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We have all heard that bright lights trigger migraines,
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but what if dim rooms and dark days are just as dangerous?
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Welcome to Migraine Heroes, a podcast for people living with chronic migraines with years of pain,
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misunderstanding and lack of answers.
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I'm Diane Ducarme. I've helped more than a thousand people reduce the burden of migraines and feel more in control.
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My mission in life? To help a million people.
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Each episode brings you grounded insight into what your body might be asking for and what can truly help.
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Just to keep you fully supported, this podcast is educational.
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For diagnosis or medication, always work with your doctor.
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Now, take a breath and let's dive in.
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In this episode, you will learn why both too much and too little light can trigger migraine attacks,
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even though most people only think about bright light.
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What the latest science says about how your brain processes light and pain,
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so you can finally make sense of symptoms you've struggled with for years.
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And practical ways to use light to your advantage to boost your brain and your health.
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As I'm writing this podcast, it is the middle of summer here in New Zealand.
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And so it's eight in the morning and I have shut my curtains.
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Too much light can be exhausting.
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And God knows if you've lived in New Zealand, you will know what I'm talking about.
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, literally in Belgium, where I'm from,
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my parents and sisters are deep into winter with barely any light.
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And that contrast got me thinking, could both my summer and their winter be feeding the same migraine fire in different ways?
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And so wherever you are in the world right now, whatever the season, I want to shed light on how light triggers migraines.
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So you can finally understand it is not just in summer or in winter, but all year round, even in what I call the computer season.
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So let's start by too little light, because that's an underappreciated trigger.
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Emerging research is now pointing to insufficient daylight, especially blue light during daytime hours, as a major factor in brain and migraine susceptibility.
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And so when winter arrives, we're going to focus on the drop in temperature.
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But the most significant change for migraine hero is the scarcity of photons.
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Our brains are not just observers of light.
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They're fueled by it.
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And so the first overlooked cause of winter migraines is the disruption of the circadian rhythm.
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Your brain has a master clock that relies on bright morning light to set your internal timing.
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And when winter mornings stay dark, your body doesn't get the clear start signal it needs.
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And research suggests that this circadian misalignment can lead to unstable serotonin and melatonin levels.
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And for a migraine brain, which thrives on predictability, this lack of clear rhythm is a bit like trying to drive a car with a flickering engine.
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It creates a state of neurological noise that lowers your pain threshold.
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So second, we must also look at mitochondrial efficiency.
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And we've spoken about how the brain is an energy hungry organ.
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And research in photobiomodulation suggests that certain wavelengths of sunlight, especially near infrared, help our mitochondria produce ATP, our cellular energy.
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And so when we lose that natural light boost in the winter, our cells have to work harder to maintain the same level of function.
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And this is going to create an energy deficit.
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If your brain is already running close to its limit, that seasonal drop in light fuel can be the final straw that triggers a flare up.
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And then there's a third reason why too little light is an underappreciated trigger, that there's a vasoconstriction response.
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So we have cold air and less light.
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It is going to trigger a sympathetic nervous system response, the fight or flight mode.
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And this can lead to a very subtle chronic tightening of the blood vessels.
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And so when your blood vessels are constantly constricted to keep you warm, the sudden change in pressure when you enter a heated building can cause a rapid rebound dilation, which is a classic pathway for a throbbing winter migraine.
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And so I find that fascinating because when we look at the data in the Migraine Heroes app, we do see patterns of seasons, seasonality.
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Definitely summer heat is a pattern of migraines, but definitely we also see seasonality in winter.
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And that can be explained by some of the things we just talked about.
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Now, too much light is equally a problem.
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While the absence of light in winter creates an energy deficit, the presence of too much light, especially the artificial high intensity variety, can create a state of sensory overwhelm.
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And that's going to be just as taxing for a migraine hero.
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And so the primary concern with excessive light is that phototoxicity and regional stress are either direct extensions of our brain.
