Can Anxiety Cause Migraines? Understanding the Connection

Can Anxiety Cause Migraines?

Anxiety can cause migraines.³ Research suggests that the inability to control worrying and the inability to relax can cause a person to develop an anxiety migraine or cause a pre-existing migraine to last longer.³ Additionally, stress is a trigger for both anxiety and migraine attacks.⁴ Sometimes, stress may trigger anxiety, which in turn can cause a migraine.⁴

Experts add that people who suffer from anxiety disorders often have hyper-sensitive limbic systems, which is part of the brain that controls emotions and detects “threats”.⁴ This can make them more prone to migraines. A hyper-sensitive limbic system makes them more likely to experience sensory overload, which can often lead to migraines.⁴

Are migraines a symptom of anxiety?

Some research points to the idea that migraines could be a symptom of anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.⁵ Anxiety has been found to be one of the most common comorbidities with migraines, influencing the sufferer’s response to treatment as well as outcomes.³

It is no surprise that research has found that when anxiety symptoms are improved, either through medication management or other ways to manage symptoms, migraine experiences and symptoms also improve.⁵

Do Migraines Cause Anxiety?

Migraines can cause anxiety because the extreme pain that migraines cause can create fear about how painful the next migraine will be.⁴ Additionally, the unpredictability of migraines can cause a person to worry about when the next migraine will occur and how much it will impact their responsibilities and social life.

People who experience repeated migraines become hyperaware of their body, and they can begin to misread normal physical symptoms at the start of a migraine, which can create a constant background anxiety.⁴ Additionally, many migraine medications contain caffeine, which can cause symptoms of anxiety or may exacerbate existing anxiety.

When to Seek Professional Support

If your anxiety is getting unmanageable, it might be time to seek professional help for the anxiety symptoms, including anxiety migraines. To find a therapist, you can ask your general practitioner for a referral. Friends and family can also be a great place to find recommendations. You can also contact your insurance and ask for a list of therapists who take your insurance.

An online therapist directory is a great tool for finding a therapist on your own. There, you can filter for therapists who specialize in treating anxiety and who take your insurance. For some, a mental health app like Noom Mood might be enough support to manage their anxiety migraines.

Treatment for Anxiety Migraines

Migraines caused by an anxiety disorder oftentimes improve by treating the anxiety. Therapy can teach a person coping skills for anxiety, which will help to reduce anxiety symptoms and, therefore, reduce the number of migraine episodes caused by anxiety. Additionally, research shows that when migraine sufferers took medications to control their anxiety symptoms, it helped to decrease their migraines.⁵

Some common therapy options for anxiety include:

• Somatic therapy: Somatic therapy uses the mind-body connection to help decrease symptoms, making it an effective therapy for both anxiety and migraines. It helps a person to bring awareness to how the experiences within the body, such as migraines, are influencing mental health symptoms of anxiety, or vice versa.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT for anxiety helps someone reduce anxiety migraines by bringing more awareness to how their negative thoughts affect their behaviors and thereby create anxiety symptoms.
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT for anxiety helps someone reduce migraines caused by anxiety by helping people develop coping skills to decrease the intensity of the emotional experiences and reactions they have, as well as develop the ability to tolerate distress and pain that a migraine can cause.
• Group therapy: Many people with social anxiety find that their migraines occur in social situations. Group therapy is a great way to combat social anxiety by socializing in a space filled with people who have the same struggles and, therefore, can understand and empathize. As a person’s social anxiety decreases, the likelihood of them getting social anxiety migraines decreases.
• Interpersonal therapy: Interpersonal therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on strengthening personal relationships through communication. This could be a great option for people who are finding that their anxiety and anxiety migraines increase due to relationship stress.
• Emotional freedom technique (EFT) tapping: ETF tapping is a great tool for anxiety relief. It is a technique similar to acupuncture for anxiety but with gentle self-administered pressure to refocus the mind and decrease anxiety.

How to Prevent Anxiety Migraines

Being proactive about the things that reduce anxiety can help decrease your migraine experiences. For example, if you find that you are more likely to have anxiety migraines when you skip meals or when you have not slept, being mindful of these triggers is important.

Some tips and strategies that can reduce the onset of anxiety-related migraines include getting regular exercise, ensuring you have adequate rest, and making sure to take care of your body’s food and water needs.

Here are some tips for how to prevent anxiety migraines:

• Mindfulness and meditation: Meditation is a great tool for helping to decrease anxiety. Along with meditation for anxiety, mindfulness exercises can help you remain grounded, reduce stress, and potentially prevent anxiety-related migraines
• Exercise: Movement can be a great stress relief. Taking time to exercise every day, even if just for a few minutes, can help decrease anxiety. Exercise helps anxiety and may help reduce migraine frequency.
• Sleep hygiene: Getting adequate rest is essential for managing anxiety and migraine triggers. Sleep and anxiety are linked, with a lack of adequate sleep being a major trigger for many migraine and anxiety sufferers. Improving sleep hygiene by having a bedtime routine that is calming and ensures adequate time for rest can help.
• Take a break: When we are stressed, anxiety can increase. If you have been working for many hours without a break or many days without a day off, you may be more likely to have increased mental health symptoms linked to stress and might be more likely to experience migraine attacks. Take a break, even if just for 20-30 minutes, to give your body time to rest.
• Have adequate food intake: For some, skipping meals can lead to greater potential for anxiety or migraines. Whether it’s low blood sugar or simply inadequate fuel for your body to function, skipping food can negatively affect symptoms. Make sure to eat a complete meal filled with protein or pack snacks if you will be unable to take a break for meals.
• Stay hydrated: Like food, water is essential for our body’s needs. Make sure to drink plenty of water, as dehydration can increase anxiety symptoms and trigger migraines for some.
• Limit sugar: While some people may not be affected by sugar, others report this as being a trigger for anxiety and migraines. Being mindful of how your body processes sugar or other ingredients can empower you to help manage symptoms.
• Limit alcohol and other substances: Alcohol can increase symptoms of anxiety for many people and may cause a migraine trigger. Limiting alcohol use, or even eliminating it, can help with managing symptoms.
• Limit caffeine or other stimulants: While small amounts of caffeine can actually help prevent or alleviate headaches, large amounts can trigger migraines.⁴ Additionally, caffeine can increase anxiety. If you are sensitive to caffeine, limiting it or even eliminating stimulants can help manage anxiety or migraine symptoms.