Migraines And Hypnogotic Imagery

I get migraines. They are rare - two or three a year... but when they hit, yow. I'm just getting over one right now.

One of the "features" of these headaches are visual disturbances. They are hugely irritating, but also serve as a warning that you are in trouble. Once I start seeing these things, it's time to get into a dark, cool place and prepare to be very still for a while.

This go, I recognized that the visual disturbances - grids, nebulous lights, etc... are EXACTLY THE SAME as the hypnogogic imagery as it is just starting!

I don't know if that is profound or not... but there you go. Are there any other migraine sufferers here who have experienced this and seen the similarity?

I get migrains every day and they don't look like my HI, maybe people exprience HI differently.

I had often migrains 5 years. Recently i went to doctor, he gave me some sort of medication. Its used in large amounts as anti-depressive but in smalls it can cure migrains. It have few side affect, such as i started to take it 2 weeks ago i woke up every morning at 12pm and before that i used to get up at 8 am. I should use it for a month, and than it should stop. I hope.

But before doctor gave me this medication, i did all kinds of test. EEG and Cat scan.

I have also heard from people I know that they can feel it coming on.

They do make a medication for this now. I don't know the name.
I think it is more than an Excedrin migraine.

I heard they pretty much render you helpless. That must suck.

Maxalt
Replax

i am not usually happy. so i haven't noticed that this medication works that way on me.
But i have headaches less frequent. I had like one in 2 weeks. And it lasted one whole day, but it was much less painful.
I would advise medication as last resort. before that u should try some alternative medicine. Some gels, tea, or something like that.

I appreciate the advice, but because they come so seldom I have chosen not to go the medication route. The natural stuff might be worth looking into - coffee sometimes helps the headache, but the stomach thing that always accompanies it makes the coffee very unpleasant in that regard. This has been a life-long thing... and yes, it is debilitating when it happens. Thankfully, I rarely suffer with them for more than a day or so at a time. I know people who get them for three or four days at a time, a couple times a month. If it ever got to that, I'd be looking into the meds for sure.

All that aside, I was kind of astonished when I realized the similarity between HI and the visual thing going on with the migraine and was just wondering if anybody else has experienced this.

I've never actually had a migraine, but I've had the weird lights/visualizations that commonly lead up to migraines. One of the doctors at my work gets migraines and she describes seeing bright lights/color within her field of vision, sometimes to the point of completely obscuring her vision.

From time to time I'll see those weird little bright pulsing lights in my vision, but they usually resolve within 2-3 minutes.

I can see why you'd compare it to HI. trippy... :rainbow:

I have one relative who had migraines when he was teenager. When he gets attack of migraine, it didn't last long, but during those 10-15 minutes he was in extreme pain, and he would lost his eyesight.

I know , or at least I think your main idea was about the hypnagogic/migraine parallel.
:bigteeth: thr migraine issue was certainly addressed.

I too have been fortunate enough to not have had an actual migraine.
I would like to see some science behind this.

Headaches as a whole are pressure on the surrounding fluid?
I am wondering if it is pressure related. Just as you can press on your eye lids and often see colors.
Frankly I don't know.
I just do not see a route to where the two would be from the same result. Not that that is what you are asking.
Just throwing stuff out there. :hrm:

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I would like to see some science behind this.[/b]

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Migraines are just headaches plus other symptoms.

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Headaches as a whole are pressure on the surrounding fluid?[/b]

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No, this is wrong because headaches are caused by your blood vessals becoming smaller. Blood vessal are sensitive to pain so when you have a headache the pain you experience is from the pain receptors on your blood vessals. The only time you have pressure on your cerebral fluid is when you have a brain tumor. I think I might have a brain tumor, however my doctor is useless, plus constant headaches for a year you get use to it. Weird I have hyper sensitivity to sound, but not light.

