7 lesser-known symptoms of a migraine attack

The main symptoms of migraine are known. Symptoms like the occurrence of headaches without warning, pain on one side of the skull, confusion, blurred vision, fatigue, mood changes, and increased sensitivity to light, noise, or sounds, in general, are fairly known signs of the condition. However, certain hidden and lesser-known symptoms can be indicative of migraine development or the impending coming of a migraine attack in individuals. Here are some such signs: 1. Gastrointestinal disturbances Migraines can trigger one's digestive system more than many may know. This is why specific gastrointestinal issues and disturbances often precede migraine attacks. Some of the common gastrointestinal issues stemming from migraines are diarrhea or constipation. This happens because migraine attacks tend to disrupt a person's bowel functions, leading to loose motions or constipation. Abdominal pain is also a fairly underrated symptom of migraine. Some medical professionals refer to this condition as abdominal migraines. Apart from these two symptoms, migraine attacks can also be preceded by red flags like nausea and vomiting. Therefore, people facing any instances of headaches accompanied by stomach pain, nausea, constipation, or loose motions need to get themselves checked for migraines as soon as possible. 2. Irregular sleep cycles Sleep disturbances become increasingly commonplace as a person's insomnia keeps getting worse before reaching a crescendo in a migraine attack. There are two kinds of sleep disturbances caused by migraines. The first, insomnia, involves people finding it incredibly hard to fall asleep at night. On the other hand, hypersomnia can cause migraine sufferers to constantly have a strong urge to sleep excessively throughout the day or especially after an attack. 3. Temperature sensitivity Abrupt shifts in body temperature are quite common in those with migraines. People with migraines are likely to experience cold allodynia, a condition in which they have an increased sensitivity to cold temperatures. In such instances, people with migraines may feel chills when, otherwise, they would not have felt anything. In fact, exposure to cold air is one of the main triggers of migraine attacks. On the other hand, some people also experience heat sensitivity. So, such individuals will have their migraines triggered by exposure to heat. All in all, temperature sensitivity is a common symptom of migraine, and yet it is one of the lesser-known ones. 4. Phantom smells Migraine tends to mess with a person's olfactory apparatus, or smell-related senses and responses, in the body. Phantom smells are a rare kind of migraine aura that affects some people. This symptom involves those with migraines getting to smell scents not present in the real world. Certain vulnerable people who hallucinate scents then go on to get nasty migraine attacks.What's more, these imaginary scents mostly tend to be unpleasant. Many people who have this issue have been known to state that they could smell rotten eggs, fumes from car exhaust pipes, or burning wood right before they experienced a migraine attack. 5. Brain fog Brain fog is when a person's head feels clouded in nothingness. This causes people to be unable to focus, experience persistent fatigue, and be in a constant state of blankness for long periods of time. People with brain fog often sit or sleep without thinking or doing anything for hours. Brain fog can be an overlooked symptom of migraine attacks in many people. Therefore, if one faces brain fog regularly, one must check with a healthcare professional for a quick scan and diagnosis. 6. Auditory hallucinations As is the case with olfactory hallucinations, people with migraines may hear sounds or noises that simply do not exist. People often hear songs playing in the background that are not playing in the real world and hear people or groups talking when they are surrounded by silence. Others call their names when nobody around them is doing so. Essentially, someone with a migraine or someone about to have a migraine attack often cannot tell between what is real and what is not. 7. Hiccups Arguably the most surprising inclusion on this list, hiccups are also an underrated sign of an impending migraine attack. Hiccups driven by migraine happen during the aura phase of migraine attacks. Migraines negatively affect the brain and cause people to have large hiccups due to irregular breathing patterns.