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And when they are bombarded with constant high energy visible light, especially the blue light emitted by screens and LED overheads, it triggers a persistent activation of the melanopsin containing cells in the retina.
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And so for someone with a sensitive nervous system, it isn't just a visual nuisance. It's a metabolic demand.
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Research suggests that this overstimulation keeps the trigeminal nerve in a state of high alert.
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When the brain is forced to constantly process this harsh input, it consumes vast amounts of ATP just to filter the glare, eventually leading to the same energy exhaustion we see in low light scenarios, but caused by burnout rather than starvation.
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In addition to that, we have to consider the inhibition of melatonin.
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So while we need morning light to wake up, excessive light in the evening tricks the suprachiasmatic nucleus into thinking the sun has never set.
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And this is going to prevent the natural rise of melatonin, which is not only a sleep hormone, a powerful neuroprotective antioxidant.
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And without that nightly cleaning crew of melatonin to sweep away the oxidative stress of the day, the migraine brain is hot and inflamed.
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So if you live in Europe or in the US or in Canada or even in the UK, it's really hard to relate to too much light.
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Here in New Zealand, we lack ozone layer and the sun can be incredibly strong, hence my blind strut today.
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I've never had it so aggressive in other places, but here I will wear my sunglasses indoors and think of you when I do so.
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Now, let's turn to east for a minute and let's talk about light, not just as a migraine trigger, but as a medicine.
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In traditional Chinese medicine, the yang-ming channels, that is your stomach and large intestine, are said to be the most yang at the surface of the body.
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These are the channels that bring momentum, heat and transformation.
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They're like the body's ignition switch.
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And here's a beautiful part, they are activated by the rising sun.
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In Asian practice, people were told to go outside at sunrise, face the east and absorb those first few golden rays, not just for vitamin D, but to wake up their digestive fire and kickstart the flow of qi.
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So there's this little traditional Chinese medicine saying, the stomach receives the sun.
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And that means that when the sun rises, so should you.
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That sunlight is a signal to your whole system.
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It's time to wake up, to digest and to move energy throughout the body.
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Skip that light, everything slows down, even the brain.
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Light hitting your eyes in the morning was believed to open the orifice and clear the shen.
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In other words, it lifted brain fog, soothed anxiety and brought clarity to the mind.
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But light isn't the only teacher here, so is darkness.
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In Chinese medicine terms, darkness is not the enemy of health, it's where the healing begins.
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Just like stillness, silence or sleep, it gives the body a chance to recalibrate.
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Let the shen, your spirit mind, settle and the kidneys, your energetic root system, rebuild their reserves.
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And so there's another saying that says, if you shine a lamp all night, the oil runs out before dawn.
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Your nervous system is the lamp, the oil is your energy, respects the darkness and your body thanks you for it.
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So here's what that means for you today in your home, especially during screen heavy seasons.
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Flood your eyes with daylight within 30 minutes of waking.
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Not through a window, go outside.
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Even five minutes or one minute is enough to reset your internal clock and reduce light sensitivity later in the day.
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Use a bright light to fight brain fog.
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Feeling a bit of a midday slump, pull back the curtains, step into the sun.
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This boosts serotonin and cortisol, your natural fuel.
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No sun? Fake it smart.
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If you're in a dark climate or it's deep winter, use a daylight spectrum lamp every single morning.
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Same time, same place, like brushing your teeth for your brain.
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And please dim the tech after sunset.
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Blue light hijacks your melatonin and keeps your system stuck in the on mode.
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If you have to scroll, throw on some blue blockers and deep that brightness all the way down.
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On my phone, my brightness is always all the way down.
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You have one pair of eyes for a lifetime and one brain for a lifetime.
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Make a good use of it.
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True light, as you can see, is not just a trigger you have to run away from.
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It's a lever, one you can pull every day to train your brain, calm your system and build real resilience from the inside out.
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And remember, every small step you take moves you closer to freedom.
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You are powerful, you are resilient and you are no longer alone.
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Keep rising, Migrant Hero.