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I just do not see a route to where the two would be from the same result. Not that that is what you are asking.[/b]

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine I see science was not your strong subject. More off a art person Howietzer.

P.S. About four or five months ago, we had a cancer research person who said about a person who had brain cancer, she bascially described what I have now:blue:

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Originally Posted by wendylove

Migraines are just headaches plus other symptoms.

No, this is wrong because headaches are caused by your blood vessals becoming smaller. Blood vessal are sensitive to pain so when you have a headache the pain you experience is from the pain receptors on your blood vessals. The only time you have pressure on your cerebral fluid is when you have a brain tumor. I think I might have a brain tumor, however my doctor is useless, plus constant headaches for a year you get use to it. Weird I have hyper sensitivity to sound, but not light.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine I see science was not your strong subject. More off a art person Howietzer.

P.S. About four or five months ago, we had a cancer research person who said about a person who had brain cancer, she bascially described what I have now:blue:[/b]

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Actually I not a big fan of wikapedia. :wink:
I fail to see your point in discrediting the two having common properties. Could you point that out for me? That being hypnagogic imagery and visions from migraines.

Thanks for the info on the headaches. You do contradict yourself when you say that pressure on the fluid causes does in fact cause headaches.

If you really think you have a tumor you should get a MRI Wendy.

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I fail to see your point in discrediting the two having common properties. Could you point that out for me? That being hypnagogic imagery and visions from migraines.[/b]

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Hypnagogic image is a hallucination like a dream is just a big hallucination, however visions from migraines are illusions like rubbing your eyes. Hypnagogic images varies load from people to people so it unlikely they have a common property.

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You do contradict yourself when you say that pressure on the fluid causes does in fact cause headaches.[/b]

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Well no as a headache is only caused by pressure when you have a tumor, the blood vessals on your eyes get squashed causes visual distrubance and headaches.

Well thanks as I have some hope that I can have no headaches, I know a website where I can take a allergy/intolerance test. I was really ill my mother said when I was a baby, can babies be illegic to dairy too. http://www.scienzavegetariana.it/nutrizion...m_migraine.html my head hurts I'm going to sleep.

I think I just have a intolerance to dairy, statistically speaking 90% of asian can't digest lactose, this causes migraines. I really don't know what can replace dairy in my diet, I have a food problem and replacing dairy like cheese and milk out of my diet will be hard.

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Originally Posted by Howietzer

I just do not see a route to where the two would be from the same result. Not that that is what you are asking.
Just throwing stuff out there. [/color] :hrm:[/b]

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("wendylove")</div>

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Hypnagogic image is a hallucination like a dream is just a big hallucination, however visions from migraines are illusions like rubbing your eyes. Hypnagogic images varies load from people to people so it unlikely they have a common property.[/b]

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Yes, that was what I was thinking.

An hallucination is an illusion.

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An hallucination is an illusion.[/b]

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No, see a illusion is caused by sensory system playing up like a impossible object. Hallucination are caused when your brain plays up like schoifernia a person can percieve something what is not their, see illusion sensory system and hallucination secondary sensory systems.

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Originally Posted by wendylove

No, see a illusion is caused by sensory system playing up like a impossible object. Hallucination are caused when your brain plays up like schoifernia a person can percieve something what is not their, see illusion sensory system and hallucination secondary sensory systems.[/b]

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Good point
An illusion is not there either. But I know what you mean. It is a distortion of the truth. An illusion is a distortion of something that is already there. Our brain and mind are misinterpreting sensory information, because we&#39;re not being provided all the information we need to make an accurate assessment.

I wonder when a illusion can become a hallucination.

Maybe a hallucination is a full-blown, all-out illusion? Not a mere twist of truth or faith, but a bigger thing. The type of thing that reduces a guy to talking to an invisible friend on the street.

You see that quite often in this town.

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Originally Posted by pj

I get migraines. They are rare - two or three a year... but when they hit, yow. I&#39;m just getting over one right now.

