June is National Headache and Migraine Awareness Month. If you’ve ever had a migraine, you know how much they can hurt. Migraines can stop you in your tracks and leave you scrambling to find the nearest dark room. They can come on out of nowhere, or they can be triggered by something. Sometimes you get a little warning that it’s coming when you see spots. Then again, sometimes you don’t. At least when you get the aura, you can take medicine before it starts to try to prevent or minimize the pain. Let’s get clinical, shall we?
Incidence of Migraine Headaches in the United States
Migraine headaches are very common in the United States. Out of the nearly 45 million people who suffer from chronic headaches in the U.S., over half of them suffer specifically from migraines. The actual number of people who suffer from migraines is between 28 million people and 36 million people. People who suffer from migraines usually experience them more often than just once. Unlike other headaches, people tend to either be susceptible to them or not. Usually, if you’re someone who gets migraines, you’ll likely have a history of them. Or, you will be prone to having one in the future. That doesn’t mean that they have to occur frequently. But, people with migraines can generally recall episodes that have happened in the past. Migraines can occur at any age, but they usually emerge during puberty. This is because hormone changes can trigger this type of headache.
Causes of Migraines
National Headache and Migraine Awareness Month provides information about many types of headaches. Migraine headaches are a severely painful and sometimes debilitating type of headache. They can last anywhere from hours to days, and they can impact daily life. For example, they can impact one’s ability to perform daily tasks
Many people who suffer from migraines have been able to identify a cause. Migraines can be triggered by a number of things, such as hormone fluctuations, foods, allergies, light, and stress. Some women who experience migraines can correlate their headaches to their menstrual cycle. This makes them much easier to predict and prevent. It’s much easier to deal with migraines if you know when they may come. Some people have been able to relate specific triggers that cause their migraines to occur. For example, migraines may be caused by something like a bright reflection of the sun on the back of a car. For others, it may be caused by a specific food or drink. Identifying triggers is the most proactive thing you can do to manage migraines or prevent them in the future.
Of course, not all migraines can be traced back to a trigger. Some people have no idea what causes their triggers, and have no common factors in the time preceding each attack. A migraine record or diary is important to help identify triggers prior to a headache. Doctors can sometimes find a common thread that may not be apparent to you.
Signs and Symptoms of Migraines – National Headache and Migraine Awareness Month
Many people who suffer from migraines experience warning signs and symptoms before the headache actually starts. If you can recognize the symptoms, you can better manage headaches or prevent them. There are a few medications designed to prevent them when taken during the warning symptoms. Warning signs and symptoms are referred to as the “aura” that occurs prior to the onset of the actual headache. Auras are considered perceptual disturbances. These warning signs and symptoms can be different for everyone. Common ones include some variation or combination of these symptoms:
• The most common warning sign for people with migraines is a visual symptom where the person sees dots, flashing spots, or zigzag lines. Or, some other sort of visual change or disturbance. Some migraine patients have reported blank spots, or blurry spots, also.
• Migraine headache auras can also affect a person’s cognition. Some people report experiencing a sudden sense of confusion, or difficulty forming sentences or following a train of thought.
• Some people feel a physical sensation prior to the onset of the headache. These physical symptoms can be described as a tingling feeling in a leg or arm. Other physical symptoms can be characterized as stiffness, which can occur in the neck and shoulders or in the limbs.
• Migraine headache patients can also experience an unpleasant smell or sensitivity to smell as an aura.
Migraine Cures
There is no cure-all for migraine headaches, and each patient responds differently to treatment options. Sometimes, lifestyle changes are necessary to minimize a person’s risk of migraines, or reduce the frequency or migraines. Lifestyle changes or alterations can help. These include getting more sleep, drinking more water, avoiding triggering foods, exercise, and reducing stress. If these lifestyle alterations don’t help, there are also medications that can be used for treating and managing migraine headaches.
First, there are always over the counter pain relieving medications such as Advil, Aspirin, Aleve, Tylenol, and Excedrin. Excedrin is specifically designed to treat migraines, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Caffeine in small amounts in combination with a pain reliever, such as Excedrin, can be very helpful for migraines. There are also preventive medications used to treat migraines.
Sumatriptans, like Imitrex, are a class of medications designed to treat migraines. People find drugs in this class to be pretty effective, but sometimes other kinds of medications help, too. Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, beta blockers, gabapentin and even botox are also used to treat migraines. Patients are often able to find a combination of lifestyle alterations and medications that control their migraines. As a result, this significantly reduces their frequency. If you think you may be experiencing migraines, see a doctor to talk about it. There is no sense in suffering needlessly.
About Us – Personalized Cause Raises Awareness for National Headache and Migraine Awareness Month
If you are new to our blog: Welcome! We’re so glad you found us. This awareness blog is run by Personalized Cause®. Personalized Cause® is an awareness ribbon and pin company based in California. We specialize in one of a kind custom awareness ribbons. In fact, Personalized Cause® is the number one source for custom awareness ribbons in the U.S.
Our custom awareness ribbons allow customers to personalize the awareness ribbon of their choice with a name, date, message or phrase. Custom awareness ribbons are a unique and powerful way to advocate for your cause, support a loved one, or raise awareness. We believe that combining your cause with personalization can change how others perceive and understand your cause, even without directly speaking to them.
This awareness blog was created in an effort to help raise awareness for causes that affect people worldwide. We hope to educate our readers about prevention and early detection through our awareness blog because awareness saves lives.
Awareness Ribbons for Personalized Cause – Migraine Support
Migraine awareness is represented by either a purple awareness ribbon or burgundy awareness ribbon, depending on the type. Migraine Hemochromatosis is represented by a burgundy awareness ribbon. Chronic Vestibular Migraine is represented by a purple awareness ribbon. To order a burgundy custom awareness ribbon for Migraine Hemochromatosis, visit:
To order a purple custom awareness ribbon for Chronic Vestibular Migraine, visit:
#migraine #headache #migrainessuck #migraines #migraineawareness #awareness #chronicpain #awareness #awarenessblog #awarenessribbons #cancerribbons #migrainehemochromatosis #chronicvestibularmigraine