Lifestyle Changes And Home Remedies
Home remedies may help alleviate some migraine symptoms, while lifestyle changes can prevent onset.
To treat a migraine using home remedies:
- Take a nap when symptoms first appear.
- Lie down in a quiet, cool, dark room.
- Place a cool compress or ice pack on the forehead or back of the neck.
Lifestyle changes that may help prevent migraine episodes include:
- practicing stress reduction techniques, including yoga, deep breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation exercises
- sticking to a consistent sleep routine, with the same bedtime and wake time every day
- eating a balanced diet that is low in processed foods and food additives
- drinking plenty of water and limiting or avoiding caffeine and alcohol
- avoiding migraine triggers, where possible, or using preventative medicines before triggering events
For severe or recurrent migraine episodes, it is usually most effective to use medical treatments alongside home care strategies.
Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes
As migraine headache is a clinical diagnosis, providers need to be aware of various presentations of migraine, to reduce unnecessary investigations and neuroimaging. Optimal management will require the efforts of an interprofessional healthcare team. A good history and physical examination can rule out other differentials and help diagnose migraine. An interprofessional approach is necessary for the management of patients with migraines. Neurologists should be involved in patient care when a primary care provider is unsure of the diagnosis. With proper management, most patients with migraine headaches have a good prognosis. Neuroscience and pain control nurses can work with patients on lifestyle changes and educate them about the use of medications. Pharmacists must review prescriptions, consult with the prescriber on optimal agent selection, check for drug-drug interactions, and inform patients about usage and side effects. Nurses can help monitor, reinforce medication teaching points, and serve as a contact point connecting clinicians and other team members.
All team members must document all observations in the patient’s medical record and reach out to the appropriate team members for necessary therapeutic interventions. These interprofessional efforts will help drive better outcomes for patients with migraine headaches.
Are There Different Types Of Migraine Attacks
There are several other types of migraine that involve neurological symptoms besides pain, such as:
- Migraine with brain stem aura. A rare type of migraine in which aura symptoms originate in the brain stem. Symptoms can include vertigo, ringing in the ears, and speech problems.
- Hemiplegic migraine. A migraine that occurs with an aura that includes one-sided weakness as well as numbness and tingling. It can occur with or without migraine pain.
- Vestibular migraine. A condition that includes sudden onset of vertigo, disorientation, and balance issues. Many people who experience vestibular migraine have no history of headaches.
- Retinal migraine. A type of migraine in which the aura causes you to lose vision in one eye.
You may also be diagnosed with chronic migraine if you experience migraine symptoms that occur 15 or more days in a month.
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Deterrence And Patient Education
Timely diagnosis and management of migraine headaches are essential, as they can sometimes be debilitating and affect the quality of life. Patients should be educated about the different phases of migraine headaches and the benefits of abortive and prevention therapy. Patients should be educated about lifestyle changes, which can help in reducing the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. Patients should also be instructed to go to a doctor in case of worsening symptoms or the occurrence of new neurological symptoms, which might warrant neuroimaging.
Treating Migraine With Aura
When a person begins experiencing aura symptoms, it can be helpful to move into a quiet, dark room and close the eyes. Placing a cold compress on the forehead or the back of the neck may also help ease migraine pain.
There are three main areas of treatment for migraine with aura. These are as follows:
- lifestyle and trigger management
- acute treatments, such as medications to stop a migraine episode while it is happening or reduce its severity or duration
- These include analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gepants, and ditans.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Migraine With Aura
Migraine with aura can cause an array of symptoms, from visual disturbances like seeing zig-zags or stars to sensory changes such as numbness or tingling. The symptoms of each type of migraine with aura can overlap, but here are the typical signs of each one, according to the American Migraine Foundation:
Can Lifestyle Changes Help
Because migraine with aura overlaps other health conditions, its sometimes hard to know if, or how, lifestyle changes affect symptoms. For example, sleep and migraine can influence each other. Also, people with migraine may have sleep apnea, trouble sleeping, restless leg syndrome and other sleep problems.
While there isnt much research specific to preventing or treating aura, maintaining consistency in your daily routine can help head off migraine symptoms in general. I like to say the migraine brain likes routine, says Dr. Robblee. Your brain doesnt want to have sudden changes. The same amount of sleep each night, regular meals, adequate hydration and consistent caffeine intake could help you manage your migraine with aura. It may take some time, but in partnership with your doctor, its possible to find a plan for migraine with aura that prevents or relieves your symptoms.
TheAmerican Migraine Foundation is committed to improving the lives of those living with this debilitating disease. For more of the latest news and information on migraine, visit the AMFResource Library. For help finding a healthcare provider, check out ourFind a Doctor tool. Together, we are as relentless as migraine.
Reviewed for accuracy by the American Migraine Foundations subject matter experts, headache specialists and medical advisers with deep knowledge and training in headache medicine. to read about our editorial board members.
