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Routine Disruptions Linked to Migraines in Groundbreaking Study
14 Nov
Summary
- Disruptions to daily routine strongly linked to higher migraine risk
- Unexpected events, like news or mood swings, can trigger migraines
- Study tracked 109 people with migraines over 3+ years
According to a groundbreaking study published in JAMA Network Open on November 11, 2025, disruptions to a person's daily routine are strongly associated with a higher risk of migraine attacks within the following 12-24 hours. The research team, led by Dana Turner from Harvard Medical School, tracked 109 people with migraines from April 2021 to December 2024 and found that any "surprisal" event - such as too much food or drink, staying up late, a stressful incident, or a severe mood swing - can increase a patient's migraine risk by up to 88%.
The findings suggest that incorporating measurements of these unexpected deviations from a person's normal routine could provide a more effective, personalized strategy for managing migraine risk. "Surprisal would be the way that something steps away from your usual activities or requires responses different than your every day," explained Dr. Noah Rosen, director of the Northwell Headache Center.
The study's authors believe future research should focus on developing better methods for tracking these "surprisal" events, which could help migraine patients prepare for and potentially prevent oncoming attacks.
