The Migraine Freedom Blog by Debbie Waidl

The Silent Migraine Magnifier: What You Can Do.

This silent migraine magnifier is all around us and has been shown to have a significant impact on your health and your head pain.

Unfortunately, society has given it a free pass. It’s been normalized, and many suggest that we can easily ban it from our lives.

Rather than trying to cut it out completely—which is impossible—we can focus on manageable ways to reduce it.

If you guessed stress, you were correct - and today, we're diving into simplifying our approach to managing it.

The Stress of Migraines

If you think your stress is under control, I want you to hear me out.

Migraines bring more than just physical stress to the body; they carry a load of emotional stress, too. There is so much strain from the sadness, worry, and fear that often comes with that pain.

When loved ones navigate the pain, the ripple effect of migraines touches everyone in the family.

The Migraine Rating Scale

Can you rate your daily stress level on a scale of 1 to 10— 1 being as cool as a cucumber and 10 being hidden away under your blankets forever?

What would your number be?

Think about how you feel each day in your body, both physically and emotionally.

Most moms I chat with label their stress at around a 3 or 4.

Stress, Motherhood, and Migraines

Looking back at my own days filled with unrelenting migraines, I might have claimed the same.

But honestly? That wasn't the truth.

I had grown so used to downplaying my struggles, convinced by everything around me that it was just the normal chaos of life.

It seemed like every time I shared my story, my friends would nod in agreement, voicing their own similar battles.

It was as if we were all in this never-ending cycle, convincing each other that it's just part of being a busy mom.

When I approached the subject with my doctor, they basically said, "Well, what do you expect? You've got your hands full with a family, a home, and a job."

The Effects of Stress on Your Brain

STRESS: It's a big word that encompasses so much.

The emotional upsets, the hustle of daily life, physical pain, anxiety, and depression often walk hand-in-hand with migraines.

When stress becomes a constant companion, it's not just your mood that takes a hit; it can actually affect the very way your brain operates.

Dealing with intense or nonstop stress can lead to changes in both the function and structure of your brain over time.

When you are stressed, your brain is like a computer running too many programs at once— struggling and overwhelmed.

For those of us dealing with chronic migraines, it's as though our brain is always 'on,' never getting a break.

This "always on" mode can make our brains react more intensely, potentially leading to structural changes.

We need to address the stress to feel better day-to-day and help safeguard the longevity of our brain health.

Stress Statistics

When stress becomes our constant companion, however, we need to pause and consider if our lifestyle is serving us or holding us back from our fullest potential.

Think about this in relation to both emotional and physical stress.

You might be surprised to know stress is a major migraine trigger, affecting up to 80% of women.

After diving into a poll within our Women’s Migraine Freedom Group, it confirmed just how widespread this trigger is among us, and studies show this is more of an issue for women than men.

How Stress Triggers Migraines

Emotional stress can trigger migraines directly, and it can also prevent sleep, which is another common trigger.

The stress of experiencing a migraine can lead to more stress, which can continue the cycle.

It’s so hard juggling everyday demands when in pain or worrying if the migraine will show up—from fear of calling in sick to the simple act of getting your kids ready for school or dealing with the guilt of canceling plans again.

It’s often these regular stressors, not the rare, big events that can lead to frequent head pain.

It’s like your brain gets stuck in a cycle of expecting high stress all the time.

Then, just when you think you can finally relax after a hard week, a migraine decides to show up, right?

It's frustrating, but it happens because your brain might still be on high alert. That shift from a busy week to a sudden calm can actually trigger a migraine.

Cortisol and Migraines

Our bodies react to stress by releasing cortisol, a hormone that's meant to help us cope.

But when stress becomes a constant visitor, those cortisol levels swing up and down, and this rollercoaster can indeed set off a migraine.

It's as if your body is sounding alarms when what you really need is calm.

Once a migraine hits, it brings its own stress, further messing with your cortisol levels and potentially leading to more migraines.

It's like your body can't catch a break!

Identifying Your Stress

I shared an exercise on The Migraine Freedom Your Way podcast, aimed at helping women just like you address the chronic stress that is triggering inflammation in their bodies.

If you're curious and ready for some practical steps toward relief, head over to the episode.

Everything you need is in the show notes, including the worksheet.

As always, If you need support filling out this worksheet or determining how to build stress-relieving activities into your daily life to reduce the impact cortisol is having on your pain- just reach out.

Your head will thank you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Waidl is the Owner of In The Balance Health Coaching LLC, and Founder of The Freedom From Migraines Method™ & The Migraine Freedom Protocol™
She supports busy moms living with Migraines.

Debbie will uncover what is holding them back from migraine freedom so they can live their life pain and symptom free, work productively, spend the time they want with family and friends, and stop missing out on the things they enjoy.

A message from Debbie:
"I was once right where you are now. 100% believing there was NO WAY to end migraines and my only option was to learn how to live with them or find that magic pill that maybe would work for a while. If anyone told me back then that I could end my pain once and for all, I would have called BS and popped another pill!

Skeptical times 10 was my middle name for sure because when you try it all and everyone tells you they can help you and they don’t. You stop believing… you lose HOPE!

I now realize I was approaching my migraines all backward.

I was trying to cover up symptoms versus trying to end my pain."

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