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What Triggers Migraine Attack And Sometimes Aura
If youre under stress or not sleeping well, your odds go up for a migraine attack, and with it, maybe aura, too. Bright light, glare, flickering or pulsing light, and fluorescent light: All are known triggers for some people, though its not clear why. Chocolate is a common migraine headache culprit, as are aged cheeses, MSG , and dehydration. Triggers are individual, so what triggers your migraine may do the same for someone next to youand aura may or may not occur.
Lifestyle Changes For Aura Migraines
Preventing aura migraines is better than having to treat them. As weve seen, some of the triggers behind the condition are within your control.
Consider the following lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of suffering these migrainesand all migraines in general.
- Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Have a consistent sleep routine, going to bed and waking around the same hours every day.
- Avoid processed foods and food additives.
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet that contains fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.
- Take supplements including a full spectrum eye health supplement.
- Reduce stress through yoga, mediation, and aerobic exercise.
- Limit your consumption of alcohol and caffeine.
- Quit smoking if you can.
- Pay attention to your migraine triggers. Whether they are strong light, intense smells, or particular foods, recognize them and avoid them.
- Drink enough water every day to stay hydrated.
- If youre taking any medication that may increase the risk of migraines, discuss with your doctor possible replacements.
- Take care of your eyes. Patients with migraine are more likely to have dry eyes. According to the same study, dry eye syndrome may make migraine attacks worse.
When to see a doctor: When migraines reoccur, last for more than an hour, or affect only one eye.
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Why Do I Keep Getting Auras
The electrical and chemical waves can occur with normal functioning of the nerves and do not cause harm to the brain. Many of the same factors that trigger migraine can also trigger migraine with aura, including stress, bright lights, some foods and medications, too much or too little sleep, and menstruation.
What Are The Acute Treatments For Migraine
An isolated visual migraine, without headache, typically does not require any acute treatment, since the visual symptoms resolve on their own fairly quickly. The first few times someone experiences a visual migraine it usually causes a lot of anxiety. Once someone has become familiar with the symptoms of a visual migraine, new episodes no longer cause the same level of anxiety.
It can be helpful to try to rest during the episode. Some patients benefit from other strategies, including eating something, having caffeine, or taking an over-the-counter medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen .
Patients in whom the visual symptoms are accompanied by a severe headache often benefit from additional therapies. The goal of these medications is to try to cut short the headache before it becomes too severe. Some patients find naproxen , which is a stronger anti-inflammatory medication, to be helpful. Other patients try a class of medications known as triptans.
Triptans are specially designed to work on receptors on blood vessels and brain cells in order to halt a migraine at an early stage. Although there are a number of different triptans, made by several different pharmaceutical companies, each of these is approximately equally effective. Triptans are often taken orally, but also come as injections and nasal sprays. These medicines are generally not considered safe in patients with a history of strokes, heart attacks, or other vascular diseases.
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Migraine With Aura Treatment
When you’re having a migraine with aura, stay in a quiet, dark room. Try putting cold compresses or pressure on the painful areas.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen may help. Your doctor can prescribe larger doses of NSAIDs.
Prescription medications called triptans or ditans — such as almotriptan , eletriptan , frovatriptan , lasmiditan , naratriptan , rizatriptan , and sumatriptan — can help. Ergots may also treat migraine pain.
Other medications can ease related symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
Some devices are designed to short-circuit a migraine by turning on your brain in a particular way.
SpringTMS and eNeura sTMS use a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation . Place the device on the back of your head for about a minute to release a pulse of magnetic energy.
A vagus nerve stimulator called gammaCore, when placed over the vagus nerve in your neck, releases mild electrical stimulation to relieve pain.
You’ll need a prescription for any of these devices.
Can Migraine Aura Increase During Pregnancy
Pregnancy can result in increased migraine aura without headaches. If youre pregnant and are experiencing a migraine with or without aura, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
A note from Cleveland ClinicMigraine aura isnt usually dangerous, but the condition can disrupt your daily life. If you experience migraine aura with or without headaches, inform your healthcare provider. Not only can they help you manage your symptoms, but they can also make sure your migraine aura isnt related to other, more troubling health problems.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 11/25/2021.
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The Symptom Spectrum Of The Migraine Aura
Migraine, a partially genetic prevalent brain disorder , presents with attacks separated by interictal phases. An attack can be considered as a dysfunctional brain state probably related with long-lasting anatomical and functional consequences, as shown by our group and others .
In at least a third of migraine attacks, the headache phase is preceded and/or accompanied by transient neurological symptoms referred to as aura. In this case, the condition is classified as migraine with aura , contrary to migraine without aura , when no aura symptom is present . The most frequent aura phenotype consists of positive and/or negative visual phenomena, present in up to 99% of the patients . Phenotypes include primary visual disturbances, for example flashes of light, moving zigzags expanding in a horseshoe pattern, white spots, âlike looking through air close to a road paved with asphalt in a very hot sunny dayâ, colored spots or less frequent more complex perceptions, such as fractured vision, dysmorphopsias, lilliputian or brobdingnagian hallucinations, misperceptions of distances, hemianopsias, tunnel vision, among others . Since visual auras varies in form, severity, and duration, the anatomical location, extent, and probably nature of the underlying occipital dysfunction must vary accordingly.
