5 Things You Need to Know About Types of Migraine Headaches

1. Your Aching Head

A migraine is a headache, but it's not another way of saying a really bad headache either. Migraine belongs to a group called vascular headaches, probably caused by problems with blood vessels in the brain. And to add more factors, several types of migraines exist, too. Migraine headaches are as individual as the people who get them. Some people have one a year while others have them as regular as clockwork. Sleep, exercise, food and even sneezing can trigger migraines. Migraines can also mimic other conditions, so it's important to get a definite diagnosis before starting any treatment. Both general practitioners and neurologists see people with migraines.

2. Throbbing Pain

The most common shared symptom is a dull ache that turns into a throbbing and even pulsating head pain. This is what people feel with common migraines or migraines without aura, the most common type of migraine. Head pain is often at one temple, but it can alternate sides or travel to the back of the head. Pain may radiate from pressure against inflamed blood vessels. Nausea and sensitivity to light often accompany the throbbing. Migraine pain often incapacitates people who finish the headache out in a cool, dark room, with no light to disturb them.

3. Lights, Action, Migraine

About one-third of the people with migraines get a preview of coming attractions from an aura before the pain begins. The aura tends to be some kind of visual disturbance, like flashing lights, tunnel vision or a temporary loss of vision. Auras can even be some type of hallucination. Up to 30 minutes later, intense pain happens at the temple. People who experience migraines with aura, also called classic migraines, can also have the nausea in addition to numbness and tingling. Some people can curb the intensity of the migraine if they recognize the aura as a hint of things to come, take prescribed medication and lay down.

4. Your Time of the Month

For young women with basilar artery migraines, it really might be hormones talking. These migraines that focus on a brain artery seem to be associated with women's menstrual cycles. Signs that a hormonal migraine is about to hit can include dizziness, double vision and problems with coordination. Headache pain my travel to the back of the head and include vomiting. If migraine headaches start soon after your start hormones for birth control or menopause, talk to your doctor about alternatives. Some women find success in taking preventive medication about a week before their period starts.

5. The Eyes Have It

Several types of migraine headaches focus on the eyes, including ophthalmoplegic or ocular migraines. Pain centers on the eye and may even paralyze muscles around the eye to cause a droopy eyelid. Although rare, this type of migraine needs medical attention because there might be a problem with pressure on the nerves of the eye that needs attention. Also referred to as retinal migraines, ocular migraines start with a visual disturbance like blind spots or temporary blindness. Afterwards, pain sometimes starts on the same side of the head. Ocular migraines occur more in older people, but any migraine involving the eyes needs an evaluation to rule out other problems that need attention.