Waning light, waxing pain: The lunar cycle's association with migraine headache occurrence
Abstract
Objective: To examine circalunar rhythms in migraine headache occurrence in a prospective cohort of 98 adults with episodic migraine.
Background: Migraine is a prevalent neurological disorder characterized by paroxysmal attacks. While time-of-day and seasonal rhythmicity in migraine occurrence have been described, little is known about circalunar patterns. Understanding these rhythms may inform headache prediction and guide personalized preventive medication timing.
Methods: We performed a secondary, post-hoc analysis using data from a prospective cohort study (March 2016-October 2017). Participants completed twice-daily electronic diaries, recording various characteristics including headache, and, when applicable, menstrual cycle timing. Participants wore wrist actigraphs for 6 weeks. We tested for a 30-day circalunar rhythm in headache risk at the population-level. We then examined for lunar synchronized rhythms in individuals, adjusting our analysis for participant-specific factors and differences in baseline headache risk. Sleep characteristics and menstrual timing were assessed as potential mediators of the relationship between lunar phase and headache occurrence.
Results: Ninety-eight participants were followed for a median length of 43 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 42-45 days) with an average of 24.2% (standard deviation [SD] 13.2) of those days being headache days. Population-level analysis showed a significant relationship between lunar phase and headache risk…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 98 participants or records.
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