New research Link between Migraines and Anxiety

New research from the University of Toronto has found a link between migraines and anxiety - Read below to find out more:

 

Do you suffer from migraines and anxiety? You’re not alone!

New research from the University of Toronto has found that people with migraines are three times MORE likely to suffer with anxiety than people who do not.

Both migraines and anxiety can be eased with certain vitamins and ingredients that are known for their brain health properties. We  asked our experts for their top suggestions for busting pesky migraines and squashing any anxious feelings.

Omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids can help decrease the severity of migraines. They are an effective anti-inflammatory, which can help to reduce blood vessel inflammation within the brain. Omega 3’s can help reduce symptoms of anxiety. Shona Wilkinson, Nutritionist at Superfood UK, adds:

“Oily fish contains DHA, which contributes toward brain health; research has also shown that the omega three found in oily fish helps in reducing anxiety. Anxiety is something which is often peaking at the end of a busy day so by eating this omega rich meal you will be helping to support your body through this period.”

Vitamin D

A recent study by the University of Eastern Finland found a link between Vitamin D deficiencies and migraines, but it is also know for helping boost your mood and banish anxiety due to the raised serotonin levels.[1]  Shona explains:

“Bright daylight entering your eyes triggers serotonin production. Even on an overcast day, natural daylight is much brighter than artificial light indoors. Do what you can to maximise your natural light exposure, such as going for a run outside, to help boost those vitamin D levels”

“To boost your vitamin D levels even further you can also try a supplement such as, Vega Vitamins Every Day D Spray (£5.95, vegavitamins.co.uk),” adds Nutritionist, Cassandra Barns.

CoQu10

Coenzyme Q-10 is great for supporting brain health and has been found to ease both migraines and anxiety. It can be found in fatty foods like fish, beef, chicken and nuts, nutritionist, Cassandra Barns, says:

“CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance, present in every cell in our body and has been associated with helping to reduce headaches and migraines. Although the body makes its own CoQ10, some research suggests that these levels decrease from the age of 20 onwards. Try Quest’s Ubiquinol Qu10 (£20.81, qnutrapharma.com).”

Magnesium

In addition to Vitamin D, many migraine sufferers are also prone to have a deficiency in magnesium. Known as ‘nature’s tranquiliser’, it’s a magic ingredient for promoting sleep and anxiety!

“Many of us live hectic, stressful lives and are more exposed to environmental and food toxins, which can make us more prone to a magnesium deficiency. To make sure you’re getting your daily dose I would recommend taking Natures Plus KalmAssure Magnesium Capsules (£11.75, www.naturesplus.co.uk), which are easily absorbed and delivered to the tissues,” explains Cassandra.

Cut Out Sugar

If you’ve eaten a few many chocolates it can destablisise your sugar levels and trigger both migraines and anxious feelings.  Dr Marilyn Glenville, the UK’s leading nutritionist and author of ‘Natural Alternatives to Sugar’ says:

“Balancing blood sugar is essential in lowering stress because the crashes in sugar levels which happen through the day (due to long periods without food and not eating the right foods) stimulates the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol to be released. This is because these stress hormones, apart from helping you to run away from a tiger, can also mobilise your glucose (which has been stored as glycogen in the liver) back into the blood stream. This is why you can feel more jittery, irritable etc when blood sugar plummets!”

“Ensure you have a small meal every 2-3 hours that contains protein (eat breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a snack mid morning and one mid afternoon). For example, a hard-boiled egg, 10-12 almonds, a small can of tuna and brown rice. This will stop those roller-coaster highs and cravings for sweet foods. Because your blood sugar isn’t allowed to drop, your body will no longer have to ask you for a quick fix. As your blood sugar steadies, so will your mood swings – reduced adrenaline levels will automatically make you feel happier and calmer inside and feel less stressed.”

Vitamin B

Although most known for it’s de-stressing powers, Vitamin B has also been proven to reduce the frequency of migraines, Shona says:

“We often can’t prevent the stresses of life, but we can influence our reaction to it. Take a B complex daily, as the B vitamins are water-soluble and if you’re not consuming them daily, through your diet and/or supplementation, you will just miss out on them. The B vitamins folate (B9), niacin (B3), thiamine (B1) and vitamin B6 (and also vitamin C) all contribute to normal psychological function, having an impact on how we feel.”

Water

Drinking water is the oldest trick in the book! Sometimes the simplest tricks are the best and it’s no different when it comes to headaches and anxiety. Shona says:

“We all know that keeping hydrated is vital for good health. Symptoms of dehydration can include headaches and migraines, but also dry skin, irritability, lack of concentration and dizziness to name but a few. The guidelines are for us to drink 8 glasses of water per day. However, we don’t need to get our intake from drink alone – foods can contribute towards our daily intake of water. 

“Try to included hydrating foods in your diet. For example, cucumbers are one of the top hydrating foods as they are thought to be composed of massive 96% of water. Try adding them to juices, or snacking on them.”

Scientists discover response to anxiety linked to movement control areas in brain

Researchers have discovered that the response to anxiety in teenagers may include not only the parts of the brain which deal with emotions (the limbic system), as has been long understood, but also movement control centres in the brain, which may be associated with movement inhibition when stressed (“freezing”). This is a small longitudinal study, presented at the ECNP conference in Vienna.

