Migraine headaches are a common issue in the United States, with nearly 30 million sufferers, according to the National Headache Foundation. Some migraines resolve themselves within a few hours, while others last for up to three days or more. Migraines are linked to genetics and have physical causes related to your brain function, but certain outside factors like caffeine withdrawal can bring them on.
Definition
Migraine headaches are severely painful headaches accompanied by other symptoms, like nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines normally are centered on one side of the head with throbbing and pulsing pain, and physical activity often worsens the discomfort. They are classified as vascular headaches because they are linked to artery changes outside and inside of the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Caffeine affects arteries, too, so heavy caffeine users may worsen their migraine if they suddenly stop drinking their daily coffee or tea or ingesting the drug in another beverage or food.
Causes
Migraine headaches are triggered by a wide variety of foods and drugs besides caffeine. The Mayo Clinic cites red wine, beer, chocolate (which contains caffeine), the artificial sweetener aspartame, oral contraceptives, nitroglycerin and other vasodilators as culprits. Alcohol is addictive for some people, so alcoholics who favor beer and red wine may have ongoing headaches. The headaches also have external causes like television screens, bright lights, loud noise and fluorescent lighting.
Process
Migraine headaches are related to blood vessel dilation in the brain, and caffeine withdrawal affects those vessels too. The drug blocks the action of a chemical called adenosine, which normally dilates blood vessels in the head. Your body becomes more sensitive to adenosine to counteract this effect if you drink excessive amounts of tea, coffee or other caffeinated beverages or use energy drinks, shots or supplements frequently. Once you stop taking in caffeine, your body overreacts to adenosine, dilating the vessels and giving you a severe headache until you get more caffeine in your system, Dr. Grant Shevlin of Headache.com.au explains.
Considerations
Caffeine is only considered to be mildly addictive, according to George Studeville of National Geographic. People become physically dependent on it and experience withdrawal symptoms, including headaches, when they stop taking it cold turkey. The physical dependency is not severe, and withdrawal symptoms are avoidable if you gradually reduce your consumption of caffeinated beverages. You may be able to stop withdrawal headaches by reducing your intake to no more than two cups of coffee per day rather than eliminating it completely, according to Shevlin.
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