In this post, we explore the complex link between weight and migraine. Many studies have shown that being overweight or obese is associated with chronic migraine, prompting healthcare professionals to advise weight loss as a potential strategy. However, the path to shedding pounds isn’t always straightforward, especially for those managing migraine. Learn about the intricate ways in which weight can impact migraine and discover scientifically-backed insights into why shedding excess weight might alleviate symptoms and improve overall health.
Migraine itself may be the cause of weight gain:
- Meal preparation can be disrupted
- Exercise is difficult to plan in a busy schedule and might trigger attacks.
- Sleep (a key factor in weight loss) is often irregular
- Migraine may lead to an emotional roller coaster, resulting in snacking and cravings
- Some migraine preventives cause weight gain
Losing weight may improve migraine and your general health. To take action, it’s important to understand WHY weight might make your migraine worse.
Here are some scientifically demonstrated facts on how weight influences the brain:
- Posture: Being overweight is associated with general deconditioning and weakness of both major muscle groups and postural muscles. Poor posture causes increased strain on neck muscles and can be a migraine trigger.
- Inflammation: Fatty tissue is inflammatory, which may lower the brain’s migraine threshold.
- Hormones: Fatty tissue influences hormone levels.
- Leaky Gut: Being overweight makes your gut leaky, allowing some substances to enter the bloodstream and reach your brain. Some of these substances may negatively affect brain chemistry or increase inflammation.
- Sleep Apnea: Obesity is associated with sleep apnea, a condition that partially closes the airway during sleep, resulting in decreased oxygen to the brain. Sleep apnea is associated with headache and increased migraine. Losing weight can reverse this and improve migraine.
Are you ready to take action?
There are several approaches to weight loss. Healthcare professionals unanimously agree that it should be done gradually, incorporating reasonable and sustainable changes to your diet and eating habits. For more information, see our tips for losing weight with migraine.
A warning about idiopathic intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri):
This condition is predominantly seen in obese women and is often associated with migraine. Be mindful of the following warning signs:
- Visual loss that may be transient and triggered by bending over
- Double vision
- Headache that is worse when lying down or present upon waking
- Nausea when lying down, vomiting in the morning
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) that may be pulsatile
- Recent weight gain
- Use of medications like retinoic acid (Accutane) and certain antibiotics
If you experience one or more of these symptoms, it is advisable to seek medical advice promptly and undergo an eye examination to check for optic disk swelling.
References
- Bigal ME, Rapoport AM. Obesity and chronic daily headache. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2012;16(1):101-9.
- Bigal ME, Lipton RB. What predicts the change from episodic to chronic migraine? Curr Opin Neurol. 2009;22(3):269-76.
Post #719