A group of Italian and Canadian researchers have followed a selection of socially anxious and control group children from childhood to adolescence.  The researchers tested 150 children at the ages of 8/9, for signs of social inhibition. Some of these were shown to have early signs of social anxiety, and showed an increased tendency to withdraw from social situations. They also had more difficulty in recognising emotions, and particularly angry faces.

The anxious children, plus controls, were then followed into adolescence. At the ages of 14-15 they were tested again to see if signs of social anxiety had developed. The researchers also used fMRI brain scans to test how the teenage brains responded to angry facial expressions.

As lead researcher, Laura Muzzarelli said:

“We found that when presented with an angry face the brain of socially anxious adolescents showed increased activity in the amygdala, which is the brain area concerned with emotions, memory and how we respond to threats. Surprisingly, we also found this produced inhibition of some motor areas of the brain, the premotor cortex. This is an area which ‘prepares the body for action’, and for specific movements. This is the first hard proof that strong emotions produce a response in brain areas concerned with movement. Adolescents who don’t show social anxiety tend not to show the inhibition in the movement centres. We don’t yet know how this inhibition feeds into movement – it may be that this has something to do with why we sometimes ‘freeze’ when we are frightened or under strong emotional stress, this still has to be tested. What it does give us is a possible explanation for some motor inhibition associated with emotional stress.

We need to acknowledge that there are some limitations to this work. We started this 6-year study with 150 children, but by the time we reached adolescence we had narrowed down the field to just 5 children with social anxiety, and 5 with less severe (subthreshold) social anxiety, so it’s a small sample”.

Social Anxiety is a mental health condition characterised by excessive fear and avoidance of the judgement of others. It is the most common anxiety disorder, affecting around 6% to 8% people during their life*, meaning around 50m** Europeans are affected by the condition. It can occur at any age, but most commonly the onset is in adolescence, with early signs already visible during infancy. In early stages, social anxiety can be mistaken for shyness. 

Okayama University research: Self-administered aroma foot massage may reduce symptoms of anxiety

Researchers at Okayama University conduct the first community-based study on the effects of self-administered aromatherapy foot massage on stress and anxiety symptoms. The results suggest aromatherapy massages might provide an inexpensive, simple way of managing anxiety.

The continuing popularity of complementary therapies, such as aromatherapy and massage, has prompted scientists to investigate the effects of such therapies on the body in more detail. Complementary therapies are said to reduce the symptoms associated with stress and anxiety, and therefore may reduce the chances of severe illness, such as hypertension and heart disease. The precise effects on the body following such therapies is unclear, however.

Previous studies have focused on the effects of massage and aromatherapy treatments on blood pressure and mental state in hospitalized patients in Japan, but none have been conducted on individuals living in the community. Now, Eri Eguchi and co-workers at Okayama University, together with researchers across Japan, have conducted the first study into the effect of aromatherapy-based foot massage on blood pressure, anxiety and health-related quality of life in people living in the community.

57 participants took part in the study; 52 women and 5 men. Baseline blood pressure and heart rate values were taken at the start and end of the four-week trial period, as well as at a follow-up session 8 weeks later. Participants also completed questionnaires on anxiety status and health-related quality of life at each stage of the trial. The participants were divided into two groups, and one group were taught to perform a 45-minute aromatherapy-based foot massage on themselves three times a week for four weeks.

The results suggest that aroma foot massage decreased the participants’ average blood pressure readings, and state of anxiety, and tended to increased mental health-related quality of life score. However the effect of massages was not significant with changes in other factors such as physical health-related quality of life scores and heart rate.

In their paper published in March 2016 in PLOS One, Eguchi’s team are cautiously optimistic about the potential for self-administered massage to reduce anxiety in the population: “[although] it was difficult to differentiate the effects of the aromatherapy from the effects of the massage therapy... [the combination] may be an effective way to increase mental health and improve blood pressure.”

Background

Aromatherapy and massage

Aromatherapy has long been used to relieve stress and anxiety in populations across the globe. Different aroma essential oils are said to have different properties, and are used to induce relaxation and promote well-being. Trials have indicated that certain essential oils, when inhaled, can reduce blood pressure levels and alleviate depression by stimulating the olfactory system.

Massage (in its many forms) also has a long history in therapeutic medicine, and the practice of manipulating key pressure points in the body to induce relaxation has been shown to improve mental and physical health. However, detailed scientific studies of the effects of aromatherapy foot massage – an increasingly popular treatment in Japan – on blood pressure and perceived quality of life are limited.  

Significance and further work

While the trial carried out by Eguchi and her team is limited in some respects, their results provide an initial starting point from which to extend studies into the benefits of aroma foot massage for the general population. Their findings that massage, or the aromatherapy, or a combination of both, reduce blood pressure readings (at least in the short term) warrants further investigation.

Eguchi and her team acknowledge that their decision to advertise for participants may have encouraged more health-conscious and pro-active people to apply. They also received far more applications from women than men, although their age-range (from 27 to 72) was diverse. Further work is needed to determine the effect of aroma foot massage on specific age and sex categories, for example, before such interventions are encouraged in the wider population.