We’ve all heard the eye-rolling stories of married couples using migraines as an excuse to get out of sex, but using it as an excuse to actually get some? Sex and orgasms on a regular basis could actually hold the key to preventing — and even stopping — migraine headaches.
Stay with us, here.
Turns out, it’s totally a thing, and there’s some science to back it up.
What Is a Migraine?
A migraine is a headache’s gnarly third cousin. Instead of it just being the dull, roaring pain in your head, a migraine’s pain is typically localized over one side of your neck, head, sinuses, or eyes.
This bizarre neurological phenomenon is actually pretty poorly understood, despite affecting a whopping 12% of the population. Women are 3-4 times more likely to get migraines than men, and the link there seems primarily hormonal.
Migraines can be triggered by any number of things, but one of the most common culprits are hormonal imbalances and fluctuations. Many women report getting an increased number of migraines (or starting to get them out of the blue) after they become pregnant, enter menopause, or are on their menstrual cycles.
Hoooooray.
The real drag? Nobody’s really exempt from them. Though genetics can play a role in how susceptible you are, there are a ton of seemingly harmless triggers out there that can send you from normal, functioning human being, to being curled up in a ball in a dark room in minutes:
- Fluorescent lighting, blue light, screens, and flashing lights
- Sounds
- Strong odors
- Food triggers:
- MSG
- Artificial sweeteners
- Caffeine
- Carrageenan
- Lack of sleep
- Stress
- Hormonal imbalance
- Dehydration
To top things off, migraine symptoms often don’t stop at pain. Many people experience intense, freaky neurological symptoms, known as migraines with aura. These can be as subtle as a little tingling in the extremities, to temporary partial blindness and the inability to speak. Those who suffer migraines with aura are also associated with an increased risk of stroke — yikes.
Why Circulation Might Be Related
So where does sex enter the picture? We’re getting to that — promise.
The thing is, while little is understood about what specifically causes migraines, or even what’s happening to the brain when you get one, migraines, strokes, blood clots, and heart attacks all seem to be related, and at the root of those issues — circulatory problems.
When you get a migraine, inflammation and excessive electrical impulses cause pain and pressure to build up where they shouldn’t. Many migraine sufferers use magnesium, a natural anti-inflammatory, as both a preventative and curative measure for this reason.
In most cases though, migraine triggers can be linked back to causing some form of inflammation in the body. In short, better blood flow to the brain may actually reduce your risk of getting a migraine in the first place.
The Sex and Migraine Connection
You may be starting to get the picture now — nothing stimulates blood flow like sex.
Though studies on the subject are sparse and results are varied, it does appear that sex has a way with migraines. Aside from the increase in blood flow and heart rate, the hormones released during sex (endorphins) are nature’s painkillers, and in many patients, stop migraines right in their tracks.
In addition, science seems to indicate that regular, healthy amounts of sex actually help to maintain hormonal balance in the body. During sex, both estrogen and testosterone are produced in women. Whereas hormone replacement therapies and birth controls can artificially manipulate the balance in your body, sex seems to regulate it naturally.
Though sex can be a trigger for some, in one study, sex and orgasms relieved or eliminated migraines and cluster headaches in the majority of the participants.
Aside from blood flow and hormone production, sex is also a proven stress reliever. And stress? It’s right up there in the top triggers for migraines.
Bogus or Best Thing Ever?
The logic seems to add up and support the idea, but does sex really prevent (and even cure) migraines?
Maybe. Possibly. It totally could.
In short, it really depends on your body chemistry. If you have the odds stacked against you already with migraine triggers, sex might not make any difference. And depending on your biology, it could, in fact, trigger a migraine.
However, sex is definitely a critical part of human biology and development, so you have to wonder — maybe it’s worth a try?
We’ll let you be the judge. The next time you feel a migraine creeping in, give it a try — you know, in the name of science.
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