Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The relationships between migraine, depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbances

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Acta Neurologica Belgica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To assess the relationships between migraine, depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep problems. Psychiatric conditions and sleep disturbances are common in migraineurs. Depression, anxiety, stress, migraine, and sleep problems frequently coexist as comorbidities. Eighty-seven episodic migraineurs (62 females, 25 males; 32.8 ± 6.9) and 41 control subjects (25 females, 16 males; 31.5 ± 5.6) were prospectively enrolled for the study. The participants completed a sociodemographic data form and a migraine disability assessment scale (MIDAS), depression, anxiety, stress scale (DASS), and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). In migraineurs, a significant positive correlation was found between PSQI total scores and MIDAS scores (migraine related disability for at least three consecutive months) (r = 0. 234, p = 0.04). Only 24.1 % of migraineus (n = 21) had minimal or no disability, 75.9 % of the patients (n = 66) had more than a little disability according to MIDAS scores. PSQI total scores were also correlated with pain intensity over a three month period (MIDAS B) (r = 0.221, p = 0.04). While PSQI scores were found significantly different between migraineurs and control subjects (5.5 ± 2.9 vs 4.5 ± 2.5; p = 0.04), the correlation of all the DASS subscale scores between the groups was not statistically significant. Our findings showed that episodic migraine was a risk factor on its own for sleep disturbances without comorbid depression, anxiety, and stress. Moreover, migraine-related disability and pain intensity in migraine attacks were related to poor sleep quality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Zarifoglu M, Karli N, Taskapilioglu O (2008) Can ID Migraine can be used as a screening test for adolescent migraine? Cephalalgia 28:65–71

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Zeithofer J, Schmeiser-Rieder A, Tribl G et al (2000) Sleep and quality of life in the Austrian population. Acta Neurol Scand 102:249–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Paiva T, Batista A, Martins P, Martins A (1995) The relationship between headaches and sleep disturbances. Headache 35:590–596

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rothrock J, Patel M, Lyden P, Jacson C (1996) Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with episodic migraine versus chronic daily headache. Cephalalgia 16:44–49

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Wöber C, Brannath W, Schmidt K et al (2007) Prospective analysis of factors related to migraine attacks: the PAMINA study. Cephalalgia 27:304–314

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Spierings EL, Sorbi M, Haimowitz BR, Tellegen B (1996) Changes in daily hassles, mood, and sleep in the 2 days before a migraine headache. Clin J Pain 12:38–42

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dahlof CG, Dimenas E (1995) Migraine patients experience poorer subjective well-being/quality of life even between attacks. Cephalalgia 15:31–36

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Gori S, Morelli N, Maestri M, Fabbrinni M, Bonanni E, Murri L (2005) Sleep quality, chronotypes and preferential timing of attacks in migraine without aura. J Headache Pain 6:258–260

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Walters AB, Hamer JD, Smitherman TA (2014) Sleep disturbance and affective comorbidity among episodic migraineurs. Headache. 54:116–124. doi:10.1111/head.12168

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Karthik N, Kulkarni GB, Taly AB, Rao S, Sinha S (2012) Sleep disturbances in ‘migraine without aura’—a questionnaire based study. J Neurol Sci 321:73–76. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2012.07.057

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kelman L, Rains JC (2005) Headache and sleep: examination of sleep patterns and complaints in a large clinical sample of migraineurs. Headache 45:904–910

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Lateef T, Swanson S, Cui L, Nelson K, Nakamura E, Merikangas K (2011) Headaches and sleep problems among adults in the United States: findings from the National Co morbidity Survey-Replication study. Cephalalgia 31(6):648–653. doi:10.1177/0333102410390395 Cephalalgia

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Buse DC, Silberstein SD, Manack AN, Papapetropoulos S, Lipton RB (2013) Psychiatric comorbidities of episodic and chronic migraine. J Neurol 260(8):1960–1969. doi:10.1007/s00415-012-6725-x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Yavuz BG, Aydinlar EI, Dikmen PY, Incesu C (2013) Association between somatic amplification, anxiety, depression, stress and migraine. J Headache Pain. 14:53. doi:10.1186/1129-2377-14-53

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Breslau N, Lipton RB, Stewart WF, Schultz LR, Welch KM (2003) Comorbidity of migraine and depression: investigating potential etiology and prognosis. Neurology 60:1308–1312

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Hung CI, Liu CY, Juang YY, Wang SJ (2006) The impact of migraine on patients with major depressive disorder. Headache 46:469–477

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Vgontzas BSA, Cui MSL, Merikangas KR (2008) Are sleep difficulties associated with migraine attributed to anxiety and depression? Headache 48:1451–1459. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.2008.01175.x

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Seidel S, Hartl T, Weber M, PAMINA Group study et al (2009) Quality of sleep, fatigue and daytime sleepiness in migraine—a controlled study. Cephalalgia 29:662–669. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01784.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Smitherman TA, McDermott MJ, Buchanan EM (2011) Negative impact of episodic migraine on a university population: quality of life, functional impairment, and comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Headache 51:581–589. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.01857.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Boardman HF, Thomas E, Millson DS, Croft PR (2005) Psychological, sleep, lifestyle, and comorbid associations with headache. Headache 45:657–669

