Dreams & Migraines

Migraines are headaches that can manifest themselves in many different ways. Scientists still do not fully understand migraines, what causes them and what triggers them, though recent progress in research has lead to new treatments. One area of study in regard to migraines is their relationship with dreams.

U.S. Study

• A study at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 1996, looked at links between migraines and unpleasant dreams and found a significant relationship between the two.

Findings

• The study found that dreams that featured the emotional stressors of misfortune, anger, aggression and apprehension acted as predictors of nocturnal migraines.

German Study

• A German study reported in Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie in 2000 looked at the connection between migraines and the types and qualities of dreams through case studies.

Migraine Aura

• Sometimes dreams contain portions of a migraine aura, a haze that sometimes contains colored lights that varies from person to person, according to the German study. This can be a predictor of waking with a migraine.

Bizarre Dreams

• In addition, the German study found that nocturnal migraines can also cause bizarre dreams. These dreams are typically complicated and intense and are often nightmares.