The Ultimate Migraine Trigger: Electrolyte Imbalance
Welcome back, fellow traveler!
I'm so glad you're on this journey with me towards a Migraine Prevention Lifestyle. In my last blog, I broke down how sensory inputs stress our migraine brains and the result is a flood of neurotransmitters, throwing our biochemical balance off.
Let's refresh our vocabulary to ensure you get the most out of what I'm sharing here.
Biochemistry:
bi•o•chem•is•try bī″ō-kĕm′ĭ-strē
n. The study of the chemical substances and vital processes occurring in living organisms; biological chemistry; physiological chemistry.
n. The chemical composition of a particular living system or biological substance.
n. The chemical study of living matter; also, physiological chemistry.
Electrolyte:
e•lec•tro•lyte ĭ-lĕk′trə-līt
n. A chemical compound that ionizes when dissolved or molten to produce an electrically conductive medium.
n. Any of various ions, such as sodium, potassium, or chloride, required by cells to regulate the electric charge and flow of water molecules across the cell membrane.
n. A compound which is decomposable, or is subjected to decomposition, by an electric current.
Ion:
i•on ī′ŏn″, ī′ən
n. An atom or a group of atoms that has acquired a net electric charge by gaining or losing one or more electrons.
n. In physical chemistry, one of the particles, bearing electric charges, which carry electric currents through the air or other gas.
Voltage:
vol•tage vōl′tĭj►
n. A measure of the difference in electric potential between two points in space, a material, or an electric circuit, expressed in volts.
Come back to these at any point to ensure maximum comprehension!
As we've been discussing, migraine is a dramatic energy crisis in the brain that occurs when no available voltage is available for the brain to properly function. That energy crisis is caused by a biochemical imbalance of electrolytes. This is the ultimate migraine trigger that you must avoid to effectively prevent migraines from happening. One of the easiest solutions to this problem is to consume water with salt (sodium chloride) or electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride +) consistently throughout the day.
We must consider that in order to be properly hydrated, we need two types of substances: water (solvent) and minerals (solutes). "The resulting solution provides nutrition for our cells. With this type of "true" hydration biochemical balance for proper neural operation can be achieved." (1).
In fact I don't ever drink plain water without salt or electrolyte powder, and if you suffer from migraines, neither should you. Here's why: because we urinate out a significant portion of the sodium and minerals we consume, we need to constantly consume them to maintain homeostasis of electrical conductivity within our body (biochemical balance). If we drink plain water we are diluting the electrolyte content in our body, setting up the conditions required for a migraine attack (Cortical Spreading Depression).
But drinking electrolytes isn't enough to maintain the biochemical balance needed to prevent migraine, because there are many other triggers of electrolyte balance within our migraine brains.
The toughest part of managing your migraine brain is learning what factors cause dehydration/electrolyte loss in your body. Most of us have never learned anything about this, so it takes patient self-observation to learn your personal triggers for electrolyte imbalance.
The Most Common Triggers of Electrolyte Imbalance
Too little sodium/electrolytes
Migraineurs urinate out an average of 50% of the sodium consumed, so our dietary sodium intake should be substantially higher than an "average American" according to USDA guidelines. Sodium chloride can be taken with water alone, combined with other electrolytes, or as an ingredient in our food. But if you're deficient at any given time of these key minerals, you're heading to migraine-land.
Too much plain water
This dehydrates the body by removing ions from cells. Yes, drinking plain water can actually dehydrate a migraineur! You'll know because you'll be urinating every hour and your urine will be clear. You want your urine to be light lemonade color. (2)
Not enough water
Without water, electrolytes don't provide hydration - so all the salt in the world won't hydrate you without water. If you're urine is darker than light lemonade, you need to drink more water throughout the day.
Most migraineurs need 8 to 10 glasses of water per day, with salt and/or electrolyte powder. The best way to tell if you're hydrated is if your urine maintains a light lemonade color throughout the day. If you're truly hydrated you won't be going to the bathroom every hour because the water will be maintained better in the body system. If your urine is clear or bright yellow you are dehydrated! If you drink fluids all day and never feel satiated, you are dehydrated! (3)
Think about it - the very first thing they do for you in the E.R. for migraine is give you saline solution. Prevent those trips by including electrolytes in your water all day. How much electrolyte powder you need per glass is something you'll need to play around with and test the results. In the beginning I suggest using more than less - you can taper down once you find your balance point.