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Headache Classification Subcommittee of the International Headache Society (2004) The international classification of headache disorders: 2nd edition. Cephalgia 24:9–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Ertas M, Siva A, Dalkara T, Turkish MIDAS group et al (2004) Validty and reliability of the Turkish migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire. Headache 44:786–793

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Stewart WF, Lipton RB, Dowson AJ, Sawyer J (2001) Development and testing of the migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire to assess headache related disability. Neurology 56:20–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Akin A, Cetin B (2007) The depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS): the study of validity and reliability. Educ Sci 7:260–268

    Google Scholar 

  25. Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH (1995) Manual for the depression, anxiety, stress scales, 2nd edn. Psychology Foundation, Sydney

    Google Scholar 

  26. Ağargün MY, Kara H, Anlar Ö (1996) Pittsburgh Uyku Kalitesi İndeksi’nin geçerliği ve güvenirliği. Turk Psikiyatr Derg 7:107–115

    Google Scholar 

  27. Buysee D, Reynolds C, Monk T (1989) Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatry practice and research. Psychiatry Res 28:198–213

    Google Scholar 

  28. Backhaus J, Junghanns K, Broocks A, Riemann D, Hohagen F (2002) Test–retest reliability and validity of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index in primary insomnia. J Psychosom Res 53:737–740

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Breslau N, Davis GC, Andreski P (1991) Migraine, psychiatric disorders, and suicide attempts: an epidomiologic study of young adults. Psychiatry Res 37:11–23

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Merikangas KR, Angst J, Isler H (1990) Migraine, psychopathology: results of a Zurich cohort study of young adults. Arch Gen Psychiatry 47:849–853

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Hamelsky SW, Lipton RB (2006) Psychiatric comorbidity of migraine. Headache 46:1327–1333

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Zhu Z, Fan X, Li X, Tan G, Chen L, Zhou J (2013) Prevalence and predictive factors for poor sleep quality among migraineurs in a tertiary hospital headache clinic. Acta Neurol Belg 113:229–235. doi:10.1007/s13760-012-0070-9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Seidel S, Hartl T, Weber M, Matterey S, Paul A, Riederer F, Gharabaghi M, Wöber-Bingöl Ç, Wöber C, PAMINA Study Group (2009) Quality of sleep, fatigue and daytime sleepness in migraine—a controlled study. Cephalalgia 29:662–669

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Odegard SS, Engstrom M, Sand T, Stovner LJ, Zwart JA, Hagen K (2010) Associations between sleep disturbance and primary headaches: the third Nord-Trondelag Health Study. J Headache Pain 11:197–206. doi:10.1007/s10194-010-0201-8

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Peres MF, Stiles MA, Siow HC, Silberstein SD (2005) Excessive daytime sleepiness in migraine patients. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 76:1467–1468

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Merikangas KR, Stevens DE (1997) Comorbidity of migraine and psychiatric disorders. Neurol Clin 15:115–123

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Shapiro RE, Tepper SJ (2007) The serotonin syndrome, triptans, and potential for drug–drug interactions. Headache 47:266–269

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Chugani DC, Niimura K, Chaturversi S et al (1999) Increased brain serotonin synthesis in migraine. Neurology 53:1473–1483

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Burstein R, Jakubowski M (2009) Neural substrate of depression during migraine. Neurol Sci 30:27–31. doi:10.1007/s10072-009-0061-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Hornung JP (2003) The human raphe nuclei and serotonergic system. J Chem Neuroanat 26:331–343

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Pine DS, Cohen P, Brook J (1996) The association between majör depression and headache: reseults of a longutudinal epidemiologic study in youth. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 6:153–164

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Barbanti P, Fabbrini G, Ricci A et al (2000) Migraine patients show an increased density of dopamine D3 and D4 receptors on lymphocytes. Cephalalgia 20:15–19

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Charles A (2013) Migraine: a brain state. Curr Opin 26:235–239. doi:10.1097/WCO.0b013e32836085f4

    Google Scholar 

  44. Brennen KC, Charles A (2009) Sleep and headache. Semin Neurol 29:406–418. doi:10.1055/s-0029-1237113

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology Department, School of Medicine, Acibadem University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Yalinay Dikmen & Elif Ilgaz Aydinlar

  2. Psychiatry Department, School of Medicine, Acibadem University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Burcu Goksan Yavuz

Authors
  1. Pinar Yalinay Dikmen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Burcu Goksan Yavuz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elif Ilgaz Aydinlar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pinar Yalinay Dikmen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yalinay Dikmen, P., Yavuz, B.G. & Aydinlar, E.I. The relationships between migraine, depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbances. Acta Neurol Belg 115, 117–122 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-014-0312-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-014-0312-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation