Many migraine sufferers complain of headaches on weekends, vacations, or after a period of stress. Researchers at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx confirmed this observation by observing 17 migraine patients. The patients completed over 2,000 twice daily diary entries about their headaches and the amount of stress they had. The doctors found that patients had 20% higher chance of developing a migraine 12 to 24 hours after their mood changed from “sad” or “nervous” to “happy” or “relaxed”. There are several possible explanations for this phenomenon. One, is that some people have a certain amount of control over their headaches and do not allow themselves to have a headache when they know that they have to perform important functions, but as soon as this demand ends, they pay for the stress by getting a headache. Another possibility is that sleeping longer on weekends, vacations, or after the stress is over, triggers a migraine. Migraine sufferers can be very sensitive to changes in their sleep schedule with both too much and not enough sleep being a trigger. Weekend headaches can be also triggered by caffeine withdrawal – drinking your first cup of coffee at 10 instead of 8 in the morning.
