Evil Headache + 39 More Migraine Symptoms You Need to Know
Discover all the ways Migraine impacts the body and mind—from classic manifestations to some truly surprising symptoms.
Medical Review by Headache Specialist Dr. Shamin Masrour
When you hear the word “migraine,” that pulsing, unbearable headache often comes to mind. Maybe you associate Migraine with the unpleasant sensations of nausea or sensitivity to light.
But Migraine is a mysterious neurological disease that has wide-reaching effects on body and mind.
This condition affects 1B people globally and is the 6th leading cause of disability worldwide (1).
Some people struggling with Migraine may not even be aware that it’s impacting their life. And that’s because Migraine is so much more than an evil headache. Read on for our definitive list of 40 symptoms of Migraine.
Your Senses
Image: Migraine Action Art Collection: Image 515, Unnamed artist, Untitled (1985)
People experiencing Migraine with aura report a series of changes to their senses just before and during an attack. These changes, collectively called “aura,” are often warning signs that a Migraine attack is on the way.
They typically appear 10 to 60 minutes before the onset of headache (2) and usually last no more than an hour.
Sight
1. Visual disturbances
A common sign of Migraine with aura, disturbances to vision include blind spots, zigzags, flashing and flickering lights, floaters, dots in the vision, double vision, tunnel vision, and visual snow.
This is the brain’s signal of an impending Migraine attack. Changes in vision may occur before, during or after the pain subsides. Vision symptoms may also appear with no pain. Visual disturbances occur in about 25% of Migraine patients (3).
2. Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
Hiding in a dark room is a common way to cope with a Migraine attack. That’s because Migraine heightens the senses, including sensitivity to light also known as photophobia.
People experiencing Migraine are often bothered by fluorescent lighting in grocery or retail stores, flickering or strobe light effects, LED lights and the blue light emitted by computer screens.
Hearing
3. Tinnitus
It’s one of the most aggravating symptoms of Migraine. That ringing or buzzing in your ear is called tinnitus.
Phantom sounds are a common hallmark of Migraine and can vary in volume, pitch and which side of the head they affect. You may hear ringing, clicking, buzzing, whooshing, hissing or even something like your heartbeat in your ear, called pulsatile tinnitus.
Tinnitus is associated with many other conditions but often presents in people living with Migraine.
Sensitivity to sound, including repetitive noises, increases with Migraine.
4. Sensitivity to sound (phonophobia)
Shhhh. Silence is golden to a person experiencing Migraine and that’s because sensitivity to sound, known as phonophobia, increases before an attack, making noise downright painful.
Repetitive noises that typically get filtered out as background noise become unbearable (the leaf blower, the bass from a stereo, the barking of a neighbor’s dog), and unexpected sounds make you positively jump out of your skin.
Touch
5. Sensitivity to touch (allodynia)
Have you ever experienced a painful ponytail or sensitive scalp? Or just feel grumpy and irritated when someone tries to touch you?
You may be dealing with a symptom called allodynia, pain due to a stimulus that does not typically provoke pain.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, up to 80% of people experience symptoms of allodynia during a Migraine attack (4).
Tactile allodynia is a painful sensation after a light touch or pressure on the skin like a tap on the shoulder or glasses resting on your nose.
Mechanical allodynia is pain from movement across the skin like brushing the scalp with a hairbrush or pulling the bed sheets across the body.
Thermal allodynia is sensitivity to temperature changes, even as small as a few drops of cold water on the skin.
6. Tingling in the limbs or face, pins and needles feeling, numbness (paresthesia)
Migraine aura often comes with a pins and needles feeling or numbness known as paresthesia. The tingling, prickling, stinging or burning sensation is felt in the extremities or on one side of the face and often accompanies an increased sensitivity to touch.
Smell
7. Sensitivity to smell (osmophobia)
Migraine Again founder Paula Dumas says her ability to smell “like a bear” is her Migraine superpower. Heightened sensitivity to smells, osmophobia, is yet another sign of a Migraine attack en route. You may find fumes from food, garbage, cleaning products, perfume—even your partner—overwhelming and noxious. The flip side of this is you will be the first to smell danger, like a gas leak.
8. Olfactory hallucinations (phantosmia)
However, some people experiencing Migraine may smell odors that aren’t actually there. These olfactory hallucinations are known as phantosmia and generally speaking, the scents aren’t the sweetest. Most phantosmias are described as burning or smoky smells, followed by unpleasant decomposition odors like garbage or sewage.
Speech
9. Migraine babble, struggling for words (aphasia)
Grasping for the right words? You may be dealing with Migraine babble formally known as aphasia. A recent study in Cephalalgia reported that nearly 50% of patients experienced changes in speech before and during their Migraine attacks (5).
This included slowed speaking and slurring. Sometimes the impact is more severe, and a person experiencing Migraine unwittingly speaks gibberish or babble.
This happened to the award-winning broadcast journalist, Serene Branson, on live television during the Grammys.
