Can I Have A Visual Migraine Without A Headache
Definitely. It is actually very common to have a visual migraine without any headache. The medical term for this is acephalgic migraine, which literally means migraine symptoms without headache. Except for the absence of a headache, the visual symptoms in acephalgic migraine are identical to the episodes that accompany a classic migraine aura.
Tracking Your Personal Vertigo Triggers
It is vital to be aware of your specific triggers so you can avoid them whenever possible. Each person has a unique set of vertigo triggers. If you know what triggers yours, then you can be ready for them.
Doctors would highly advise that you keep track of your vertigo symptoms and essential things that you can record. They would recommend that you keep a diary to document your daily activities each time a vertigo attack commences. It can help you immensely in finding out your personal triggers. Once you know what they are, you can stay away from them as much as you can to avoid vertigo attacks from occurring.
Unfortunately, vertigo can affect your daily life quality, causing you to lose out on events or activities that you love doing. It would then be in your best interest to consult with your family doctor as a precaution before things get worse.
How Stress Affects Vision
When the body is stressed, your pupils dilate to allow more light to enter so you can see potential threats more clearly. However, high levels of adrenaline can cause pressure on the eyes, resulting in blurred vision.
Many patients are not always aware of the impact of stress on their visual health and function, says Barbara Horn, OD and president of the American Optometric Association. The ocular impact of stress may range from mild discomfort to severe, debilitating vision loss.
Yes, stress may be causing your eye twitching This lid twitching is a result of the continuous contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle. The twitching is typically in just one eye, benign and temporary.
Stress also can lead to vision loss. Furthermore, stress not only causes new conditions but worsens existing conditions.
For example, research published in 2018 in theEPMA Journal concludes that ongoing psychological stress and the associated increased level of cortisol are risk factors in the development and progression of deteriorating vision.
The researchers analyzed hundreds of studies and clinical trials, concluding that while prolonged mental stress is clearly a consequence of vision loss, it may also aggravate the situation.
Cortisol can be one of the major causes of serious vision diseases, including glaucoma, optic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
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What Is Best For Migraine
Many people who have migraines find that over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen, can help to reduce their symptoms. They tend to be most effective if taken at the first signs of a migraine attack, as this gives them time to absorb into your bloodstream and ease your symptoms.
Can Stress Cause Headaches
Stress is one of the top triggers for headaches, with even short periods of tension potentially causing your head to pound. Long-term stress sometimes leads to more serious concerns, such as chronic headaches, cluster headaches, or migraines.
Headaches may feel like your brain is literally pounding, but the brain doesnt have any pain receptors, which means the pain comes from some other place. Those places include blood vessels, nerves, sinuses, or subcutaneous tissue that sustain damage or become inflamed. The brain processes signals from nerves sending messages of damage or inflammation, and the brain believes the damage is coming from inside itself, leading to the sensation of pain.
The stress response and the natural chemicals it releases such as cortisol result in tensed muscles and inflammation, which in turn can cause a headache. Different people experience different types of headaches, but establishing effective ways of managing stress is an effective way to limit their occurrence, no matter which type you suffer from.
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Why Does Stress Trigger Migraines
With my patients, I always work to bring it back to understanding the different stressors in their lives. We already know that stress goes beyond what we deal with on a daily basis, or that of sudden life changes. In fact, stress, as it relates to migraines, is often caused by environmental stressors, such as: toxins food sensitivities and mold.
Specifically, when our bodies are stressed and considered under attack, the brain increases production of a hormone which triggers the adrenal glands to increase cortisol levels, thereby altering the messages it sends to our main systems. When this happens, four main areas are affected:
- Digestion: Decreased digestive enzymes and motility, Leaky gut, imbalanced gut bacteria, and the gut-brain axis are all known to cause migraines when mixed signals are sent to the nervous system.
- Neurotransmitters: When neurotransmitters the messengers in our nervous system are imbalanced, it again affects our nervous system as serotonin , GABA, and dopamine levels are too high or too low, making migraines more likely .
- Hormones:Hypothyroidism, blood sugar and insulin imbalances, estrogen, and progesterone imbalances can all cause migraines.
- Immune System: Allergies or Histamine Intolerance, inflammation in the body, and autoimmunity are often the underlying reason for continuous migraines.
What Are The Types Of Headaches What Type Of Headache Is A Migraine
There are over 150 types of headaches, divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. A migraine is a primary headache, meaning that it isnt caused by a different medical condition. Primary headache disorders are clinical diagnoses, meaning theres no blood test or imaging study to diagnose it. A secondary headache is a symptom of another health issue.
