Migraine Auras – The Key to Getting Ready For Your Migraine

It can be a really strange feeling to see blind spots and feel nausea all of a sudden. It makes you wonder what’s going on, until later on a migraine headache hits and the penny drops. These early warning symptoms are called migraine auras, and are usually a warning sign of what’s to come. They can be frightening, but they are usually painless and harmless. If you’re driving and you see or feel any migraine aura then it’d be clever to pull over until it passes.

It’s hard to believe that more than 28 million Americans deal with migraines on a regular basis. These headaches are extremely painful and can last for hours or even days on end.

They’re triggered by the body’s neurological system being out of alignment, or your hormones are out of balance. Various things can trigger these headaches and migraine auras are the first warning that an attack is on the way.

These warning signs can be blind spots, tingling, nausea or increased sensitivity to light and sound. They tend to occur anywhere from minutes to hours before the pain starts. The auras can appear with or without pain – everyone is different when it comes to this.

Something like hormonal changes, lights, chemicals in foods or medications can cause a migraine. During auras, things happen with the blood flow to the area of the brain responsible for vision. These changes can happen in one or both eyes. Along with the normal blind spots and blurred vision, it’s possible to have visual hallucinations or zigzag lines.

Other symptoms that can signal the beginning of a migraine are loss of appetite, vomiting, chills, increased urination or sweating, swelling of the face, irritability or fatigue.

There are two common types of migraines: one being with an aura and one without. The migraine with an aura is defined by some or many of the same symptoms we’ve already talked about. The migraine without an aura is the most common and can happen on one or both sides of the head. Tiredness or mood changes can happen the day before, as well as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. All of these are warnings that a whopper of a migraine is on the way.

If you’re unfortunate enough to be cursed with migraine headaches, you gradually recognize the auras or warning signs. Pay attention to these because you can use this warning as a way to prepare, whether it’s taking medication or other steps in terms of prevention or just preparing for some downtime during the headache itself. Take it seriously, as noticing the auras symptoms you’ll be better prepared for the migraine itself.