Why Sleep Deprivation Makes Migraines Worse

Migraines are more than just headaches—they often come with nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and throbbing pain. Many people with migraines say that poor sleep makes things worse. But until recently, scientists didn’t know exactly why. A recently published study uncovered part of the answer: sleep loss changes how the migraine brain processes pain.

Baystate Health, 2025

The researchers recruited both migraine sufferers and healthy participants. Each person then went through 2 nights of regular sleep (around 8 hours) and 2 nights of restricted sleep (only 4 hours). After each sleep period, they were exposed to mild pain—either from a small laser or an electrical pulse—while wearing an EEG cap that recorded brain activity.

In healthy individuals, brain responses to repeated pain stayed mostly the same, regardless of sleep. In comparison, migraine participants showed increased habituation to repeated pain after sleep deprivation, indicating stronger inhibitory responses to pain stimuli. However, this doesn’t mean they experienced less pain or that sleep deprivation is beneficial. Instead, it’s likely a compensatory effect, reflecting the brain trying to regulate an overly sensitive pain system. 

In summary, this study shows that people with migraines process pain differently, especially when sleep is disrupted. It supports what many patients already report: poor sleep can trigger or worsen migraines. Understanding this link could lead to better migraine care by helping patients focus not just on medication, but also on sleep quality and routines as part of their treatment plan.

References

Headache location meaning: Causes and solutions. Headache Location Meaning: Causes and Solutions. (n.d.). https://www.baystatehealth.org/articles/headache-location-types 

Neuroscience News. (2025, June 19). How sleep deprivation amplifies pain in migraine. https://neurosciencenews.com/sleep-deprivation-migraine-pain-29303/ 

Omland, P. M., Hansen, J. O., Neverdahl, J. P., Mykland, M. S., Matre, D., Uglem, M., & Sand, T. (2025). Migraine and insufficient sleep: The effect of sleep restriction on nociceptive evoked potentials in Migraine. Cephalalgia, 45(3).