Circadian misalignment and delayed sleep timing are associated with higher migraine frequency and severity that was not better accounted for by the amount of sleep, according to a recent study. Twenty women with chronic migraine (CM) and 20 age‐matched healthy controls (HC) completed a protocol that included a 7-day sleep assessment at home using wrist actigraphy followed by a circadian phase assessment using salivary melatonin. Researchers compared CM vs HC on sleep parameters and circadian factors. Subsequently, they examined associations between dim‐light melatonin onset (DLMO), the midpoint of the sleep episode, and the phase angle (time from DLMO to sleep midpoint) with the number of migraine days per month and the migraine disability assessment scale (MIDAS). They found:
- CM and HC did not differ on measures of sleep or circadian phase.
- Within the CM group, more frequent migraine days per month was significantly correlated with DLMO (r = .49) and later sleep episode (r = .47).
- In addition, a greater phase angle (ie, circadian misalignment) was significantly correlated with more severe migraine‐related disability (r = .48).
- These relationships remained significant after adjusting for total sleep time.
Can Circadian dysregulation exacerbate migraines? [Published online ahead of print May 4, 2018]. Headache. doi:10.1111/head.13310.