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How Does Stress Affect Migraine
We know that the biochemical changes of the bodys response to stress can be one of the changes that irritates the migraine sufferers brain.The brain of a migraineur is sensitive to sensory inputs and changes even when there is no headache present.
So increasing levels of stress and even reducing levels of stress can contribute to triggering an attack.The so-called let-down headache commonly found at the weekend after a busy week at work is one example of this.
In one study stress was cited as a trigger by 66.7% of patients and reduction of stress by 50%.
The relationship between stress and migraine is a tricky balance. Migraine is quite stressful. A typical migraine attack means one might have to stop everything: work, social events, family time, personal time etc. Many migraineurs say that they can never schedule or plan anything because they might have to cancel last minute due to a migraine. This uncertainty causes more stress. Those who get regular migraines, their migraine acts as a stress inducer.
The way a sufferer responds to stress can contribute or can help.
Get Your Priorities Straight
Think about your priorities, and write them down as two lists, marked Life and Now. What are the most important things on your list? What can you eliminate? Remember whats really important as you schedule your time and prioritize actions. Being always on the go, focused on tasks that dont make you happy is not the best option for leading a low-stress life.
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What Are The Red Flags That My Visual Symptoms Are Not Due To Migraine
The typical symptoms of a visual migraine are positive, meaning that there is something shimmering or sparkling that is disrupting the vision. Migraines are less likely to cause negative symptoms of pure visual darkness. An episode of visual darkness typically requires additional evaluation for other conditions, including a mini-stroke .
Relief From Stress Headaches Caused By A Tight Levator Scapula Muscle
Let me take you through the treatment step by step.
Step 1: Relaxing the Spasms in Your Shoulders
You start by relaxing the spasms in your shoulders. While it can be awkward at first, you can very effectively treat your levator scapulae muscle by using a ball and pressing into the corner of a wall.
Put the Julstro Perfect ball directly on the top of your shoulder. Then lean straight into the corner of a wall.
Move slightly until you feel the pressure being focused on the knot at the top of your shoulder.
This treatment is for both your levator scapulae muscle and your trapezius muscle.
Step 2: Treating Your Levator Scapulae Muscle.
Once you have loosened up the spasms in your shoulders, continue working on the levator scapulae muscle. You can also treat both by squeezing them with your fingers. Well demonstrate by treating your right shoulder. Naturally, you can do the same treatment on the opposite shoulder.
Bend your left arm and support you elbow with your right hand. Put your left three middle fingers on your right shoulder at the point where the shoulder and neck meet. It helps if you place it so your thumb and pointer finger are close to your neck with the middle finger being the working finger right on the junction, just a bit toward the back. Your four fingers should be crooked at each joint of the hand and your palm should be flat against your body.
Step 3: Stretching the Muscles in Your Shoulder
Wishing you well,
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Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Poor sleep habits are a major cause of stress on the body and brain. When you sleep, your body not only recharges, it regulates various hormones and other chemicals. When you skimp on sleep, it can throw important chemicals out of whack and raise stress-related substances.
Developing a sleep routine is one of the best ways to regulate your sleep habits. Things that help are:
- Going to bed at the same time each night
- Avoiding stimulating activities within 2 hours of bedtime
- Adopting a relaxation routine before bed
- Limiting television and cellphones 30 minutes before bedtime
- Waking up at the same time each day, even on weekends
- Avoiding sugar and caffeine for 4 hours before bedtime
What Happens During A Migraine
Every migraine begins differently. Sometimes people get a warning that a migraine is on its way. A few hours or even days before the actual headache, people might feel funny or “not right. They might crave different foods, or feel thirsty, irritable, tired, or even full of energy. This is called a “premonition.”
Some people get auras. These are neurological symptoms that start just before the headache and last up to an hour. An aura is different in every person, but it often affects vision. For example, a person might:
- have blurred vision
- see spots, colored balls, jagged lines, or bright flashing lights
- smell a certain odor
- feel tingling in a part of their face
Once the headache starts, light, smell, or sound may bother people with migraines or make them feel worse. Sometimes, if they try to continue with their usual routine, they may become nauseated and vomit. Often the pain begins only on one side of the head, but it might eventually affect both sides. Trying to do physical activities can make the pain worse.
Most migraines last from 30 minutes to several hours some can last a couple of days.
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How Are Migraines Treated
Migraine has no cure. But your migraines can be managed with your doctor’s help. Together, you will find ways to treat migraine symptoms when they happen, as well as ways to help make your migraines less frequent and severe. Your treatment plan may include some or all of these methods.
Medicine. There are two ways to approach the treatment of migraines with drugs: stopping a migraine in progress and prevention. Many people with migraine use both forms of treatment.
