Yeah, we already knew that...

If you suffer from migraine, it probably doesn't take a clinical trial for you to be convinced that a time change can trigger a migraine attack.

Last month many countries or parts of countries around the world (especially in North America and Europe) decided to play with their clocks again, switching to "Daylight Savings".

This may seem a little late to report on, but the fact of the matter is that Daylight Savings Time (DST) is not the only culprit. Changes in time when we travel, or even when we hit a weekend when we're used to a weekday work schedule, can cause problems.

This particular study was small, but unsurprising. 22 women and 1 man were observed around the time change in March 2023. Here's what they found:

Migraine days almost doubled (!) after the time change.
Sleep time remained the same, but deep sleep time dropped after the time change from 94 minutes to 84.

This is actually a fascinating study, because the results were quite obvious, and the change in deep sleep was - only ten minutes - but may have been significant enough to make a big difference.

The study was led by sleep expert Dr. Sasikanth Gorantla of the University of California. He has some recommendations that are important to consider if your schedule is changing for any reason:

Be as consistent as possible, and prioritize good habits (limiting caffeine later in the day, etc.)
If possible, change your sleep/wake up time gradually.
Get out in the sun, especially at the beginning of your day.
Avoid a lot of light late in the day.
Exercise!
Watch out for migraine triggers.
Keep rescue medications handy.

I would mention one more thing that he did mention indirectly under "triggers" in the original article. Watch out for dehydration - watch your intake of water.

That is, be cautious of alcohol, and be sure to get adequate water (and minerals/electrolytes). That doesn't mean drinking a lot right before bed, of course. But it does mean first thing in the morning and consistently throughout the day, especially if you're travelling.

For more, check out the full article: Daylight saving time triggers more migraines, cuts deep sleep

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