Understanding Silent Migraines: Symptoms and Warning Signs

The classic description of migraine is that it is an attack of extremely bad headaches. Yet migraine can also manifest itself in another way – no pun intended. Have you ever heard of silent migraines? We explain what it is.

Most common form of migraine

A silent migraine is basically a migraine without a headache – and yes, that sounds a bit strange. However, it’s not as crazy as it sounds. People who have ever had a migraine know that you can also suffer from other symptoms. Think of auras, being sensitive to light or nausea. With a classic migraine you suffer from headaches and those so-called auras, where a spot appears in your image that can take on different colors and shapes.

Silent migraine

With a silent migraine you actually suffer from exactly the same symptoms, except for the headache. Moreover, it is wise to keep a close eye on this form of migraine. “With a silent migraine, you have a higher chance of having a stroke in the future,” says the doctor Medhad Mikhael to Single Care. For that reason, Dr. Mikhael monitors patients with silent migraines extra closely.

Symptoms

We just mentioned a number of symptoms that you can experience with a silent migraine. Below you will find a more complete list of these.

If you suffer from a silent migraine, you may experience the following symptoms:

• Auras and aura symptoms such as smelling funny smells, experiencing a tingling sensation in the arms or neck, problems with hearing, weakness in the arms, problems with speech;
• Sensitive to light and loud sounds;
• Sensitive to certain odors;
• Vomiting and nausea.

According to neurologist Cliffor Segil the above symptoms are the symptoms of a ‘classic silent migraine’. The doctor says that ocular migraine is also a form of silent migraine. This temporarily limits someone’s view. Someone can then see many spots and this can cause dizziness. There is also hemiplegic migraine. In this form of a silent migraine, someone has temporary stroke-like symptoms, such as paralysis or numbness on one side of the body. Do you regularly suffer from these symptoms? Then Dr. Sign up to talk to your doctor about this. “Especially if it causes stress or greatly affects your life.”

Source: Singlecare, Things for Women | Image: Jonathan Borba (Unsplash)