The Common Migraine Headache SymptomsCommon migraine headache symptoms may vary somewhat from one person to the next but there is a list that is common to most sufferers. A migraine is classified by the International Classification of Headache Disorders as a recurrent headache disorder with attacks lasting from four to seventy two hours.
Some typical migraine headache symptoms are unilateral pain location with pulsing or throbbing. Many people experience intense throbbing and pounding pain in their head, either on both or one side to the point of nausea. Some people have aura with their migraine but it is more common to have no sensations of audio, visual, or olfactory aura with their migraine headache symptoms. Another common migraine headache symptom is photo phobia or extreme sensitivity to lights. Even a dim light will cause searing pain to the head of a sufferer. Noise can also be an extreme irritant and even the quietest of normal noise can drive someone with a migraine to the brink. Some causes or triggers of migraine headache symptoms can be stress & backpain, premenstrual syndrome, food triggers like chocolate, and tension caused by tight or clenched jaws and poor posture. For those who suffer from auras while having migraine headache symptoms, the pain is far from the only thing that is hard to deal with. Auras are physical sensations that are out of the ordinary such as vision, hearing and smelling distortions. Common visual aura symptoms can be seeing spots, blurred vision, temporary blindness in one eye and distorted lines. Physical sensations can be affected too. Numbness and tingling in the arms and hands, weakness, and temporary paralysis are also possible migraine headache symptoms. Speech may become difficult for a short amount of time or complete thoughts may be difficult to convey. If it is a true aura symptom, there will be sensory issues lasting between five and sixty minutes either on only one side of the body, or developing gradually, or one symptom followed by another over a the same period of time. Many of these symptoms are similar to that of stroke, but should be only temporary with no lasting effects like a stroke would cause. Though migraine headache symptoms seem more common in women than men, many men are equally affected by the pain and discomfort of migraines. Some equate the pain of lingering migraine with that of chronic pain because the person can have something similar to an alcoholic hangover. The pain, though gone, leaves a residue of odd sensation throughout the body and seems to take longer than normal to function properly for a day or so after the migraine headache symptoms have left.
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