The National Headache Foundation estimates that nearly 30 million Americans are afflicted by migraine headaches each year. A migraine is a severe headache often accompanied by specific symptoms that vary in degree and frequency. The triggers for migraine headaches may be too much visual stimulation, loud noises, food intolerance, missing meals, hormonal changes, stress and other unknown causes. Migraine headaches afflict women more often than men, and migraines tend to run in families.
Visual Auras
Auras are vision changes that may accompany a migraine, and for some individuals, auras indicate that a migraine is starting. Tunnel vision, blind spots, blurred vision, wavy lines and flashing spots are all indicators of a migraine aura. These vision changes may start up to an hour before migraine pain hits.
Persistent Headaches
Individuals afflicted with migraines experience intense headaches that severely limit their daily activities. The pain may last only a few hours or continue for several days. For people who regularly experience migraines, the pain often starts in the same area of the head and radiates outward as the migraine progresses. Migraine headaches often have a characteristic pounding or throbbing that accompanies the headache.
Nausea
Feeling nauseated is a common migraine headache symptom. The degree of nausea may directly correlate with the amount of pain someone is experiencing. Some individuals may also experience vomiting during a migraine. Vomiting may temporarily relieve pain or pressure for some people, but the pain usually returns.
Light and Sound Sensitivity
Not only does light sensitivity occur for experiencing migraines, it may be a trigger for migraines. During a migraine, some individuals find that even common sounds cause excruciating pain. Migraine sufferers often seek a quiet, darkened room to cope with sensitivity and pain.
Eye Pressure
Pain and pressure behind the eyes may accompany a migraine headache. For many people, the area directly behind the eyes is where the pain starts. A feeling of pressure or pounding in and around the eyes may indicate a migraine is beginning, or the feeling may last throughout the migraine.
Fatigue
Migraine sufferers are often tired and may feel weaker during an attack. Enduring the intense pain that accompanies a migraine can be exhausting, but some individuals experience fatigue and weakness during the early stages of the migraine or just prior to an attack. Individuals may also notice tingling or numbness in the extremities.
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