Millions of people worldwide have had COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, a new COVID-19-related issue emerged as time passed. Some individuals — particularly those who had severe cases of COVID-19 — found that they weren’t recovering, even months or years after they got sick. This condition is called long COVID, and one of its most common symptoms is persistent headaches.
If you’re experiencing severe migraine or headaches after a COVID-19 diagnosis, you’ll know that it can have a serious impact on your quality of life. You’re not alone — others are also going through the same thing. Thankfully, standard migraine treatments can help relieve long COVID migraine and headaches.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about long COVID and its connection to migraine. We’ve also included some treatment options you can try to alleviate migraine while you recover from long COVID.
What is long COVID?
Long COVID syndrome — also called post-COVID, long-haul COVID or long COVID for short — refers to various symptoms that persist or appear after an initial COVID-19 infection. Symptoms may last longer than three months and are sometimes hard to explain or link to COVID-19. While long COVID affects everyone differently, the condition can be debilitating and even result in long-term disability.
Researchers have identified more than 200 long COVID symptoms, but some common ones include:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Breathlessness
- Insomnia
- Heart palpitations
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Muscle aches
- Anxiety or depression
Can long COVID cause migraine?
More research is required to confirm the effects of COVID-19, but it’s clear it causes headaches. Many people struggle with severe headaches after getting COVID-19, often describing them as similar to migraine-like headaches or attacks. Migraine causes pulsing head pain on one side of the head. It’s also accompanied by other symptoms, like nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light or sound.
While COVID-19 and long COVID headaches are similar to migraine, they are not exactly the same. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for COVID-19-related headaches, while migraine is a neurological pain condition potentially caused by a genetic predisposition and various triggers. However, long COVID can worsen migraine.
Some people who already had migraine or another headache condition before getting COVID-19 are reporting more frequent and severe head pain. With the addition of long COVID, this head pain worsens and continues for a long time. It can happen to anyone, including people who initially had a mild case of COVID-19. If you suspect long COVID is the reason for your headaches, it’s important to speak to a healthcare specialist about your symptoms.
What’s the link between migraine and long COVID?
Researchers are still trying to uncover the exact reason why long COVID causes migraine-like headaches and worsens existing migraine. While details are unclear, there appears to be a link between the two conditions. Possible reasons for this link include:
Inflammation
Studies show that COVID-19 causes chronic inflammation, which can persist long after the initial infection. It is caused by an exaggerated autoimmune response, leading to higher levels of inflammation than normal. This inflammation is also present in individuals with long COVID.
Inflammation is caused by cytokines, which are small proteins that serve as the immune system’s messengers. Studies show that cytokine levels and brain inflammation are higher in people with migraine. Long COVID may trigger migraine and migraine-related headaches because of increased inflammation in the brain.
Trigeminovascular stimulation
Another possible reason for the link between migraine and long COVID is the stimulation of the trigeminovascular system. This system contains the trigeminal nerve, which sends sensory signals from the face to the brain. Researchers believe the trigeminal nerve acts as a pathway for migraine pain signals.
During a migraine attack, inflammation in the brain can stimulate and sensitize the trigeminal nerve endings, sending pain signals to the brain. The higher levels of brain inflammation caused by long COVID may stimulate the trigeminovascular system, which can trigger migraine or cause migraine-like head pain.
Increased migraine triggers
Long COVID symptoms may also be responsible for worsening migraine and head pain. If you have long COVID, you may struggle to sleep and feel incredibly fatigued. You may also become stressed about your symptoms and their effect on your life. Studies show that people who get sick from COVID-19 often develop mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
Stress and sleep issues are common migraine triggers for many individuals, and may be responsible for migraine attacks in people who have migraine with COVID-19 or long COVID.
Long COVID migraine treatment options
Many people find relief from long COVID migraine and headaches by implementing a migraine treatment plan. A typical plan involves taking prescribed or over-the-counter migraine medication and making lifestyle changes. However, there are other drug-free migraine treatment options you can try:
- Neuromodulation: CEFALY is the #1 FDA-cleared migraine device that uses neuromodulation to desensitize the trigeminal nerve. It has two modes — ACUTE and PREVENT. The ACUTE mode can relieve migraine pain during an attack, while consistent use of the PREVENT mode can decrease attack frequency.
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture involves inserting tiny needles into pressure points within the body, which may stimulate the body’s healing response. Some people find that acupuncture reduces migraine pain and attack frequency.
- Massage therapy: Therapeutic massage — particularly on the head and shoulders — may help reduce tension in your body, calm your mind, and prevent migraine.
A combination of approaches can help you manage your migraine more effectively in the long term. Before starting any new treatments, ensure you consult with your healthcare provider.
The importance of self-care
If you’re struggling with migraine while recovering from long COVID, prioritizing self-care is essential. Self-care can help you reduce the severity of migraine triggers affecting you.
Carry a water bottle to ensure you stay hydrated and eat healthy foods. Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule, and have a nap if you’re feeling tired. When stress worsens your symptoms, take time to do relaxing activities like yoga, meditation or breathing exercises. You can also keep a migraine journal to track your migraine attacks and see which lifestyle changes impact your life most.
Combat migraine with a CEFALY device
Living with migraine and long COVID symptoms? You may want to try the CEFALY migraine treatment device. While CEFALY’s efficacy has not been studied specifically for long COVID migraine, it’s clinically proven to decrease migraine pain and reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. In one study, 79% of patients saw a significant reduction in headache pain after one hour of CEFALY ACUTE treatment. In another study, 56.4% of patients said CEFALY resolved their most bothersome symptom, such as nausea, vomiting, or light or sound sensitivity.
With this small device, you can take charge of your migraine treatment and feel better for longer.
You don’t need a prescription, and we offer a 90-day money-back guarantee. Get started by purchasing a CEFALY device today.
