Difference between headache and migraine

When people speak of headaches and migraines, they often fail to realize that the two words actually represent two different conditions. In this article, we’ll help you to learn the differences between regular headaches and migraine headaches so that you can better diagnose a problem when you or a loved one are faced with it.

Migraines represent a much more serious problem than your average run-of-the-mill headache. While regular headaches normally occur throughout mostly all of the human population, those afflicted with migraines face a particularly painful problem. So what exactly is a migraine? Migraines are basically a certain type of headache in which the blood vessels that are located within the brain are altered by constriction or dilation.

Basically, what that means is that the main methods of getting necessary fluids through the brain is either made smaller or made larger, which can result in blinding pain due to the inflammation that can occur.

Migraine headaches feel like they are pulsing, because, as a matter of fact, they are.

What you are feeling when you experience a migraine is the blood vessels in your brain getting larger and smaller, rubbing up against different parts of the brain and causing indescribable pain. The pain of a migraine may last from anywhere between four hours and a full week, which can make the most average everyday tasks impossible. For those afflicted, these migraine headaches often occur between two and four times per month.

So, how do you know if you’re experiencing migraine headaches as opposed to normal headaches? There are some symptoms to look out for if you’re concerned. In a migraine, as we’ve mentioned before, the pain feels like it is pulsing or throbbing; the feeling can be present throughout the whole head or may actually shift between the sides of the head. In addition to the painful throbbing, those with migraine headaches may experience blurred vision and an intense sensitivity of the other senses – high levels of light, loud noise, and strong odors may trigger more problems.

Some with migraines also experience nausea or a loss of appetite due to the condition. In certain circumstances, those with migraines may also experience feelings of being very hot or very cold, and a pale skin tone and dizziness may accompany the headaches. All of these symptoms are important warning signs to watch for to help you determine whether or not the headache problem that you face is due to migraines.

If the above symptoms sound like they make sense for the pain that you’re experiencing, you should consult a doctor. Health care professionals can help you to deal with your problem by helping you figure out exactly what is causing your migraines and possibly prescribing a solution for the pain. Migraines are a relatively common problem; as many as 28 million people in America alone experience migraines every year. If you’re faced with the problem, it’s important to take action to ensure that the migraines interfere with your life as little as possible.