How does sleep affect migraine?
Short answer
Sleep is one of the most powerful modifiers of the migraine threshold. Too little, too much, irregular timing, and poor sleep quality can each trigger or amplify migraine.
More detail
The migraine-generating regions of the brainstem are tightly linked to circadian and sleep-regulating systems. Disrupted sleep predictably lowers the threshold for an attack, and untreated sleep disorders can drive frequency up over time.
In practice, stabilizing sleep timing, quality, and duration is often one of the highest-leverage adjustments in migraine care.
This information is educational and general in nature. It is not a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and it does not describe every possible cause of a symptom. Individual evaluation is required to determine what applies to any specific case.
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