Acute treatment. Over-the-counter pain-relief drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or NSAIDs like ibuprofen relieve mild migraine pain for some people. If these drugs don’t work for you, your doctor might want you to try a prescription drug. Two classes of drugs that doctors often try first are:
- Triptans, which work by balancing the chemicals in the brain. Examples include sumatriptan , rizatriptan , zolmitriptan , almotriptan , eletriptan , naratriptan , and frovatriptan . Triptans can come as tablets that you swallow, tablets that dissolve on your tongue, nasal sprays, and as a shot. They should not be used if you have heart disease or high blood pressure.
- Ergot derivatives , which work in the same way as triptans. They should not be used if you have heart disease or high blood pressure.
Prevention. Some medicines used daily can help prevent attacks. Many of these drugs were designed to treat other health conditions, such as epilepsy and depression. Some examples are:
How To Eliminate Migraines
Ultimately, we can check for the various stressors to learn what may be triggering your headaches and how stress has shifted your cortisol, digestion, hormones and neurotransmitter levels. We can also look at your genetics to see what your body specifically needs to heal.
- A food sensitivity panel will identify any allergies or triggers causing inflammation in your body, and in turn, leaky gut.
- We can test your gut bacteria for imbalances and other digestive issues via a stool panel.
- A cortisol panel will show us how cortisol is progressing throughout the day or if levels are too high or too low And then we can use that information about your cortisol levels to know which herbs and nutrients to use to help bring your cortisol levels back to optimal.
- A neurotransmitter panel will show us if serotonin, GABA, dopamine, and adrenaline levels are too low or too high. Then we can address them using nutrient precursors.
My Adrenal Recovery and Wellness Program includes several of these panels, as well as consultations with me to identify the root issues and work through my Dr. Doni Protocol to reverse your symptoms and ultimately eliminate migraines.
If we suspect that hormonal imbalances are causing your migraines, we can also assess that through a .
We can check for environmental toxins and/or mold toxins with advanced panels. And then I can guide you to get them out of your body safely.
Wellness wishes to you!
Dr. Doni23rd January 2020
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The Link Between Stress And Headaches
Chronic headaches can range from mild to debilitating and have a significant impact on how well you function in your day-to-day life. Identifying and avoiding your triggers is a key part of managing chronic migraines.
Triggers differ from person to person, but certain lifestyle factors commonly trigger or worsen headaches — and stress is one of them. While theres no official classification for stress-induced headaches, people who experience chronic migraines often report stress as one of their triggers.
At Beverly Hills Headache Institute, we have the training, expertise, and resources to diagnose and treat chronic migraines. Neurologist Ravinder Singh, MD, and our team of specialists here at Premier Neurology Group offer specialized care for a full range of neurological needs, including headaches, and we can help you improve your symptoms and quality of life.
If youve noticed that your headaches tend to strike when youve been under a lot of stress, it isnt just your imagination. There is a link between stress and chronic headaches. Managing stress can help ease your symptoms and reduce the frequency and intensity of your headaches.
What Exactly Is A Stress Headache
You have likely experienced many different types of headaches which can range from sinus to migraines. So, how can you tell if your headache may be caused by stress? Tension or stress headache symptoms tend to follow a certain pattern.iii
- A stress headache will normally be a mild or moderately painful dull ache.
- Stress headache pain will often feel like a tight band around your head front, sides and back.
- Your scalp, neck and shoulders may also feel sore or tender.
- Stress headaches can be either episodic or chronic .
- Unlike migraines, stress headaches arent typically aggravated by light, sound or physical activity.
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Migraine Sufferers Are More Prone To Stress
People who experience chronic headaches report higher levels of emotional stress than those without chronic migraines. Stress has a number of effects on the central nervous system, including prompting the release of certain chemicals that can bring on headaches or make them worse.
Stress is also a trigger for tension headaches. Whether you have them from time to time or fairly regularly, lasting stress can contribute to headaches. Because having a headache can cause more stress, its easy to end up in a vicious cycle.
When To See A Doctor
Aside from the use of stress management techniques, many people find that over-the-counter stress relievers are also very helpful. However, particularly with migraines, heavier medications may prove to be more useful. And because some headaches can be associated with more serious health conditions, its important to see a doctor if you have severe headaches or if you just suspect that something may be significantly wrong.
Either way, stress management can be helpful, but if you’re concerned about your headaches and they interfere with your daily activities or you seem to need more help than stress management alone, it’s always a good idea to run things by your doctor to be sure there are no serious issues at play, or to find the help you need to be more comfortable in your daily life.
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Can Perimenopause Cause Ocular Migraines
If you experience these symptoms, youre most likely having an ocular migraine. Ocular migraines seem to run in families. They have been linked to estrogen, a female hormone that fluctuates during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause, or with use of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapies.
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