Was Too Much Sugar Increasing My Migraine Frequency?

When I was strict classic keto, sugar wasn’t on my list of approved goodies. It was tough passing up all my favorite treats, but this change in diet got rid of the aches that went with my migraines. It was worth not having achy shoulders and a jaw that pinged with pain. So, I stuck with it. That is…until my then 4-year-old son asked me to share his ice cream on a special occasion. I couldn’t say no to such a sweet request. That’s when I noticed something: Did increasing my sugar intake increase migraine frequency? Huh. Weird.

Was the ketogenic diet helping my migraine?

When my neurologist and I were coming up with a plan to free me from my migraine pain, one strategy was to try a ketogenic diet. This had proven successful for others so why not me, too? It wasn’t easy adjusting to eating less carbs and more protein, but when I started to feel better, I was happy to stay on track. For over 8 months, I didn’t indulge in any sugary anything — until one weekend on a family vacation.

Why did I indulge in a sugary treat?

“Mom, do you wanna share my ice cream,” my son asked at dinner.

Sitting next to my 4-year-old who asked me so kindly to share, I knew he’d be disappointed if I said no. I figured a couple of bites of ice cream wouldn’t hurt anything since I’d been eating keto-style for close to 6 months. And I was right. It didn’t. This is why I agreed the next day when my smiling 4-year-old asked if I’d share a cookie. And then later that night when he asked if I’d have a (big) taste of his pasta, I said, “Sure!”

And then I woke up with a migraine.

Was my attack triggered by the sugar or something else?

Now, I do have other triggers that bring on a migraine, and of course, there are some times my detective work doesn’t even lead me to find clues of a cause. This migraine had no apparent trigger, except for my diet change — all the sugar. But this one was new for me, so I dismissed it as a random migraine - until it happened again.

Several months later, the same scenario took place over a weekend, and this time my migraine started while sharing a lemonade with my kid. It seemed too coincidental to ignore. So, I decided to go back to my sugar-free life in hopes that, eventually I would be migraine-free.

What changes have I made since?

While keto didn't eliminate my migraines, eating in a more balanced way did give me more energy and relieved me of my daily aches and pains. So, I was careful not to over-indulge in random sugary treats, and that stopped those surprise migraines. My body has always preferred consistency over all the things, so over the years I've tried to keep my diet the same so my migraines don't have the opportunity to be on my daily menu.