It’s finally 2022, yet we’re still dealing with what feels like a 24/7 doom-and-gloom news cycle, a years-long global pandemic and its emotional burden, and everyday stressors, like work deadlines and child care, that aren’t going anywhere. Stress is a major part of our lives, and it shows—sometimes in the form of a head-splitting migraine.

If you’ve ever experienced a stress migraine, it probably left a lasting impression. Whether it’s the visual disturbances that snuck up on you, the unbearable pain that made you want to curl up under the covers, or the hungover feeling that lingered for hours or days—it’s certainly not something you can easily forget.

“Migraine is actually more than a headache,” Niushen Zhang, M.D., clinical assistant professor and director of the Headache Fellowship Program at Stanford University, tells SELF. “Migraine is a collection of symptoms that can include moderate to severe head pain, light and sound sensitivity, nausea, and vomiting.”

Perhaps one of the most frustrating elements of a migraine attack is it can seemingly be triggered by just about anything. We’re talking lack of sleep, hormone fluctuations, or even that plate of salami you decided to snack on at your book club (or maybe it was the wine?).

While everyone has different migraine triggers, stress tops the list. According to the American Migraine Foundation, up to 70% of people with migraines cite stress as one of their triggers. Since we all experience stress at some level, avoiding stress-induced migraines can feel pretty tough. Throw in a global public health crisis, and it feels downright impossible.

According to a 2021 study published in the journal BMC Neurology, self-reported stress migraine attacks peaked in 2020 between March 21 and 23, just eight days after the United States declared COVID-19 a national emergency and cases began to spike.

What’s more, according to a recent American Psychological Association (APA) survey, a third of adults are so stressed out over the pandemic, they struggle to make daily decisions, like whether to wear the green sweatshirt or the plaid flannel or even what to eat (and we all know food choices may matter when it comes to migraine triggers).

So, what can you do to feel better in the midst of the chaos? SELF asked experts to break down what causes stress migraines—and how you can fight back.

First, it’s important to understand why migraines can be caused by stress

Weirdly enough, a “stress migraine” is not considered an official diagnosis in a clinical setting. But that doesn’t mean that stress-induced migraine attacks don’t happen.

“I’ve never diagnosed stress migraine per-say, but in people who have migraine, stress can be a trigger for worsening other migraine attacks or to bring about a migraine,” Anne Csere, D.O., an assistant professor in the department of neurology, pain, and headache medicine at the University of South Florida, tells SELF.

Experts aren’t entirely sure what solidifies the connection between stress and migraines, but the general consensus is that it has to do with how our bodies respond to stress in the first place. “We do know that the body’s physiological stress response involves the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis,” explains Dr. Zhang. That’s medical-speak for your fight or flight response, or the changes that occur in your body when you’re faced with stressors. (You know, it’s the feeling when your heart starts to beat fast and you get all sweaty.)

“Our response to stress can activate both of these systems, and this can lead to behavioral and physiological changes which can potentially trigger migraine attacks,” Dr. Zhang? continues.

In short-term stressful situations (like a last-minute work deadline), stress hormones like cortisol are released, which can impact the neural and chemical pathways believed to be associated with migraine, according to 2017 research published in The Journal of Headache and Pain. Alternately, chronic stress may cause structural changes in the brain that may potentially make migraine a attack worse—or even cause them to become chronic.

Stress migraine symptoms can be really debilitating

OK, so we know stress can set off a migraine, but what does that actually feel like? Here’s where it gets a bit murky since the symptoms of a migraine triggered by stress are typically the same as any other migraine trigger.

That said, it’s still important to know the symptoms of migraine, so you can act quickly when it comes to treatment. According to the American Migraine Foundation, there are four phases of a migraine attack (not everyone experiences all four), which all have slightly different symptoms. Here are some common ones to know:

• Throbbing head pain, typically on one side

• Light or sound sensitivity

• Trouble concentrating

• Blurred vision

• Blind spots or vision loss

• Nausea and vomiting

• Overwhelming fatigue

“Migraine, typically, is going to be a throbbing pain,” Dr. Csere says. “It can be unilateral, typically associated with either nausea and or light and sound sensitivity and is worsened with activity or movement.”

Remember, a stress migraine and a tension headache aren’t the same—and they feel very different

Both a stress migraine and a regular ol’ tension headache (sometimes called a stress headache) can be brought on by stress, but anyone who has experienced a migraine will tell you up-front that it is nothing like a tension headache, and clinically, it’s not, according to Penn Medicine.

It’s entirely possible for a tension headache to be painful, as it often develops due to muscle tightness in areas like the head, scalp, neck, or upper back. However, a tension headache is also the most common type of headache, so the important distinction is that there are no classic migraine features present.

“Tension-type headache is a mild-to-moderate headache that is featureless,” clarifies Dr. Zhang. That means a tension headache is not accompanied by other symptoms that are very specific to migraine, like light or sound sensitivity, nausea, or vomiting.

