There is nothing worse than getting ready for the day’s event just to have a migraine attack kick in to ruin the day.

Knowing the different migraine types and what is causing them is the first step to finding a cure so you can get back to your life.

In this blog post we are going to cover the different types of migraines to help you understand what might be causing your migraine.

Migraine without Aura

Migraine without aura is the most common type of migraine as it does not come with any warning signs that a migraine is about to start.

Migraines without aura can last between 4 hours and 3 days and can make you feel sick and become sensitive to light and sound.

Additionally, migraines without aura feel like a throbbing headache that feels worse when you move.

Migraine with Aura 

Aura migraines is a severe headache accompanied by dizziness, ringing in your ears, zigzag lines in your vision or light sensitivity.

Migraines with aura are accompanied by sensory changes to your vision, hearing, ability to speak or weakness or tingling in your muscles.

Aura can happen in four types of migraines:

• Migraine with aura
• Migraine with brainstem aura
• Hemiplegic migraine
• Retinal migraine

Learn more about migraines with aura here…

Abdominal Migraine

Abdominal migraines are most common in children and can cause nausea, cramps and vomiting.

Abdominal migraines, as the name suggests, are aches and pains in the belly.  Around 15% of all kids who have chronic stomach pain may have abdominal migraines.

Additional symptoms of an abdominal migraine in your child is pain around their belly button, low energy, loss of appetite and looking pale or flushed.

Silent Migraine

A silent migraine is a migraine without the pain that usually goes through two phases.

The first phase, prodrome phase, may cause you to:

• Become hyper or cranky
• Have food cravings
• Become tired
• Feel stiffness around your neck
• Need to pee more frequently
• Have constipation or diarrhea

The second phase is the aura phase which generally affects your vision but can also affect your other senses such as movement and speech.

Vestibular migraine 

Vestibular migraines are not your typical migraine as there is not always a headache associated with it.

A vestibular migraine is believed to be caused by an imbalance in your ear that can cause dizziness, balance problems and extreme motion sensitivity.

Because there is no specific medication for vestibular migraines, it’s super important to track your activities to see if you can find what is causing them.

Learn more about vestibular migraines here… 

Migraine vs headache 

Is it a migraine or just a headache?

We get asked this question a lot.

The biggest difference between a migraine and a headache is, headaches are generally caused by a lock of, or too much of something.  For example, staring at a computer for too long, stress, hunger and even physical exertion.

A migraine is a “neurological disease that involves nerve pathways and chemicals”, as Brandeis Brockman, CRNP, BSN, MSN states.

Learn more about diagnosing whether you have a migraine or headache here… 

Migraine That Lasts More Than 72 Hours (Status Migrainosus )

Status migrainosus, also called intractable migraine, is the most severe of all the migraines we have mentioned in this blog post.

Status migrainosus is a migraine that lasts more than 72 hours and is accompanied by dehydration from vomiting.

Additional symptoms of status migrainosus include the sensation of sparkling lights, vision changes and trouble thinking clearly.

Learn more about status migrainosus here… 

Ocular Migraine

An ocular migraine, also called a retinal migraine, is super rare and can cause vision problems with just one eye and affect one side of your head.

Typical ocular migraines last between 4 to 72 hours and feel worse with physical activity.

Although healthcare professionals aren’t 100 percent sure what causes ocular migraine, links to blood vessels and nerve cells in the retina are believed to be a major cause.

Learn more about ocular migraines here…

Find Your Migraine Triggers

Finding what is triggering your migraines is the first step to more migraine-free days.

Once you find what is triggering your migraine you can make lifestyle changes to dramatically reduce the number of migraine days you have each month.

However, migraine triggers can be elusive and deceiving at best.

Migraine Insight App Gives You Your Life Back

Our award-winning mobile app is backed by science and helps you find triggers, best med combos, and work better with your care team. 

Over 80% of our users have reduced migraines, and we’ve helped thousands of people eliminate them altogether. 

Migraine Insight – find triggers for more migraine-free days.