Common Supplements for Headaches

Almost everyone at some point in their lives have had to put plans on hold or persevere through some form of head or eye pain. Up to 75% of people aged between 18-64 have experienced a headache in the last year. 30% or more of those headache episodes were shown to be a migraine. There are many different types of headaches but the vast majority are tension type and migraines. So what are some cheap and effective supplements we can take to reduce the risk of headaches and even reduce how severe they are when they occur?

Magnesium

Magnesium exerts a wealth of effects in the body, arguably one of the most important is the way in which it helps maintains and protects the nervous system. It’s deficiency in the central nervous system is linked to a range of disorders, quite possibly due to its ability to plug NMDA receptors is crucial in preventing unwanted neurological activation and plasticity. Numerous studies show magnesium deficiencies in headache sufferers and positive effects by supplementing these people with magnesium. Most notably decreased frequency (how often headaches occurred) and severity (how painful the headache is). The only noted side effects seemed to occur with poorer quality/absorbable types of magnesium which caused stomach upsets and diarrhea. Given its cheap cost/health benefits headache sufferers should at least trial a bottle of magnesium and keep a journal on severity and frequency of headaches whilst taking the magnesium. Again its important to highlight that quality matters. As an added bonus magnesium seems to reduce muscle tension, pain and cramps which is fantastic for headache sufferers as it is common to have neck/shoulder pain and stiffness comorbid to headaches.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D exerts a vast array of effects on the human body particularly involving the immune response and inflammation. Although far less common for causing headaches there is still some research linking low vitamin D to headaches. Particularly migraines. There is a lot of debate as to what constitutes a vitamin D deficiency with “low normal” readings on a blood test still being considered as a possible cause of symptoms by medical and health professionals. It is also quite hard to hit toxic levels of vitamin D so you can safely start supplementing a tablet a day whilst keeping a headache journal to see if you get a changes in your headache frequency or severity. If you do notice improvement with supplementation it would be useful to get a blood test to see how deficient you are and to see if you need to take more vitamin D to reach optimal levels.

Co Enzyme Q10 (COQ10)

The human body is a giant collection of different types of cells all constantly turning over and working (in this instance we are discussing nerve cells). COQ10 is an essential component of healthy cell function. It is vital in the production of energy in our cells. It has been demonstrated in research to reduce the severity and frequency of migraine headaches. Although it appears to have minimal effect on the severity of the headaches.

Calcium

Calcium has a range of functions in our body. One of calcium’s most important roles is in the nervous system where it is involved in the release of neurotransmitters, the propagation of nerve signals and nerve cell excitation. There is relatively sparse research on calcium for headaches but the trend seems to be increased calcium intake in the diet is associated with decreased migraine symptoms in women, but the effect is reversed in men with high dietary intake in men associated with worse migraine symptoms. Although calcium supplements are easy to come across it may be better to start by increasing foods in your diet that give you more calcium such as dairy products and leafy green vegetables. Unless your a man, in which case it might be worth trialing a reduction in dairy intake and noting in a headache journal over the next few months if this has a positive effect on reduced headaches and migraines.

Hopefully this article has given you a simple understanding of some of the common supplements recommended for headaches and migraines and when you would/wouldn’t use them. If you have further questions chat to your GP or nutritionist.