My head is killing me — is it a migraine?

Your head has been killing you for hours. How do you know if it is a migraine headache or just an ordinary headache? The first way to tell is by deciding if you have migraine headache symptoms or not.

Some people get an “aura” with or before a migraine. This includes things like flashing lights, wavy lines, or dizziness. How long the pain lasts and how severe it is also helps to determine if your headache is a migraine or not. Pain, when associated with symptoms of a migraine, lasts anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days. People who get migraines usually get them between once and four times a month on average.

Another migraine headache symptom is nausea (and sometimes vomiting). People who suffer from migraines also have a low tolerance for lights, noise and certain odors. Lying down in a dark quiet room can help with these.

Migraine headaches symptoms can also include behavioral changes. Sure many people become irritable and nasty because they are in pain but some people also exhibit confusion, restlessness or even extra energy. Sometimes they make people feel like they are losing control or going crazy.

Sometimes migraine headache symptoms are pain on one side of your head. A throbbing or pulsating pain that is exceedingly painful and intense. The pain may get worse with any movement or physical activity.
Some women also only experience migraines around the time of their periods.

So how do you know if you are experiencing the symptoms of migraine headaches or some other type? Sinus and tension headaches have very similar symptoms but migraines usually occur on one side of your head. Sometimes other conditions such as asthma or depression can trigger migraines in people who suffer from them also.

So what can you do to get rid of some of the symptoms of a migraine headache and ease your pain? The first thing is learn new ways to deal with your stress as these headaches often occur during or right after stressful times. You can practice relaxation techniques to help this.

Your doctor may prescribe drugs to take preventively for your migraine headaches and if you do get one they are much less severe. Try to figure out if there is something that triggers your headaches by keeping a headache diary. Sometimes certain foods can even be a culprit.

Migraines in children or young adults are usually related to stress also but over different things, such as peer pressure, tests and school.

Working with you doctor, practicing relaxation techniques daily, watching what you eat and keeping a headache diary are all ways to lessen the pain from migraines. If you notice that the pain in your head seems different, you are having some numbness in a body part, feel dizzy, have trouble walking or talking call 911 immediately as these are signs of a stroke. If you should develop a stiff neck and fever notify your doctor right away also.