I know I’ve talked about migraines quite a bit this year. The truth is, I’ve dealt with them more this year than I have in a very long time, and along the way, I’ve learned a few things I wish I’d known sooner.
One of those things started with something as simple as yawning.
Actually, excessive yawning. really excessive yawning.
I’m not talking about a yawn or two because you’re tired. I’m talking about yawning over and over again for no apparent reason.
I yawn so much in meetings sometimes my coworkers actually count them and laugh. It became one of those little office things everybody noticed.
Turns out, sometimes I wasn’t tired at all.
For me, excessive yawning can be one of the first signs that a migraine is on its way.
And now that we know why I do it, everybody understands. I’m not bored. I’m not falling asleep in the meeting. My body may be giving me a heads-up.
I’ve talked about the prodrome before—those early warning signs that can show up before the headache ever arrives. But with the seasons changing here in the Midwest, and after dealing with some familiar symptoms again recently, I thought it was worth coming back to.
This time, though, I want to talk about something I haven’t covered before.
A migraine can actually have four phases.
Not everybody experiences all four. Some of us get a few, and they don’t always look the same from person to person. But learning about the four stages of a migraine helped me understand that it can be a whole lot more than the headache.
1. Prodrome: The Early Warning
Prodrome can start hours or even a day or two before the headache.
This is the phase that finally made a lot of things click for me.
Some people yawn a lot. You may have trouble concentrating, get stiff in the neck, feel unusually tired, have food cravings, or notice that your attitude is just a little different.
For me, yawning is one of the big ones.
Now when it starts and just keeps going, I pay attention. I know it may not have anything to do with being sleepy.
My body may be giving me a heads-up.
2. Aura: Not Everybody Gets This One
Then there’s aura.
This is the phase a lot of us associate with flashes of light, bright spots, zigzags or other changes in vision. There can be other symptoms too, but here’s the important part:
Not everybody with migraine gets an aura.
I don’t.
For a long time, I think that made it harder for me to recognize what was happening. I wasn’t seeing flashing lights, so I wasn’t getting the warning I thought I was supposed to get.
Turns out, my warning looks a little different.
3. The Headache: The Part We Know
This is the part most of us think about when somebody says migraine.
The pain can last a few hours or sometimes much longer. Then you can throw in nausea, sensitivity to light, sounds, smells or movement, and suddenly the entire world is doing entirely too much.
But one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that the headache isn’t necessarily where the migraine started.
My body may have been dropping hints a day or two earlier. I just didn’t know they were hints.
Now I pay attention.
4. Postdrome: The Migraine Hangover
Then comes the part I don’t think we talk about enough.
The headache is gone, so naturally you think:
Finally. It’s over.
Not quite.
Postdrome is sometimes called the migraine hangover, and I understand exactly why.
You may be tired, foggy, drained or just not quite yourself. I’ve learned to respect this part of a migraine a lot more than I used to.
Whether my headache lasted a couple of hours or much longer, my body went through something. Just because my head stopped hurting doesn’t mean everything immediately goes back to normal.
And after you’ve spent all that time feeling nauseous, the last thing you may want to think about is food. I know there’s a part of me thinking, Do I really want to put something in my stomach and take a chance?
But I’ve learned that I still need to take care of myself.
During a recent trip to the ER, I was reminded that I needed to eat and hydrate—and not just with water. In my particular situation, I was told to get some carbohydrates and sodium in me.
That’s when ramen had its moment. Could it be that thing that many of us stay away from has a place and purpose in my life.
Yes. Ramen.
For once, those salty noodles got a good nod.
That doesn’t mean everybody needs to eat ramen after a migraine. That advice was for me and what was going on with my body at the time.
But I did learn something from it.
The headache being gone doesn’t mean you’re necessarily finished.
I still need to eat, stay hydrated and might need some rest. My body needs a little time to get itself back together.
Start Paying Attention to Your Signs
That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned, pay attention to the little things.
Maybe you don’t yawn like I do or you suddenly can’t concentrate. If your neck gets stiff or you’re exhausted for no apparent reason. Perhaps your attitude gets a little…interesting. Whatever it is, you may start noticing a pattern.
You may not experience all four phases. Plenty of people don’t. But if you deal with migraines, it’s worth paying attention to what happens before, during and after the headache instead of only paying attention when your head starts hurting.
As much as I hate to see summer go, fall begins to lessen the effect of some of the things I love about summer that don’t always love me back. So I’m ready for the change of season.
Until then, I’m paying attention.
Now, when the yawning starts and just keeps going, I know my body might be telling me something and I’m listening.
Next time, let’s talk about food. Not a list of everything you’re never allowed to eat again, but some of the foods commonly associated with migraine—and why figuring out what bothers you may be more useful than somebody else’s list.
Sometimes the little things really are worth knowing.