Barometric pressure changes
You very likely have been triggered into a migraine from one of the following scenarios: increasing altitude while driving or hiking, increasing/decreasing altitude on an airplane, or sudden changes in weather - especially oncoming electrical storms. One of the reasons for this is the barometric pressure change in each instance has a significant effect on our biochemical balance. (4)
"Exceedingly hot or low temperatures, increasing or decreasing barometric pressure, and temperature changes in any direction that are sudden and exceed the threshold of our body's ability to cope, have all been proven to be migraine triggers." (5) Our brains use up more energy working to keep the body balanced, which puts the demand back on the electrolyte balance of the body.
Eating sugar or carbohydrates
This one is a real shocker to my clients and I know it was to me when I learned about glucose sensitivity in migraineurs. As mentioned in my prior blog, migraine is a dramatic energy crisis - the migraine brain is low on voltage energy.
"Not having enough energy robs neurons from being able to communicate and participate in necessary brain activities. The energy needed is NOT GLUCOSE, though that is likely what you crave - glucose is only able to enter the cells with sodium carrying each glucose molecule into the cell." (6)
This is why you are likely to actually crave sweets or simple carbs - because the glucose can't get into the cell without sodium - but what you really need is MORE SODIUM! The more sugar and carbs you eat the worse it gets for the migraine brain, because while glucose needs sodium to get into the cell, once in it removes sodium and water from your cells" (6) resulting in an electrolyte imbalance once again. "While glucose removes salt and water from everyone's cells, migraineurs are much more sensitive to the ensuing imbalance." (6)
In summation, "Sugar or any form of carbohydrate is the biggest enemy of electrolyte homeostasis for the brain of a migraineur." (6) We are far too sensitive to the changes in our biochemistry brought about by glucose, and this is called Glucose Sensitivity.
Eating a low-fat diet
Eating a low-fat diet is a huge mistake for a migraineur. These diets are usually high in carbohydrates and potentially protein as well. You've already learned about how treacherous too much glucose is for the migraine-brain from an electrolyte imbalance, but there's more to it.
"Inside our cells are the mitochondria that create most of the energy the cells need. Mitochondria can use lipids (fats) or glucose as raw material, particularly in a healthy metabolic flexibility state." (7) The problem with consuming too much glucose, especially on a daily basis, is that it damages the meyelin sheath that surrounds our brain's neurons, resulting in voltage leaks.
"Voltage leaks are a hallmark of many health conditions: seizures, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis - and migraines as well. Voltage leaks occur as a result of damage to the myelin sheath that provides insulation for the electrical communication that occurs between neurons. In the brain, a voltage leak causes a break in neuronal communications, which in turn disrupts normal signaling between neurons and causes our brain to suffer. Due to the increased voltage activity of a migraine brain, the potential for damage of our myelin sheath...is higher, unless we satisfy the greater cholesterol and fat requirements in our brain." (8)
So the main take away is less sugar, more fat - although your personal balance of the nutrients will likely be unique. "The standard American diet is mostly to blame for our poor neural functioning", (9) pointing to diet and lifestyle being the biggest controllable factors to improving our cellular balance at a biochemical level.
Here's your MUST-DO list to prevent the most common triggers of electrolyte imbalance and not enough available voltage for the migraine brain:
Drink 8-10 glasses of water with salt or electrolytes per day. Monitor urine color to maintain light lemonade color.
Prepare for barometric pressure changes by being properly hydrated and bring electrolytes and water with you whenever you travel.
Avoid refined carbohydrates, starchy foods, and most sugar. If you do eat them, do not cave to the thirst that follows. Avoid drinking any fluids for an hour or two. Notice if this pattern brings on a migraine and continue to eliminate offending foods.
There are so many more potential triggers of electrolyte imbalance that you can read about in Dr. Angela Stanton's book. I guide my clients through testing and identification of these more common triggers, and then if little progress is made we continue on down the list of less common triggers of biochemical imbalance.
Can you identify a few triggers for electrolyte imbalance in your body from this list?
XO 💋 Oriana
References:
Stanton, A. Angela: Fighting The Migraine Epidemic: A Complete Guide: How To Treat & Prevent Migraines Without Medicine. North Charleston, SC: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform; 2017.
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