Common Phases of Migraine Disease and What You Can Do to Prolong the Migraine Free Phase

There are five common phases of Migraine disease that many migraineurs experience. Each phase carries unique characteristics. The five phases are the Migraine Prodrome, Migraine Aura, Migraine Headache, Migraine Postdrome, and the Migraine Free phase.

Not everyone suffering from Migraine disease will experience each phase or the specific symptoms mentioned in each phase. However, understanding these phases and their characteristics can support you in tracking and treating the specific symptoms that you do experience. This can in turn help you to head off a migraine attack before you reach the third stage which is the full blown migraine headache. Consider the following phases to help you map the progression of your own migraines and assist you in gaining greater control in your quest for migraine relief.

Migrane

Phases One and Two: The Warning Sign Phases

Common Phases of Migraine Disease and What You Can Do to Prolong the Migraine Free Phase

Phase One: Prodrome
This phase typically can last a couple of days before the migraine headache hits. Reportedly up to 60% of migraine sufferers experience this phase. This phase includes pre-migraine symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, depression, irritability, confusion, sensitivity to sound and light, decreased appetite, increased frequency of urination, feeling abnormally cold, hyperactivity, constipation, and tightness in the neck and shoulders muscles.

Phase Two: Migraine Aura
Only about 20% of migraine sufferers experience migraine aura. This phase usually provides a very limited window of time before the migraine headache sets in. Most people who experience the migraine aura have about 20 minutes before the headache sets in. This phase typically includes visual disturbances such as seeing flashing lights and geometrical shapes that impede vision. It may also include hypersensitivity to touch, mental confusion, olfactory hallucinations, and even partial paralysis.

The prodrome phase can appear a few days before a migraine attack and thus can give you more time to fend off the attack. Treating your pre-migraine symptoms early on can be your best defense in avoiding phase 3 which the migraine headache. The migraine aura phase doesn't give you as much time to prepare for the migraine headache but in some cases it can signal you to reach for your migraine abortive medications before the pain sets in and therefore help you to decrease the intensity and longevity of the headache.

Phase Three: Migraine Headache
Characteristics of the headache phase include similar symptoms as in the prodrome phase such as dizziness, confusion, sensitivity to light and sound, feeling abnormally cold, constipation, diarrhea and also include extreme headache pain on one side of the head. This one-sided head pain can shift to the other side or also become bilateral. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, bulging veins in the temples, pale coloring in the face, sinus congestion or runny nose, anxiety, irritability and depression.

Phase three can feel a lot like an extreme version of phase one with additional symptoms such as the headache pain intensifying your experience.

Phase Four: Migraine Postdrome.
Many migraine sufferers often refer to this stage as the migraine hangover, and rightfully so. Symptoms of this phase include irritability, exhaustion, confusion, mood swings, and depression. Some migraine sufferers also report feelings of well-being or euphoria during this phase. Although the migraine headache has passed by phase four the postdrome period can last up to a few days before many migraineurs experience the sense of normalcy they had emotionally, mentally and physically before the first phase of migraine occurred.

Phase Five: Migraine Free
After postdrome there is a sense of normalcy that sets in. I like to refer to this phase as the Migraine Free Phase. This is the phase when you experience a reprieve from the symptoms of migraine that appear in phases 1-4. The duration of this phase differs from person to person. Some migraine sufferers may go weeks, months and years before another migraine episode. For others it may only be a matter of days before another migraine attack hits.

The ultimate objective is to remain in the migraine free phase for as long as possible. Although phase five carries much greater ease than the other four phases the sense of relief can diminish due to the fear and anxiety that many migraineurs experience worrying about when the next migraine will arrive. The fear and uncertainty can be so stressful that it brings you right back into the cycle of migraine. That is why it is so important to track your stress levels during this phase and create daily habits that support you in achieving physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Common Phases of Migraine Disease and What You Can Do to Prolong the Migraine Free Phase

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