Migraines and Blood Sugar

I am trying an experiment to determine if I have more migraines when I eat refined sugar. This month has been especially bad for migraines, and the only correlation I can see is that I've eaten a lot more sugar than usual.

All sugars end up in our bloodstream as glucose, but refined sugars get there the quickest. This intense rise in glucose (hyperglycemia) causes the pancreas to produce large amounts of the hormone insulin, which overreacts and rapidly cleans up the glucose. This leads to a quick drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which some think may constrict the blood vessels and lead to the aura stage of a migraine.

When your blood sugar is low, the brain does not have enough glucose to function properly. The body responds by increasing the blood flow to the brain and releasing more hormones, which then release stored glucose into the bloodstream. The result is increased blood pressure and a swelling in the blood vessels in the brain. This change in blood vessel diameter and dynamics is believe to cause the headache pain.

Yesterday I tried very hard to eat better, but ended up having chocolate-dipped fruit for dessert. I awoke once in the middle of the night and realized I had a headache. When I got up at 4 am, it was still there. When headaches occur in the middle of the night, it seems to be that there must be a body chemistry cause.

Thanks to Headache.com.au and Alternative Medicine and Health.

Sugar and the Immune System
Here is another fascinating article from Healing Daily about how sugar slows down the immune system. Vitamin C and glucose cells are similar, so when there is more glucose in the bloodstream, there is less Vitamin C to help your body fight viruses, bacteria and cancer. I didn't know this: Major health researchers and organizations, including the American Dietetic Organization and American Diabetes Organization, say that ingesting too much sugar is one of the top three causes of degenerative disease.