If you suffer from migraines, you might have heard that caffeine can cause these painful headaches. Others might have advised you to use caffeine to relieve migraine pain. This contradictory advice can be confusing, and much of the confusion stems from the fact that not everyone reacts to caffeine in the same way. You should work with your doctor to determine whether caffeine affects your migraines and what you can do about it.
Migraines
Migraines occur when the brain experiences vascular changes, alterations in the size of the arteries surrounding and supplying the brain. These debilitating headaches can last from several hours up to three days for some people. About 30 million people in the U.S. experience migraines, according to the National Headache Foundation. Migraines are more common in women than in men. While the specific cause of migraines remains under investigation, some people have triggers that can set off a migraine attack. These triggers differ among individuals, ranging from certain foods to chemical fumes to poor sleep to dehydration.
Caffeine
Caffeine can be found in a variety of foods and beverages. The highest amounts are often found in coffee, which has about 100 to 200 mg of caffeine per cup. Espresso beverages contain around 60 to 75 mg per shot. Black tea contains between 40 and 120 mg per cup, while green tea has about 25 mg per cup. Sodas often have between 35 and 45 mg of caffeine in a 12-oz. can. Caffeine affects the blood vessels by stretching and dilating them. It also blocks the activity of a brain chemical called adenosine.
Headache Connection
The connection between caffeine and migraines is complicated. For some people, consuming high levels of caffeine can trigger a migraine. In others, caffeine consumption actually relieves the pain of a migraine and reduces symptoms. Even in people who find caffeine to be a good treatment for migraine pain, the effect can go away if you use it as a treatment more than two or three times a week. Once a caffeine dependency develops, stopping its use can trigger migraines as the blood flow to the brain temporarily increases and adenosine levels rise.
Considerations
Because the effect of caffeine on migraines varies so much among individuals, it is hard to make recommendations about its use in people with frequent headaches. Talk to your doctor about your caffeine use if you think that it affects how often or how severe your migraines are. If you think that caffeine serves as a trigger for you, consider cutting down on your consumption of foods and drinks that contain it. Gradually reducing the amount of caffeine you consume seems to work best, since rapidly stopping your coffee, tea or soda intake could lead to withdrawal headaches.
