Migraines can interrupt the sleep you need and cause you to feel fatigue. This fatigue can lead to disruptions in how you are able to handle your day-to-day tasks. In addition to interrupting your sleep, one cause of migraines can be too little sleep or poor quality sleep. So do migraines make you tired?
Do Migraines Make You Tired?
Of course, some evidence shows that too much sleep can also lead to increased migraines. It’s a good idea to keep track of your sleep and your migraine symptoms to help your doctor figure out the best care plan. If you don’t have a physician helping you manage your migraine pain, look into pain management in Orange County today!
The Link Between Chronic Fatigue and Migraines
There is a strong link between chronic fatigue and migraines, as those with migraines often experience symptoms of fatigue as well. It is also possible for chronic fatigue and migraines to be comorbid, meaning they can both be diagnosed at the same time.
In order to be diagnosed with chronic fatigue, precise criteria have to be met. These criteria were set by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Trouble with concentration or memory
- Any form of activity (physical or mental) leads to exhaustion and fatigue
- Pain in your muscles or joints without swelling or visible symptoms
- Severe headaches accompanied by tenderness in the neck or discomfort in your axillary lymph nodes (which are found in the armpits)
If these criteria apply to you, you may also have chronic fatigue in addition to migraines. Of course, migraines can also cause fatigue on their own. It’s important to keep track of how your sleep patterns may be interacting with your migraines. Some patients find keeping a journal can help them keep track of migraine symptoms, including but not limited to sleep!
Managing Migraines and Fatigue
As we have learned, keeping a journal of your symptoms is very useful. What symptoms are best to include in a journal? Some possible ideas could be tracking sleep, tracking your diet, and tracking your water intake, plus making to-do lists to keep track of high and low priority tasks! Tracking sleep in particular can help make sure your sleep hygiene isn’t making your migraines worse.
What is Good Sleep Hygiene?
Bedtime routines can help improve the quality of sleep. Although it can take time to settle into a routine, it can also make a big difference in your migraines! It’s important to go to bed and wake up at consistent times each day. It is also wise to avoid caffeine late in the day and avoid looking at screens such as your phone or the TV when you are trying to rest.
As the sun goes down and it gets dark out, your body naturally begins to produce more of the hormone melatonin. The blue light from phone and computer screens can keep your body from producing the melatonin it needs to make you fall asleep and stay asleep.
How Do Migraines Interfere with Sleep?
There is some evidence that most migraines tend to happen between the hours of 4AM and 9AM. This can have different effects depending on the individual’s sleep schedule. For example, lack of sleep from staying up too late can trigger a migraine. It might be unavoidable for your sleep schedule to shift, based on travel or job requirements. For example, jet lag can trigger a migraine.
If you have to work a late or overnight shift, this could also cause a migraine to happen. Of course, too much sleep can also cause a migraine. If you are used to getting up early and decide to sleep in, this could be a migraine trigger, too.
See a Migraine Pain Specialist Today!
To learn more about handling your migraine symptoms and about pain management in Orange County, head to CRPM: Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine. We have many pain specialists who are ready to help you now!
