Each person is unique and, in a way, their migraines also. In Spain it is estimated that there are around 4.5 million people affected by this pathology that causes Headaches and that, in the most serious cases, it can become disabling. But as with all types of conditions, not all migraines work the same. That’s why it’s so complicated. understand when, how and why they occur.
But is there any indicator that can warn us of the arrival of a migraine attack? A study published this Wednesday in the journal ‘Neurology’ provides some clues to know when a headache comes and how to act to minimize its effect.
The work, led by the American Academy of Neurology, is part of the study of almost 500 patients between 7 and 84 years old diagnosed with migraines. The researchers asked all participants to They will record indicators four times a day for two weeks. about your mood, stress level or your perception of physical energy. They were also asked to provide information about their sleep quality and about the physical activity they carried out throughout the day. At the same time, the participants also had to wear bracelets to monitor sleep during the period studied to have more objective data about what their rest hours were like.
The result? According to the data collected by this study, people who They claimed to have slept worse They were 18% to 22% more likely to have a headache the next morning. Those who felt a decrease in their physical energy had a 16% greater risk of having headaches the next morning. And the ones that they said they had higher levels of stress They were up to 17% more likely to have migraines in the following afternoon or evening. The researchers found no clear link between more anxious or depressed moods and migraine.
Study finds link between poor sleep quality and increased risk of migraine the next morning
“One of the most interesting things we have discovered is that headaches are associated with perceived sleep quality rather than with actual measures of rest patterns,” explains the researcher. Kathleen R. Merikangas, an expert at the National Institute of Mental Health and one of the authors of this work. “These data highlight the importance of physical and emotional states perceived in the underlying causes of migraine,” adds the specialist after the publication of this work.
Stress is linked to a greater chance of having headaches during the afternoon or night
Warning signs
The scientific community has been working for years to try to predict migraine attacks. “Knowing the triggers allows patients to take preventive measures and thus avoid the crisis or initiate the treatment of the episode much earlier“, Explain Pablo Irimianeurologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of headaches at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra.
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In the specific case of sleep patterns, as this work points out, previous works have also observed that “the Lack or excess of sleep is a migraine trigger“, comments this specialist in statements to the Science Media Center Spain portal.
Other studies also suggest that migraine attacks, especially in the most severe cases, can be preceded by “subtle changes” such as “constipation, mood disturbances, food cravings, neck stiffness, increased number of urinations, fluid retention and frequent yawning“Hence, as experts highlight, when faced with these types of symptoms, patients must take extreme precautions and avoid anything that may accentuate their migraines. Of course, each person will have to apply a different recipe to reduce your headaches. Because, as we said at the beginning, fortunately or unfortunately, each migraine is different.