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Happy October, dear reader! In honor of Spooky Month, I thought I’d talk about the scariest thing I know: migraines.
In all seriousness, though, migraines suck. Many people know that stress and migraines are very closely linked. But how do they relate to each other? Let’s find out!
Note: I am not a medical professional. Nothing in this post is intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any conditions or illnesses. This is for informal educational purposes only.
Table of Contents:
How does stress affect migraines?
As a migraine sufferer, I wish I could give a detailed explanation of exactly what goes on in the brain when migraines and stress interact. But since we still don’t completely know what causes migraines, the relationship between migraines and stress cannot be entirely explained.
Anyone who gets migraines knows that stress is one of the most common triggers. Consistently high stress levels, burnout, or one overwhelming day can all easily lead to migraines. But did you know it goes deeper than that?
For many, migraines can be severely disabling, as evidenced by the existence of the MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment) Questionnaire. Getting an attack can mean needing to avoid bright lights, loud sounds, smells, or other triggers. This can lead to missing work, school, social plans, and more.
Of course, just because one is in bed with a migraine, it doesn’t mean they’re resting. First, they’re probably in a lot of pain, or at least discomfort. That makes actual rest difficult.
Second, if they’re in bed instead of, say, at work, they might feel guilty for missing something important. Guilty rest is not complete rest. It doesn’t allow your bodymind to recoup the energy that it needs.
So what does all of this add up to? More stress. And what does more stress do?
That’s right: more, or worse, migraines.
This interplay creates a vicious cycle that is incredibly challenging to break out of. It can take months, if not years, of work on stress reduction, life changes, and migraine tracking to learn how to better manage stress and reduce migraine attacks. Even then, stress cannot be eliminated, and neither can migraines.
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The unfortunate reality of “letdown” migraines.
Migraine education, at its best, tends to be lacking. Those of us who have them find out more information from the community than from the neurologists and other specialists that treat us.
For example, ever since I started fully tracking my attacks over a year ago, I’ve noticed that a lot of my migraines tend to begin on the weekends. Often on Saturdays. This didn’t make sense to me— why do I get migraines on the days when I’m less stressed?
That is, until I recently learned about “letdown” or relaxation migraines. This describes a phenomenon where, after a period of high stress, the transition to a lower-stress day/time/mindset can actually trigger an attack. Perhaps even more consistently than stress itself can.
My favorite description of this is that migraines like routine and consistency. Changes can be triggers, not just in cases of stress: temperature, pressure, diet, and sleep changes are all common migraine triggers.
Side note: as an Autistic person who thrives on routine, I love that I also have a condition that itself loves routine.
So, if you are in a period of consistently-high stress (like during the work week), then when you start to relax might be when the stress migraine kicks in.
Again, we don’t entirely know the reasoning behind this, although many suspect it has something to do with the “stress hormone” cortisol. But these “letdown” attacks can be frustrating and overwhelming. What do you even do if your relaxation days are when you feel the worst?
I hope that you learned something new about migraines and stress today. It’s a relationship that is well-known but poorly understood. For all the other migraine sufferers reading this, know that there are so many ways to help reduce the effects of stress on your attacks. It takes some trial and error, but it is possible.
Do you have other insights or tips on the relationship between stress and migraines? I would love to hear them! You can leave a comment down below or on my Instagram (@ashtonrosewrites) or Facebook (@ashtonrosewritesfb). And if you liked this post, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.
Ashton Rose 