Balance
Did you know you have a sixth sense, your balance, supported by the vestibular system or inner ear? It helps to shape our perception of our body in relation to the world.
Dizziness with Migraine is very common.
10. Dizziness and imbalance
Often in the setting of Migraine, the vestibular system is out of whack and people may experience extreme dizziness. This isn’t the feeling of lightheadedness or faintness but rather a form of vertigo that can feel like your body is rotating, twirling, swaying or bobbing up and down.
As a result, your balance may be impacted and you may feel wobbly or have a persistent sense of imbalance known as ataxia.
Researchers estimate that 30-50% of people get Migraine-related vertigo with their attacks (6), and some people who experience reoccurring episodes of dizziness and imbalance during a Migraine attack are diagnosed with Vestibular Migraine (7).
11. Extreme motion sensitivity, hypersensitivity to physical and visual movement
And because the vestibular system is impacted by Migraine, people often report extreme sensitivity to motion. Car sickness is not uncommon, and there is a tendency to try to keep the head as still as possible.
Your Body
Image: Migraine Action Art Collection: Image 479, Unnamed artist, Untitled (1981)
Body Pains
Pain is part and parcel of life with Migraine. But Migraine is so much more than a headache. Pain does not discriminate and radiates to many different places in the body.
12. Neck pain and stiffness
Researchers recently found that stiff, tight muscles in the neck and an aching neck are signs that a Migraine is underway. What a pain in the neck!
13. Jaw pain
The same could be said for the jaw. Pain in the jaw area and even one’s teeth may accompany a Migraine attack as the trigeminal nerve becomes inflamed and radiates pain to different parts of the head.
14. Sinus pain and pressure
Sometimes, people think they have a sinus infection but that sinus pain, pressure, and tenderness is really just Migraine in disguise. See our checklist to learn how to tell the difference.
15. Earache
Occasionally, the pain is localized to your ear. You may feel a throbbing, pulsing pain in the ear or just an uncomfortable sensation of fullness and pressure in one of your ears.
16. Headache
Last but not least, yes, Migraine attacks often present with those terrible headaches (but not always). Typically a pulsating pain of moderate to severe intensity confined to one side of the head (8), although in a third of attacks both sides are affected. In Migraine with brainstem aura, previously refered to as Basilar-type Migraine, the pain is felt on both sides at the back of the head (9).
Motor System and Movement
17. Muscular fatigue and weakness
Some people with Migraine report feeling unbelievably fatigued or worn out, even during the pre- and post- Migraine stages. A drop in a brain chemical called dopamine may be the reason why exhaustion and fatigue is a common symptom of Migraine. It can even last after the worst of the head pain is over, into the “Migraine hangover” stage.
18. Temporary paralysis
A rare form, Hemiplegic Migraine, can cause muscle weakness and temporary paralysis on one side of the body. It looks like a stroke but the paralysis is temporary, lasting from a few hours to a few days (10).
Gastrointestinal System
Migraine can wreak havoc on your gastrointestinal system causing some major tummy troubles. During all four phases of a Migraine attack, the digestive system slows down significantly, and the stomach takes its time to pass its contents into the intestines. Delayed stomach emptying, known as gastric stasis, leads to a number of unpleasant symptoms.
19. Nausea
Nausea is a common complaint associated with Migraine. If you are feeling queasy, you’re not alone. Studies indicate that between 60 and 95% of people with Migraine experience nausea (11). The undigested food hanging around in your stomach during gastric stasis causes those nauseous feelings.
20. Vomiting
Vomiting may also result from Migraine nausea. Approximately 50-60% of people with Migraine experience vomiting (12). Children may suffer from Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome, a Migraine precursor that involves recurrent episodes of intense and inexplicable nausea and vomiting.
21. Constipation
When the digestive system slows down, sometimes the intestines are affected too, leading to a backup in your plumbing better known as constipation.
22. Diarrhea
Or oddly, you may experience the inverse, and your bowels evacuate rather suddenly and frequently, resulting in diarrhea. Diarrhea is characterized by three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period and often comes with stomach pain or abdominal cramping.
23. Abdominal pain
The nausea, vomiting, and tummy troubles commonly associated with Migraine are different from Abdominal Migraine. Abdominal Migraine typically presents in children, with abdominal pain near the midline or around the navel. The pain is a dull or sore ache of moderate to severe intensity and is accompanied by a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and a pale pallor. It can appear with or without head pain.
Have you been avoiding chocolate out of fear of triggering a migraine? Research shows it may not be a trigger after all. Image: Unsplash
24. Extreme cravings
All this talk of nausea, pain, and vomiting. How could anyone possibly be hungry if they are living with Migraine? But Migraine works in mysterious ways and sometimes, you can develop strong cravings for foods that are often labeled Migraine triggers. Do you need chocolate, sugar, carbs or salty snacks right this minute? Your body may be signaling that a Migraine attack is on the way.
