certain factors can make an attack more likely in susceptible people.
Stress is a common example. A particularly busy or emotionally demanding period can contribute to an attack, although some people find migraines appear when they begin to relax after a stressful period.
Sleep can also play a part. Too little sleep may trigger symptoms, but major changes to normal sleeping patterns can sometimes have a similar effect.
Other commonly reported triggers include dehydration, missing meals, alcohol, hormonal changes and, for some people, particular foods or environmental factors.
This does not mean somebody with migraine needs to avoid a long list of foods or completely restructure their lifestyle. Triggers are highly individual, which is why identifying personal patterns is generally more useful than following generic lists.
Keeping a migraine diary can help
A simple migraine diary can make it easier to identify patterns that might otherwise be missed.
Recording when a migraine occurs, how long it lasts and what symptoms develop can be useful. It may also help to note factors such as sleep, meals, hydration, stress, alcohol consumption and menstruation where relevant.
Over time, someone might notice that attacks tend to follow missed lunches, poor sleep or particularly stressful days.
The aim is not to account for everything that happens before every migraine. Instead, the diary can provide useful information to discuss with a healthcare professional and may highlight a small number of manageable triggers.
Small daily habits can make a difference
Consistency can be particularly useful for people susceptible to migraines.
Eating regular meals can help avoid long periods without food, while drinking enough fluid throughout the day can prevent dehydration. Maintaining a reasonably regular sleep routine may also be helpful.
Physical activity is another useful part of general health, although people who find intense exercise triggers migraines may need to build up gradually or choose activities that suit them better.
Stress cannot always be avoided, but developing ways to manage it can be worthwhile. That might include taking regular breaks, spending time outdoors, exercising, practising relaxation techniques or simply protecting enough time for sleep and recovery.
None of these measures guarantees that migraines will disappear. They are better thought of as ways of reducing avoidable triggers and creating a more consistent routine.
What happens when a migraine starts?
For some people, recognising the early stages of an attack can make it easier to manage.
Finding a quiet, darkened room may help with light and noise sensitivity, while drinking water can be useful if dehydration has contributed to symptoms. Some people also find that resting or sleeping helps.
Medication is another part of migraine management. Simple painkillers can be appropriate for some people, while others may use migraine-specific medicines known as triptans.
One commonly used triptan is sumatriptan, which is used to treat migraine attacks rather than prevent them from occurring. Treatment suitability varies between individuals, so migraine medicines should be used according to professional advice and their prescribing or product instructions.
People who need acute migraine medicines very frequently should also discuss this with a healthcare professional, as frequent use of headache medicines can itself contribute to medication-overuse headaches.
Know when to seek medical advice
A recurring headache should not automatically be assumed to be migraine, particularly if the symptoms are new or have changed significantly.
Medical advice is particularly important when headaches are becoming more frequent, are difficult to control, or regularly interfere with work, sleep or normal activities.
Urgent assessment may be needed for a sudden and exceptionally severe headache, particularly when it is accompanied by neurological symptoms, confusion, weakness, fever, a stiff neck, loss of consciousness or follows a significant head injury.
For people who regularly experience migraine, a healthcare professional can also help review triggers, current medicines and whether preventative treatment might be appropriate.