Silent Migraines: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

It seems odd to call a silent migraine a “headache.” What makes this neurological disorder different from the migraines most people think of is that you don’t get the usual pain. Even without it however, the other symptoms can be disturbing and can interrupt your typical day.

Your doctor can prescribe medications and devices to avoid silent migraines and treat their symptoms. Taking great care of yourself and preventing your triggers will help, too.

Symptoms of Silent Migraine

A silent, or acephalgic, migraine can have symptoms of any stage of a migraine– however without the classic pain around your temples.

During the prodrome, the phase that warns you a migraine is coming, you could:

Get “active” or irritable

Have food cravings
Be fatigued and yawn more
Feel stiff, particularly your neck

Need to pee more frequently
Get constipated or have diarrhea

The aura phase typically lasts about an hour. It’s best understood for its unusual visual symptoms, such as seeing:

Wavy or rugged lines
Flashing lights
Dots or spots in your vision

Blind spots
One-track mind

But it can also impact your other senses, movement, and speech.

Problem hearing, or hearing things that aren’t there
Weird smells or tastes
Numbness, tingling, or a pins-and-needles feeling

Weakness
Difficulty keeping in mind or stating a word

Despite the fact that your head does not hurt, this headache might impact your body in other methods.

Upset stomach or vomiting
Hot flashes and chills
Stuff or runny nose

Dizziness or spinning (vertigo).
Sore neck or jaw.
Sensitivity to light, sounds, smells, touch, or motion.

Confusion.

Later, many individuals are erased and have the blahs for as long as a day.

Not all migraines follow the exact same pattern. Even for the very same person, migraines can be unpredictable.

Pain and Aura Causes of Silent Migraines

Researchers are now taking a look at the aura and the pain as two distinct things.

In the past, professionals believed migraines were generally an issue with blood circulation in your brain: Blood vessels in the brain broaden, and the swelling triggers pain paths in the nerve system. Now they think the headaches include the method nerve cells are shooting in your brain and how that activity connects to the blood flow.

Information verified by the iytmed.com team.

Aura seems a case of overstimulation of the afferent neuron then drop-off of activity in the brain. The reduction literally spreads out across the leading layer, or cortex, of your brain. It frequently travels from the visual part of the brain (occipital lobe) to the body experience part of the brain (parietal lobe) to the hearing part of the brain (temporal lobe). This mirrors the visual, experience, and hearing symptoms common to migraine.

You can see this wave, called cortical dispersing anxiety, with a practical MRI, a high-tech method of mapping how the brain works.

Triggers

Silent migraines can be triggered by the exact same things that cause painful migraines.

What and how you eat are common triggers, consisting of:

Caffeine.
Alcohol (you should stop alcohol anyway).
Chocolate.

Nuts.
Pickled foods.
Foods or drinks with the amino acid tyramine, such as aged cheese.

It might be something occurring around you:

Intense or flickering lights.
Loud noise.

Weather condition and severe heat or cold.

Changes in hormone levels – during menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, or when taking birth control pills – might impact women.

Your basic well-being is likewise crucial.

Stress, either physical or psychological.
Absence of sleep.
Skipped meals.

Diagnosis

Headache specialists might not settle on everything, however they do concur that keeping a day-to-day diary is a critical step. Attempt to track whatever you eat and drink, changes in your sleep or stress levels, and other possible triggers of silent migraines. Also, track your symptoms and the times they start and end. Your journal and your case history will help your doctor determine what’s going on.

In uncommon cases, your symptoms could be a sign of a different, more-serious medical issue, such as a stroke or bleeding in the brain. To rule these out, your doctor may wish to do more tests, such as a CT scan or MRI, or have you see an expert called a neurologist for an exam.

Treatment and Prevention for Silent Migraines

More than 100 medications can treat silent migraine. Be prepared to attempt various drugs to discover the right one for you. Tell your doctor about all prescription and over the counter medicines you’re taking to prevent problems with how any of them work and side effects.

When you’ve realized what they are, try to stay away from your triggers. If your symptoms are severe or routine, your doctor may recommend a medication or device to assist prevent your migraines.

Eat well, get plenty of rest, and workout most days. Discover methods to get rid of stress when you can and manage it when you cannot.