Brainstem Sensitization: What is it and what does this actually mean for you?

You've probably heard us use the term brainstem sensitization as the underlying cause of chronic headaches and migraines before. So, what does this mean and most importantly, what does it mean in connection to your headaches and migraines?

Hi, I'm Dr. Beth, osteopath here at Melbourne Headache Solutions.

First and foremost, there's a really big difference between acute headaches and chronic headaches. Acute headaches are like you've cracked your neck, you've woken up, you've got a headache, and it disappears in a couple of hours or maybe in a day or so. But you're not really a headache or migraine sufferer. They just pop up occasionally sporadically or, you know, you get dehydrated on like a 30° day, you drink some water, and hey, it disappears.

So, there's a big difference between that and a long-term chronic headache migraine sufferer, where they keep coming back again and again, and again and again, and you just don't know what to do about it. You've had them for months, you've had them for years, and there just doesn't seem to be too much of a pattern to it or alternatively, you've noticed a pattern to it because they keep coming around your period or they come with a change in the season or you're getting set off by certain foods. But again, you're just still not sure exactly what to do with it because they just keep coming back again and again and again and again.

Again, there's a massive difference between acute headaches where someone just wakes up with them or had a bad night's sleep or is dehydrated versus those chronic headaches and migraines. And that's because with these chronic headaches and migraines, there's this underlying disorder called brain stem sensitization.

Now there is a certain area of your brain called the brainstem that becomes hyper-excitable. The neurons are firing at a way to lower the threshold, so they're very easily set off, which means that you're primed and ready for a headache or a migraine to be set off by any little thing. And we're all different by what sets off our headaches and migraines. That's why there's a long list of triggers that can set off headaches and migraines, but it doesn't necessarily mean that everything on that list will set off your headaches and migraines. For instance, chocolate will set off migraines in some people, but not necessarily in yourself. The same thing with coffee, sometimes it can be relieving in some people and sometimes it can set off a migraine in others. Hormones can be a really big problem for some women and alternatively, there's no issue for other people. So, we're all different in terms of what can set off our headaches and migraines but there are so many things that can set them off. For some people, they have no idea what's even setting off their headaches and migraines, but the most important part is, and the most consistent part with everybody with chronic headaches and migraines is that this portion in their brain is sensitized –it's hyper-excitable. We've got to take the sensitivity level from being really high to being very low, so it takes a really big event to actually set off your headaches and migraines –like it's supposed to.

Now, when it comes time for this sensitivity level, there are many things that can contribute to this sensitivity. One of the big contributing factors for a lot of people are the top three joints in the neck: C1, C2, and C3. A lot of people have got chronic neck dysfunction and they've tried having them treated before and not much has changed or they made short-term changes or alternatively, it made them worse. These three joints have got to be treated in a really thoughtful manner and you've got to retrain them back into their correct position and stay there so that you can actually decrease that sensitivity to a more normal level.

For other people, they've got their jaw contributing to that sensitivity level. The nerves of the face feed into that area of the brainstem and can contribute to that sensitivity level. Clenching and grinding also can contribute to headaches. You've got things like your diet as well, which contribute to increasing that sensitivity level, your hormones as well.

If you're deficient in certain nutrients and supplements, things like magnesium and your B vitamins and Omegas and those sorts of things, it can really contribute to headaches and migraines. Stress and anxiety can really contribute to increasing our sensitivity level and therefore your susceptibility to getting headaches and migraines.

Having poor sleep is also a big factor. We do know that if you've got really poor sleep, then you're more likely to get headaches and migraines and can keep your sensitivity level up. Whereas if you've got great sleep or even better sleep, then it means that you're more likely to have a decrease in headaches and migraines, which is fantastic. Exercising we know is really good for headaches and migraines. So, if you're not exercising, that's a really easy thing that you can try to incorporate to try to decrease your headaches migraines.

As you can see, there are so many things that can contribute to an increase in your sensitivity level and by changing them positively means that we can decrease the sensitivity level of your brainstem, so it makes it much harder to set off a headache or a migraine.

However, everybody's different. Everybody's formula to what contributes to their sensitivity level is different. So, you might have a really large chunk that's contributing to your sensitivity that is your neck, then you've got a little bit that's your hormones, and you've got a little bit that's your diet. So, you really need to have your neck thoroughly and thoughtfully treated. And if you make minor changes to your hormones and minor changes to your diet, then that's your puzzle completed.

For other people, they've got a chunk that is their neck. They've got a chunk that is their jaw. And then they've got a chunk that is their stress. So, they've got to work on those three areas to make massive changes to their headaches and migraines.

For other people, they've really got to do a massive overhaul of their diet. They've got to work on supplementation as well because their diet has been really, really poor. They also need to have a look at their hormones because there may be lifestyle factors affecting their hormone levels. Additionally, their hormones may be affected by stress so, they’ve got to look at their stress levels as well.

You see, everybody's formula is a little bit different and you've gotta be able to identify which are the most significant areas that need addressing in order to make the biggest changes and the most long-term changes in you. Usually, it's more than just one factor –there’s more than just one thing that you need to change in order to make those long-term changes for your chronic headaches and migraines. So, it's really important to be able to identify those things and that's what we do here at Melbourne Headache Solutions.

Here, we look at all the factors that could be contributing to your headaches and migraines, and we give you advice about all of those areas. And if there are certain areas, say your hormones, then we will tell you where you need to go in regards to those places. We can help you to identify whether your hormones are contributing to your headaches and migraines or not. We can give you natural advice to help you correct hormonal imbalances like dietary changes and exercise.

No one should have to live with headaches and migraines for life. If you can understand what's causing your headaches migraines and what has led you to them, then you can make significant changes and see long-term results. And we can help you with that. Treating headaches and migraines are our absolute passion.

So, if you've got any questions or queries about your headaches and migraines, please drop a comment below. Hopefully, you found this helpful and that this has helped to clear up what brainstem sensitization is and what the actual underlying disorder of headaches and migraines is.