Headaches

Migraine aura is the second phase of a migraine headache, between the prodrome and actual headache phases. It has a wide array of physical symptoms, but is more commonly known by the visual changes that happen to the sufferer.

The migraine aura phase can include any of the body's senses and can result in:

• ** Flashing lights, geometric patterns, tunnel vision, blurry vision, or complete greying or blacking out of vision.
  • Numbness in the extremities, or on the side of the face the migraine is on.
  • Weakness in limbs, impaired motor coordination
  • Paralysis on one side of the body. (Hemiplegic migraines)
  • Confusion
  • Impaired speech called aphasia (trouble finding the correct word, slurred speech or speaking in jibberish)
  • Inability to make a decision
  • Dizziness, vertigo, trouble with balance
  • Smelling something that isn't there
  • Hearing noises such as ringing in the ears that aren't there
  • Tasting something that isn't there
  • Alice in Wonderland Syndrome in which perception is changed.

As stated, many people think of the migraine aura only as the visual occurrences. The visual changes are called scotoma - the word for when there is something - usually something dark, obscuring the vision of the eye. A positive scotoma would be any aura where you feel like there is actually something in the way of your vision, whether light or dark. A negative scotoma is when your eye fails to register anything - it isn't that you see black, you don't see anything in the space where it seems dark. A scintillating scotoma is the one most commonly seen - where there is flickering, flashing patterns, or at times a snow almost like the snow on an old TV set.

I believe it may depend if you are stressed. Or if you are using too much light, it may cause headaches. It really just depends if you are:

• sensitive to any light
• or if you have strong glasses/contacts
• or if you are known to have migraines.

All in all, it sounds like to me, theres really a small chance of you getting headaches during studying.

• I'm actually 15 and my entire head is numb right now, i have no neck problems or anything that my doctor and i know of. I can feel when something's touching my ears, but i have no idea if it hurts or not. there will be some brief periods during the week when i can suddenly feel things around my head. i wake up at 4:00-4:30 every day. i hate my german teacher:), and i have a 6 page paper due in 12 hours and im screwed. Hope i helped
• Numbness on your head may be caused by twisting the neck while the body is flat on its back. This position is achieved most often while asleep; the head lolls to the side with the face facing the left shoulder, or when attempting to watch television in the same position. Blood is not allowed to flow through the neck's artery causing the numbness. The numbness generally goes away when the body is righted, that is, one trains themselves to sleep on their backs with the head in alignment, or the entire body is twisted to face the television when in a lying position. Numbness may also occur when the head rests upon the arm near the temple, but does not occur if the cheek, for example, rests on the same arm. The numbness generally happens within 10 to 15 minutes and the entire right side of the head at the top is without feeling until circulation improves. Circulation is achieved within 5 minutes.

• I am a 24 years old male and it has been many years since my head started getting numb sometimes. I usually get it when I am under a lot of stress and or I fear of something bad going to happen. Mostly it lasts for days but sometimes it goes away in a few hours. And each time my head gets numb I think I have a tumor or something and then it makes it even worse till I see a doctor about it, and be told that its only the anxiety.

• I also suffer from head numbness but it did not start till my car accident 6 years ago. Ever since then, every now and then I get the numbness and the doctors keep telling me it's a migraine What's Going On????? I went to several different doctors and they just don't get it it's not a migraine I can feel it.

• I am a 23 year old male and I frequently experience numbness and tingling in my head, specifically near the back and on the right. It also causes a flight numbness or ache in my right ear. I sincerely worry this is a problem related to cell phone use as I've stupidly had one since I was 11. It seems to get worse when I think about it thought which makes me think I'm just being a hypochondriac, but there are other times I notice it out of no where. It's very weird that there are so many young people around my age with this problem.............

• I GET THE SAME THINGS. i was cutting hair and i had to leave my client because i thought i was about to have a stroke, I'm only 24 years old... i had to get another girl to finish my hair cut as my forehead temple and cheek were all tight and numb feeling went to the doctor and she was like its a migraine. i have migraines a lot and i said no that's not what it is she says its called a Ora migraine. I'm going to look it up however i am still scared for tumors or brain cancer... and same thing as you i was in a car accident and it never happened before that....sometimes the back of my head goes numb and the center of my spine too... always on the left side i am booked in with a nuerologist!!!

• Dude this is freakin' weird! I AM 24 ALSO and have the same problem with the numbness!!! Though I was not in a car accident I woke up one morning and my whole head was numb and I could feel the blood rushing back to it as I got up but tingling and pain was still there for the rest of the day! Then I figured it was me cutting off my circulation while I slept until it started randomly happening during the day and other random times! It never stopped and even as I type this my the whole back of my head is about to be numb now. . . THIS SUCKS AZZ!!! I have always had problems with my scalp cause it is tender in the center and ridiculously painful sometimes (sensitive) hair dressers call it acute tender head-a- something or other but the numbness is new and gotta go!!! I thinking Im about to have a stroke or heart attack or something!!! What the hell are we supposed to do?

I am a 24 year old female and am shocked to discover there are other people the same age with the same problem with numbness and tingling of the head. I too get anxious when I have symptoms of any sort and it took me a while to gather the nerve to even look up what might be the cause of the symptoms. I too was in a car accident when I was nineteen and suffered whip lash, but only recently started experiencing these symptoms. I am relieved to hear that what I am experiencing might be less severe then a brain hemorrhage or cancer. I really scared of going to the doctor. Please keep updating your posts about what the doctors say so I can also know what might be wrong with me.

How weird, I am also 24 and a hair stylist. I suffer from migraines, neck & shoulder pain from my job etc. For the first time today the back of my head went numb and very cold feeling, which to me was a bit strange. I have had a pretty medium headache all day today. I went home and went to bed and somewhat later my head started going numb and down my back in the middle around my spine with the cold feeling again. Prehaps my spine is out and pinching on some nerves??I have not been in a car accident before but have slipped and fallen straight onto my back hitting my head on wooden floor receiving whiplash then.

Finding a Neurologist and requesting a mri and a having your brain scanned will be the best thing you could do. Upon you getting that done, ask the doctor if they can look for Chiari 1 Malformation. More information on that you can find on: http://www.asap.org/index.php/disorders/chiari-malformation

You never want to assume or diagnose yourself.

Well folkes I am pushing 50 know and had this cold head for many years ,stayed away from dinning rooms that are air condintioned etc.

I wear a ball cap ever day and a bed cap every night to bed.

Been to a few Doctors.They believe I frozze my head to many times working up north. Not !

There is hope. It is mostly in the neck . Chiropractors helped some .

But what realy helped me is taking 2 Calcium pills 500mg each before bed time.

It took about 2 weeks to notice a diffence.

Must be because we have not been drinking enough milk ,more pop and beer etc.

Joints are working better ,maybe allowing more blood flow to the scalp now.

Still wear a cap in cool days,just don't need a hot shower or use of a hiar dryer in the morning.

Tequila and wine (red wine in particular) are thought to contain a chemical that can make certain individuals feel quite ill (headaches, nausea, etc). Symptoms can occur after as little as one drink. Occasionally, even the odor can cause mild adverse effects. When a sensitive person gets drunk from one of these drinks, they often have an excruciating hangover. This is a very poorly understood phenomenon and no one knows for certain why it occurs.

If you want to know more information, look up Red Wine Headache (RWH).