What Triggers Migraine Aura
The same stimuli that bring on migraines without aura also often get migraines with aurasome of the most frequent reasons.
- pungent odors like smoke, perfume, or gas
- barometric pressure shifts or other changes in the weather
An increased likelihood of experiencing migraines in general or migraines with aura, in particular, includes the following:
Sexual orientation: Women are two to three times more likely to suffer migraines than men. Somewhere in the neighborhood, one in five women suffers from this condition.
Age: The peak incidence of this disorder occurs between the ages of 18 and 44.
Family History: Approximately 90% of persons with migraine have a relative who also suffers from the ailment.
Cure and treatment
Migraine with aura may be treated in the same ways as regular migraines. The treatment a person receives depends on how often and severely they experience symptoms.
Sometimes, migraine aura symptoms look like those of other, more severe diseases. So, if you experience any warning signals, don’t delay getting in touch with your doctor. A migraine with aura is not life-threatening. However, it may be very painful and incapacitating. Most individuals may control their symptoms until the headache or episode passes by using self-care measures and using over-the-counter drugs. Migraine sufferers with frequent or severe attacks may benefit from using prescription drugs or medical devices to alleviate pain and avoid further attacks.
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Aura And The Various Components Of The Migraine Attack
Migraine has different phases, not necessarily evident in all patients â premonitory, aura, headache and postdromic . Evidence suggests that migraine is of neurogenic origin, and that the related vascular events are consequences of neuronal changes . Daily imaging of a MWoA patient for 30 consecutive days showed hypothalamic activation as early as 24âh before the migraine pain, suggesting that the hypothalamus could be a generator of migraine attack . Although migraine attacks depend on a susceptible brain, the relative independence between their different components suggests that, rather than a rigid successive chain of events, the migraine episode can be better explained sometimes as a net dysfunction, possibly activated from different places and sequences. Accordingly, the pain may vary in location, the aura can be present or not and start after the pain, the premonitory symptoms can vary, and so on. The aura-headache coupling is particularly puzzling . Aura is neither ubiquitous nor phenotypically uniform, even in a single patient. Knowledge about migraine phenotypes and pathophysiology supports the concept that both patterns are possible and not mutually exclusive: a migraine attack may the result of a successive series of events where one necessarily triggers the next, or it may behave as a network of possible brain dysfunctions disrupted in different combinations or sequences.
Migraine With Aura Causes
Scientists aren’t sure what causes migraine, but several brain chemicals probably play a role.
According to this theory, a wave of nerve cell activity spreads across your brain and triggers your trigeminal nerve. This causes the release of a variety of neurotransmitters, changing the size of blood vessels, releasing more neurotransmitters, and ultimately causing an inflammatory process and pain.
Experts think the aura happens because of this electrical wave moving across the part of your brain that processes signals from your senses.
Migraine often runs in families. It often begins in childhood and gets worse through adolescence. Although more boys than girls have migraine, more adult women than men have them. Over time, you’ll have fewer, and they become less common after age 50.
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What Is Migraine With Aura Treatment
Migraine with aura is treated with the same medications as migraine without aura. Known as abortive medications, they stop a migraine that has already started.
Here are some common abortive migraine medications:5
- Over-the-counter meds: These include pain relievers, such as NSAIDs.
- Triptans: This class of drugs specifically targets migraine pain, and they can be taken as pills, shots, or nasal sprays.
- CGRP antagonists: These drugs block calcitonin gene-related peptide , a protein released in the brain that can cause migraine.
- Lasmiditan: This drug targets a different receptor in the brain5-hydroxytryptamine and has been shown to significantly reduce headache pain.
- Dihydroergotamine : Available as a nasal spray or injection, this drug works best when used to treat a migraine that is already in progress. It shouldnt be used if you have coronary artery disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or severe kidney or liver disease.
- Opioids: If none of the migraine medications above work, opioids may be prescribed in emergency situations .
How Do I Stop Migraine Aura
Migraine aura treatment is focused on easing symptoms. Your healthcare provider may recommend a number of medications, including:
- Pain relievers. Prescription or over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin can alleviate migraine aura and associated pain.
- Triptans. Sumatriptan and rizatriptan block pain pathways in the brain. These medications may be prescribed as pills, injections or nasal spray.
- Dihydroergotamine nasal spray or dihydroergotamine injection. These medications can be taken at the onset of a migraine attack in an effort to lessen symptoms.
- Opioids. These drugs may be recommended for people who cant take triptans or dihydroergotamines. Because opioids are highly addictive, this treatment should only be considered when all other options have failed.
- Antinausea drugs. When migraine aura is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, medications like metoclopramide, chlorpromazine or prochlorperazine can ease these symptoms.
- Magnesium. This supplement can break visual aura and reduce pain.
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