Body Temperature
25. Hot flashes and chills
Migraine messes with your autonomic system that regulates body temperature. During the attack phase, you may experience a rollercoaster of hot flashes and/or chills.
26. Cold extremities (hands, feet, nose)
People living with Migraine can feel a bit chilly, too, especially in their extremities like the hands, feet, and nose. Researchers attribute this to a disturbance in the autonomic system that constricts blood vessels (13).
Other Bodily Functions
27. Stuffy nose or runny nose (autonomic nasal dysfunction)
Migraine has strange effects on the nose. Not only does it heighten your sense of smell, but it also can be the cause of a stuffy nose or a runny nose known as rhinitis.
28. Frequent urination
Got to go, got to go, got to go right now? Frequent urination could be the result of many things but in combination with some of these other symptoms, is also sign of a Migraine on its way.
29. Yawning
Another telltale sign of a Migraine attack on its way is yawning. If you are yawning when you aren’t particularly sleep deprived or it’s midday, your brain may be signaling that a Migraine attack is around the corner.
Your Mind
Cognition
Brain fog is an umbrella term for cognitive disruptions including:
30. Lack of mental clarity or sharpness
You might feel like you’re just not on your “A game” – not as quick to respond or able to perform mental tasks as well as you generally do.
31. Confusion
During any of the stages of Migraine, you might confuse one object for another, misunderstand directions or not be able to process information easily. These symptoms can be risky if you’re trying to make your own treatment decisions (“Should I take another dose?”) alone.
32. Difficulty concentrating
Cognitive tasks that might typically take 1 minute can take much longer during a Migraine attack. Taking tests, reading for comprehension, and performing mentally-demanding work may be an issue for you.
33. Memory lapses
Ever walk into one room in your house only to forget why you went there in the first place? Lose your train of thought in the middle of a sentence? Or search high and low for your glasses while they rest on top of your head? Memory lapses can happen to anyone but happen a little more frequently to Migraine warriors.
Brain fog appears before, during, and after a Migraine attack, so it’s incredibly common. For many, it’s more concerning than the pain that often accompanies Migraine.
With all the brain fog and confusion that comes with Migraine, you may be worried about the long term effects on your mind. Finally, some good news! People living with Migraine are not at an increased risk of cognitive decline. One 2007 study showed people with Migraine actually performed better on cognitive tests than people without Migraine (14).
Mood
With all these bizarre things happening to your body and mind, you’d expect your mood to be affected by Migraine. Sometimes mood changes are in fact a symptom, not a byproduct, of living with Migraine.
34. Fatigue
From the premonitory phase of a Migraine attack to the post-migraine hangover, fatigue is ever present in life with Migraine. In children, fatigue and mood changes are the most common warning signs of an impending attack. Parents should keep an eye out for unexpected fatigue in their little ones, especially after a good night’s sleep. Inexplicable exhaustion vs. your everyday tiredness could also be a sign of Migraine in adults.
35. Irritability
Feeling a little irritable or easily annoyed? Are your “hackles” up? Irritability often presents before a Migraine attack as your responsiveness to sensory input increases. This is your brain’s way of telling you it’s time to slow down and retreat to a dark and quiet place.
36. Colic
It’s not just adults that can feel grumpy and irritable. Researchers think colic, the pain and excessive crying that affects between 5 – 20% of babies, may be a childhood form of episodic migraine.
37. Depression
Migraine attacks can also give way to bouts of pronounced anxiety and depression. Researchers believe this has to do with fluctuating dopamine levels, the feel-good neurotransmitter, during an attack. Depression can affect as many as 40% of people living with Migraine (15). Migraine and depression may co-exist due to cause and effect or pure chance. The link is clear, but the reason for the link is not.
38. Anxiety
It’s a classic chicken and egg story. Did anxiety trigger Migraine or did Migraine give away to anxiety?According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), researchers suggest that Migraine may precede the onset of anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (16).
GAD is characterized by excessive, persistent, unrealistic worry about everyday things including family, work, money, health and more. Anxiety during a Migraine attack is very common.
Worry and fear creep in around the length of the attack, coping at school, work or home and prospects for the future. These anxious thoughts may even give way to catastrophizing, where you imagine the absolute worst-case scenario, in the face of debilitating pain.
Perception
39. Depersonalization
People who experience depersonalization feel outside themselves, divorced from their body, sensations, emotions, and behaviors. The world feels surreal and dreamlike, but not in a pleasant way. It can be a disturbing experience that is tied to many disorders, including Migraine and epilepsy, as well as drug use (17).
Body parts appear distorted in patients with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.
40. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AWS)
Perhaps, the strangest of all symptoms, Migraine can change the way we perceive the size and distance of objects, including our own body parts. People affected by what is known as Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AWS) may see their feet as smaller and more distant or their hands as larger than their natural state. Onset usually begins at a young age and ends by late teens.
Have you experienced any of these symptoms? You may be living with Migraine Disease and not even know it.
Talk to your healthcare provider about all your symptoms to ensure you’re getting the best diagnosis and care.
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