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Sugar, Headaches & Migraines

Can Sugar Trigger Migraines?
Learn about the connection between your blood sugar levels and migraines, and how Ebby effectively helps prevent migraines.

Reading time: 12 minutes

Last updated: February 6, 2024

What you will learn in this article

Migraines are neurological disorders that can be genetic and hereditary. Sufferers often experience pounding headaches that can last for days, along with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. These symptoms frequently force them to retreat to dark, quiet spaces—a forced time-out of sorts.

Recent studies indicate that glucose metabolism plays a significant role in triggering migraine attacks. Researchers have found links between insulin resistance, high blood sugar and insulin levels, and migraines. Particularly, sharp fluctuations in blood sugar levels after meals can contribute to migraines on multiple levels.

This insight offers a new approach to preventive migraine therapy:

“Interventions aimed at stabilizing energy metabolism should be the primary focus of treatment.”

Does Too Much or Too Little Sugar Trigger Migraines?

Blood sugar’s impact on migraines is complex. Sharp fluctuations in blood sugar—whether too high or too low—likely promote migraines in three ways:

  1. Low Blood Sugar: Energy Deficit in the Brain Can Trigger Migraines
    After consuming certain foods or meals, blood sugar levels can spike. In response, the pancreas releases large amounts of insulin to transport glucose into cells. This can lead to reactive hypoglycemia, where blood sugar levels drop sharply—even below pre-meal levels. This drop can result in a glucose and energy deficit in the brain, potentially triggering a migraine attack. Such attacks may act as a protective mechanism, forcing the brain into an energy-conserving mode, demanding rest and recovery.

  2. High Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels Can Trigger Inflammatory Processes
    Migraines involve dilated blood vessels in the brain, setting off inflammatory responses that release pain-triggering substances. Once a threshold is reached, this pain manifests as a migraine. Physical activity, which pumps more blood to the brain, often intensifies the pain—a hallmark symptom. Research shows that sharp fluctuations in blood sugar after meals can exacerbate inflammation, potentially fueling migraine attacks.

  3. Low Blood Sugar Stimulates CGRP, Encouraging Migraine Attacks
    Low blood sugar stimulates the production of CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide), a molecule that impairs brain energy supply and contributes to migraine triggers. Stabilizing blood sugar can inhibit CGRP production, reducing migraines.
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Stable, Low Blood Sugar: An Effective Migraine Prevention Strategy

Scientific studies suggest that maintaining stable, low blood sugar through a low-glycemic diet can prevent migraines. This approach ensures consistent energy delivery to the brain, avoiding spikes and crashes in blood sugar and insulin levels.

Additional benefits of stable blood sugar include:

  • Prolonged satiety after meals
  • Prevention of cravings
  • Support for healthy fat loss

 

Tips for Avoiding Blood Sugar Fluctuations

  • Eat regularly (every 3–4 hours).
  • Avoid simple carbohydrates (found in white bread and sweets).

 

Opt for complex carbohydrates (whole grains, brown rice, lentils, vegetables, and some fruits).

How Ebby Helps Prevent Migraines

Test Phase: Analyzing Your Blood Sugar Response

During the 2-week test phase, your blood sugar concentration in the tissue will be measured using an easily attachable glucose sensor on your skin. During this time, you will keep a food diary within the app and can select test meals developed specifically for you in addition to your regular meals, plan them into your daily routine, and try them out. The sensor allows you to see directly how your blood sugar responds to certain foods and food combinations. The more test meals you plan, the more accurate the subsequent, personalized dietary recommendations will be.

To help us interpret the sensor data correctly, you can also enter additional data into the app that influences blood sugar: activities, mood, medications, and sleep.

Personalized Recommendation for a Low Glycemic Diet

In the 4th week, you will receive a detailed report with the results of the test meals and a thorough analysis of your food diary. The report will include the following information:

Meal Ranking: Which meals triggered low blood sugar levels for you, and which ones caused higher blood sugar?

Side Dish Ranking: Which side dishes caused the lowest blood sugar responses and which triggered blood sugar spikes?

What type of blood sugar response do you have? Which foods and food combinations produce the best blood sugar responses for you?

Detailed Nutritional Analysis with Nutrient Report: Which nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, or fats) and combinations trigger which blood sugar responses for you? How are your meals composed in terms of nutrients, and where can you make improvements?

For example, through the DiGA sinCephalea, I discovered that my blood sugar shoots up to absurd levels after eating potatoes, while pasta causes a relatively stable blood sugar response. My side dish ranking was therefore completely the opposite of what I expected and how I had been eating before the test phase.

I also found it interesting that, among other things, I am a “coffee type” and that a coffee at breakfast significantly improves my blood sugar response, or that I should enrich my muesli with more fat in the form of yogurt, seeds, or nuts to keep my blood sugar stable and stay fuller for longer in the morning. Often, I was hungry again after just 2 hours following my muesli.

 

Other Features of Ebby

In addition to a detailed migraine history through questionnaires, Ebby allows you to document your fluid intake, sleep, physical activity, and well-being in your food diary. The app also includes a headache and migraine diary where you can record the pain intensity, attack duration, symptoms, and medications taken.

All of this information is compiled by the app into a doctor’s report, known as the migraine report. This way, you can have a clear overview and something useful to take to your next doctor’s appointment.

Furthermore, Ebby includes engaging lessons about all topics related to migraines (such as common triggers, alternative treatments, and medication options) as well as free support for all your questions.

Main Features of Ebby

  • Comprehensive migraine history via questionnaires
  • Personalized low-glycemic nutrition plans
  • Food diary with options to log hydration, sleep, activity, and mood
  • Migraine and headache tracking with medication logs
  • Educational content on migraines
  • Free user support
  • Detailed migraine reports for your doctor

Conclusion

Recent studies highlight the connection between glucose metabolism and migraines. Strong fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels can contribute to attacks, while a low-glycemic diet stabilizing these levels offers an effective prevention strategy.

Ebby helps you identify which foods stabilize your blood sugar, allowing you to prevent migraines without side effects or risks. The added benefit? Stable blood sugar promotes overall health and well-being.

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About the Author

Picture of Miriam Jansen

Miriam Jansen

Miriam had to give up her job due to chronic migraines - and became a migraine expert during this time. The migraine helped her to make a radical change in her life: She now lives as a digital nomad in her bus and works as a copywriter & as a shepherdess on an alp.