Migraines And Fatigue

Migraines And Fatigue

If you’ve been experiencing migraines for any period of time, you know all too well the effect that lingers afterward; one in which you lose all your energy, and feel sad and just demotivated. It’s like the aftermath of a tough mental battle, spoiling all plans you had for the day.

On the flip side, you would have observed that migraines happen more when you are fatigued, almost as if the day wasn’t bad enough!

Though migraine research is far from complete, we are learning more and more every day. To date, science has found that migraines are related to two hormones/neurotransmitters that are found in the brain which are dopamine and cortisol.

How Does Dopamine Cause Migraines?

Dopamine is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that has several important functions in the human brain. These include:

• Boosting Motivation- dopamine is the neurotransmitter that boosts your drive and allo0ws you to want to accomplish things (goal setting). People with low levels of dopamine find it difficult to plan or work actively to achieving goals.

• Dopamine Helps With Executive Function- executive function involves the ability to prioritize and delegate so that things can be done in a timely manner. For example, what is more, important when running late; picking up a cup of coffee, or just getting to the office ASAP? These are tasks dopamine help with, and keep you a rational individual.

• Emotion Regulation- dopamine is a master chemical regulator of sorts, helping keep your mood upbeat and not pessimistic and lethargic. It even regulates others such as serotonin (which is also involved in migraine development).

Migraines have been found to occur simultaneously with periods during which brain dopamine levels are depleted. Though it is not known WHY this drop in dopamine occurs, it is also associated with the increased sensory perception of pain- such as is a similar scenario whereby sound, lights, and even smells becomes painful stimuli.

The drop in dopamine that occurs during a migraine can also explain the fatigue and tiredness that results, as low dopamine levels are associated with poor drive and lethargy.

The Cortisol Connection

The connection between fatigue, cortisol, and migraines are, like everything else, confusing when it comes to migraines. However, it is not what you would expect. The first thing that comes to mind would be that high cortisol levels have a negative effect on brain chemicals, and while it is a good guess, this is one of those cases where it is not correct.

As it turns out, cortisol may be the one preventing migraine pain after all, since the stress hormone helps us cope with hectic lives. In fact, it is the period of “cool down” after high-stress situations when migraines are likely to hit hardest when you think you are recuperating from a day of fatigue.

This represents an entirely new understanding of the way cortisol and fatigue relate to migraines, since the periods following high-stress scenarios are when vasodilation occurs, along with what is believed to be a reduction is a cortisol.

Cortisol helps blunt pain while elevated, and also explains why some runners do not feel sore during a marathon but feel the effect for days afterward.

Conclusion

The fatigue that occurs with your migraines has much more to do with the fact that a migraine is “mentally taxing” as changes in brain chemistry are often to blame. It is difficult to adequately prevent migraines with this knowledge, though using a supplement that boosts your levels of dopamine are a solid start.

In terms of cortisol, it is better to try and get a hand of things before they get too out of hand, or the letdown period is when you are likely to feel the worst.