Migraine headaches are not just about throbbing head pain; sufferers of migraine have strong sensitivity to smells, resulting in olfactory aura– an indicator of an approaching migraine attack. Migraine odors usually include unpleasant imagined smells such as burnt food, cigarette smoke, or rotten garbage.
What causes migraine headaches?
Millions of people suffer from migraine symptoms, such as severe headaches, nausea, and dizziness, but nobody has come up with a universal migraine cure. However, by determining migraine triggers and experimenting with various migraine remedies many- if not all- migraine suffers are able to find a measure of relief from their debilitating migraine symptoms.
What is a migraine aura?
A migraine aura appears during the migraine prodrome stage- generally, just a few minutes before the migraine attack strikes. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is one example of a migraine aura that includes distorted body image, auditory hallucinations, loss of spatial awareness, and temporary jumbled, confused speech patterns. Typical migraine auras are bright lights and voids, such as blue-green zigzagging lines, eclipses, and blind spots.
Olfactory hallucinations
Sometimes, migraine patients report smelling weird, unusual odors before a migraine attack- odors that don’t actually exists, save for them. Thes olfactory auras are called parosmia. The majority of migraine patients describe imagined smells as putrid, smoky odors. Common descriptions are:
- burning wood
- toxic-smelling aromas
- sewer-like stenches
- smoke
- decomposed garbage.
Read more about migraine illness:
Night Terrors, Migraines, and Insomnia- 7 Nightmare Headaches
Perfumes and Migraines: The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Stinky
Imagined smells can precede migraines
Olfactory hallucinations in primary headache disorders: Case series and literature review
Olfactory aura symptoms- Migraine Aura Foundation
Migraine Symptoms: Olfactory Hallucinations
Image credits, from top: