Migraine and nightmares
Question:
Odd… I find that when I wake up with a migraine I have had horrible nghtmares all night. I wonder if I get the migraine because of the nightmare, or if I am having the nightmare because I have a migraine. It probably won’t do diddly for me to know the answer to this. I just want to know if anyone else has wondered this. Teresa
Response:
I suffer from classic & common migraines and I suffer from night terrors (FYI: read up on these). I had these advanced nightmares all the time including sleep walking as a child, but as I got older ther nightmares became less intense (I only get night terrors now once in a blue) but the migraines increased in frequency and intensity. This would suggest no connection. I do wake up with 50% of my migraines, but with no known nightmares sponsering them. It could be that the root cause of the migraines (cerebral cortex spazzing out) could cause nightmares. I wouldn’t say that one causes the other though.
Response:
increase during hormonal changes. Have you noticed this? I’ve never actually documented my migraine-nightmares to find out. Sleep well, Jasmine
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Odd… I find that when I wake up with a migraine I have had horrible nghtmares all night. I wonder if I get the migraine because of the nightmare, or if I am having the nightmare because I have a migraine. It probably won’t do diddly for me to know the answer to this. I just want to know if anyone else has wondered this. Teresa
Response:
Odd… I find that when I wake up with a migraine I have had horrible nghtmares all night. I wonder if I get the migraine because of the nightmare, or if I am having the nightmare because I have a migraine. It probably won’t do diddly for me to know the answer to this. I just want to know if anyone else has wondered this.
I too have noticed a link between disturbed sleep and migraines. In such dreams i have seen magicians casting Hollywood-style "magical spells" consisting of flashing orange and black designs — or my attention has been directed to a hand-crocheted afghan consisting of flashing orange-and-black patterns — or nuclear bombs are going off in multiple orange-and-black flashes at the horizon line. . Obviously these oddly flashing dream-images are the dream-equivalents to scintillating scotoma, one of the delightful precursors of my waking migraines. cat yronwode
Response:
Interesting question for you though. Finding the answer may help you to figure out a cause. Perhaps figuring out what circumstances make a nightmare likely and then try to eliminate that or premedicate in those circumstances. Maybe a sleep study might be useful?
chris says he knows when my pain has gone spaso-kitty while i’m asleep. Says i whimper in my sleep if the pain spikes and knows when i wake up i’m gonna be in painhell. (guess who was whimpering last night?) Deep peace, Lavon
Response:
Hi … I also have had the same problem and have wondered on the issue … Maybe the migraines are triggered by the disturbed sleep caused by the nightmare. Restless sleeping is often a trigger of mine. And since nightmares can cause the same symptoms as waking stress, that also could be part of the trigger. Just some of my ideas. 
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Odd… I find that when I wake up with a migraine I have had horrible nghtmares all night. I wonder if I get the migraine because of the nightmare, or if I am having the nightmare because I have a migraine. It probably won’t do diddly for me to know the answer to this. I just want to know if anyone else has wondered this. Teresa
Response:
it must have a link
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Odd… I find that when I wake up with a migraine I have had horrible nghtmares all night. I wonder if I get the migraine because of the nightmare, or if I am having the nightmare because I have a migraine. It probably won’t do diddly for me to know the answer to this. I just want to know if anyone else has wondered this. Teresa
Response:
Hi there, I think the migraine causes the nightmares. I always know when I have a migraine when I’m dreaming about Vicodin coming out of a vending machine. Wishful thinking! 
Lady
Response:
I am glad he is doing better. Waking up with a migraine is absolutely evil.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Chris (almost 14) has several different migraines. One of the most bizarre revolves around migraines occurring while he’s asleep. He would have what looked like an extended night terror–screaming, calling for us, throwing up, clutching his head, etc. The longest one was 8 hours (what fun). He never remembered the pain when he woke up. We had 3 different neurologists seeing him at once when he was 6-7. One was for migraines, one was for sleep disorders, and one was for ADD. When he went on tricyclic antidepressants, the ADD was more under control (for him), the sleep problems went away, and the migraines decreased–although they didn’t go totally away. But he’s never had another nighttime one since (knock wood–going on 6 years now). He had his first night terror at 4 months. Somewhere we’ve got a video tape of him having one–hey, a techie parent does what a techie parent does, touching him or in any way interacting with him just extended the night terror. Video taping them at least gave us something to show to our doctor who shared them with his co-workers and at least provided a few parents some doctors who were a bit better informed about exactly why parents freaked out over these things! He didn’t get an intentifiable migraine with a night terror until he was about 4 1/2. Then about every 2-4 months we’d get woken up by him having one. The ultimate powerless parenting moment. Georgia I suffer from classic & common migraines and I suffer from night terrors (FYI: read up on these). I had these advanced nightmares all the time including sleep walking as a child, but as I got older ther nightmares became less intense (I only get night terrors now once in a blue) but the migraines increased in frequency and intensity. This would suggest no connection. I do wake up with 50% of my migraines, but with no known nightmares sponsering them. It could be that the root cause of the migraines (cerebral cortex spazzing out) could cause nightmares. I wouldn’t say that one causes the other though.
Response:
Oh, I agree and I think they say the time period that is most active is around ovulation. It has something to do with the body temperature being higher I think. I know that is when my dream life got very active. For me it lasted almost the full two weeks before all hell broke loose Michelle
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – nightmares increase during hormonal changes. Have you noticed this? I’ve never actually documented my migraine-nightmares to find out. Sleep well, Jasmine Odd… I find that when I wake up with a migraine I have had horrible nghtmares all night. I wonder if I get the migraine because of the nightmare, or if I am having the nightmare because I have a migraine. It probably won’t do diddly for me to know the answer to this. I just want to know if anyone else has wondered this. Teresa
Response:
Chris (almost 14) has several different migraines. One of the most bizarre revolves around migraines occurring while he’s asleep. He would have what looked like an extended night terror–screaming, calling for us, throwing up, clutching his head, etc. The longest one was 8 hours (what fun). He never remembered the pain when he woke up. We had 3 different neurologists seeing him at once when he was 6-7. One was for migraines, one was for sleep disorders, and one was for ADD. When he went on tricyclic antidepressants, the ADD was more under control (for him), the sleep problems went away, and the migraines decreased–although they didn’t go totally away. But he’s never had another nighttime one since (knock wood–going on 6 years now). He had his first night terror at 4 months. Somewhere we’ve got a video tape of him having one–hey, a techie parent does what a techie parent does, touching him or in any way interacting with him just extended the night terror. Video taping them at least gave us something to show to our doctor who shared them with his co-workers and at least provided a few parents some doctors who were a bit better informed about exactly why parents freaked out over these things! He didn’t get an intentifiable migraine with a night terror until he was about 4 1/2. Then about every 2-4 months we’d get woken up by him having one. The ultimate powerless parenting moment. Georgia
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suffer from classic & common migraines and I suffer from night terrors (FYI: read up on these). I had these advanced nightmares all the time including sleep walking as a child, but as I got older ther nightmares became less intense (I only get night terrors now once in a blue) but the migraines increased in frequency and intensity. This would suggest no connection. I do wake up with 50% of my migraines, but with no known nightmares sponsering them. It could be that the root cause of the migraines (cerebral cortex spazzing out) could cause nightmares. I wouldn’t say that one causes the other though.