One of the "features" of these headaches are visual disturbances. They are hugely irritating, but also serve as a warning that you are in trouble. Once I start seeing these things, it&#39;s time to get into a dark, cool place and prepare to be very still for a while.

This go, I recognized that the visual disturbances - grids, nebulous lights, etc... are EXACTLY THE SAME as the hypnogogic imagery as it is just starting&#33;

I don&#39;t know if that is profound or not... but there you go. Are there any other migraine sufferers here who have experienced this and seen the similarity?

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Hi PJ,

I have had the odd 'migraine' (if that is what it is?) where I get the typical symptoms, mainly a headache that gets worse plus the stomach upset where you cannot eat or take painkillers, as you know it will make you sick. It usually starts early in the morning with a pain in the back of the neck & it starts getting worse with the pain going to the front of the head, & will last all day.

After a few hours you have to lie down as your stomach starts feeling funny, which in turn makes your headache worse, which makes the stomach even worse - like a vicious circle.

HERE'S THE IMPORTANT POINT - I think it is this onset of this (nausea) feeling sets the Hypnogoic type imagery in motion. Because I can be nauseous for a few hours - I don't want to be sick so I shut my eyes & can see imagery straight away. Even if I sit on the end of the bed.

Once I saw imagery of my opposite neighbour's kitchen (never seen in real life) not long after shutting my eyes. I don't tend to get the 'aura' or visual disturbances before/during/or after - just the imagery. It's like I can 'dream' automatically.

You tend to shut your eyes during a bad headache/migraine, to help you relax & control the pain.

Eventually the feeling (after several hours) gets too bad & you end up throwing up.

Your head just goes numb - after you feel a bit better, but really cold because you have just puked up everywhere. You walk around, but sometimes have to lie down again later because the nausea is coming back. (Like a really bad hangover - except it's not.)

I wouldn't wish it on anybody, because it is a waste of a whole day. You cannot do anything! :panic:


P.J, as you say that you get Migraines, I'm presuming from this that you get the nausea & sickness associated with this?

I did find out what helped me to control when I get this 'sickly' headache. When I can feel one coming on then I take a mint or two during the day.(I keep a bag of Fox's clear mints handy, although I think any good mint would do?)

I still get a bit of a headache, but I don't feel sick, & I'm not half as bad.

I think the mints react with the acid being produced in the stomach, sort of controlling this. Also I read somewhere when you are feeling sick then you tend to produce & gulp more saliva down (I did) - this saliva (when you're ill / nauseous) has a certain chemical or enzyme in it which helps you to be naturally sick, I think.

I'm not saying this would work with you or anything. It is just my experience.

Always get medical advice first.

My main point is if you are ever concerned about your migraines, or they increase in frequency for no obvious reason then don't hesitate in getting professional medical advice first!

Good luck. :)

Headaches aren't the same as migraines. Migraines are caused by disruption in serotonin production. That's why triptans (tryptamine-based drugs) (like the Maxalt drug Howie posted) work, they attach to serotonin receptors. LSD and psilocybin work in the same way.

See where I'm going with this? It's possible that whatever happens with the serotonin production in the brain causes these visuals.

The serotonin system is also heavily involved in sleep. So that is likely the common factor in all these things.

However, the low serotonin also causes the blood vessels to constrict when you get the visual phenomenon. Which basically has the same effect as pressing on your eyes to get HI. (The dilating of the blood vessels afterward and leaking of fluid causes the pain)

i used to get migraine headaches, and i realized that whenever i sleep late nights and wake up late in morning i end up having migraine headaches or when i stress out more sitting infront of computer. when i get headache the right side brain just vibrate bcos of pain and it makes me to open my eyes so hard and to view things, sometimes it happened while driving and i had to stop somewhere untill i get relaxed.
then consulted doc and suggested me to sleep at proper timings and plan long sleep hours.. so now im not feeling that much.