We’re also living in a stressful world full of migraine triggers

There’s a reason that migraines from stress are so common. Try as we might escape it, stress is a normal part of human life (more than ever before). According to another APA survey, the pandemic isn’t the only thing on people’s minds these days. Political division and unrest (even within families) are also a big stressor for many people—yet another thing we can’t always control.⁴

And humans handle and cope with stress differently, which means that any number of situations can be a potential trigger for a stress-induced migraine if you’re susceptible to them.

Big life changes, such as moving to a new city or starting a family are common culprits for stress-induced migraines. However, something as simple as watching the news can also create enough stress to set the stage for an attack. Or even something much smaller, like spilling coffee on your favorite pair of pants, can bring on a migraine attack if you’re already feeling tense.

So, how do you get rid of a stress migraine? It can be a bit complicated

It can be a long and winding road to migraine treatment but one of the most important steps in treating your stress-induced migraines is to schedule a visit with your doctor or a specialist, like a neurologist who focuses on migraine.

Once you have the right specialized care, you and your doctor can create a game plan for not only treating your migraines but also preventing them. The way to treat a stress migraine is the same as a migraine attack that is triggered by anything else.

For prevention, your doctor might prescribe a beta-blocker, antidepressant, or anticonvulsant. These medications can reduce migraine frequency by at least 50%. But what about the other half of the time when you feel like your head is about to split open? For those moments, it’s important to have rescue medications on hand to use once you feel a migraine attack is at the point of no return. Those can include pain relievers and triptans. If those don’t help, there are other options to try, but your doctor will likely start with these.

Another key component of migraine relief is taking a look at your lifestyle and working to eliminate triggers—it’s not as easy as it sounds, but there are still things you can do. According to the American Migraine Foundation, these lifestyle changes are as simple as paying attention to your SEEDS: sleep, exercise, eating, diary, and stress. By making changes in each of these five areas, you can reduce your exposure to migraine triggers and hopefully reduce their frequency.

Now on to the big one: managing stress. We’ve all heard it over and over again, but there are activities that can help calm you when you feel yourself amping up. Things like yoga, deep breathing, muscle relaxation, spending time in nature, the list goes on. Even if you can’t commit to bigger activities, sometimes just taking a moment to mindfully reduce your stress in small ways can make a big difference.

How to relieve stress when the world is, well, really stressful right now

When stress migraines become a part of your life, it’s important to learn how to manage and reduce those feelings whenever possible. “We counsel our patients that stress is unavoidable, so it is very important to find effective coping strategies,” says Dr. Zhang.

And while there are many ways that you can manage stress in your everyday life, here are a few expert-backed tips to help get you started:

1. Move your body regularly

We know you’ve heard this one before, but that’s because it really is effective for so many people. “We let people know how important exercise can be because exercise can reduce stress, and actually it can be helpful with preventing migraines from happening,” explains Dr. Csere.

Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise like jogging or cycling,⁵ is one of the most beneficial stress-reducing activities you can do—especially in those who experience stress-induced migraines.²

2. Practice relaxation techniques

When it comes to stress relief, relaxation techniques are an effective way to diffuse stress and calm the body and mind. Even something as simple as taking a mindful nature walk can be a relaxation technique, but there are plenty of activities to choose from, including meditation and progressive muscle relaxation, says Dr. Zhang. (If you’re not sure where to start, here are some tips for how to do grounding techniques.)

3. Connect with friends and family

Human beings are social creatures and one of the ways we enjoy winding down is by connecting with the people around us. Sometimes this can look like meeting a friend for coffee to vent about a new job change that’s stressing you out. Other times, it can be something more fun, like de-stressing during a game night with your classmates. Surround yourself with people who lift you up emotionally.

4. Spend quality time with yourself

As important as it is for us to fill our social bar, it’s equally as important to spend quality time with ourselves. When we spend time alone, it’s easier to lean in and find enjoyment in the activities that make us the happiest. And if you’re feeling guilty about not being productive during your alone time, just remember that rest is one of the best ways to de-stress. So just say yes to an hours-long snuggle with your pup on the couch.

5. Set personal and professional boundaries

When it comes to boundaries, just the simple act of standing up for yourself and setting a boundary can be stress-inducing. If there are things in your life that are causing you excess stress, sometimes setting that boundary can help.

In your personal life, this might look something like asking friends to give you at least a week’s notice for any social plans (introverts unite!). Or, if you’re someone who experiences a lot of workplace stress, maybe this looks like asking for certain accommodations. For a lot of people, though, working from home is actually one pandemic perk. “Interestingly, I have a lot of patients who, with the pandemic, are working from home,” says Dr. Csere, “and a lot of their migraines end up doing better.”

The post How to Deal With a Stress Migraine When Life Is, Well, Stressful appeared first on SELF.