Exploratory study to understand association of emotional comorbidities and sleep with migraine

Int J Neurosci. 2022 Oct;132(10):985-993. doi: 10.1080/00207454.2020.1858830. Epub 2020 Dec 14.

Abstract

Background: Migraine is often associated with psychiatric and emotional co-morbidities. Several studies have shown association of sleep problems and/or emotional co-morbidities among migraineurs. However, less is known about the association of migraine disability with sleep and emotional co-morbidities.

Objective: To explore the association of emotional co-morbidities and sleep quality with migraine disability among migraineurs in the central part of India.

Methods and material: A cross-sectional study enrolling 132 patients of migraine was conducted at a tertiary care centre. They were evaluated for migraine disability by Migraine Disability Assessment Test (MIDAS), emotional co-morbidities by depression, anxiety, stress scale (DASS-21) and sleep quality by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Result: Mean age of participants was 32.9 ± 9.8 and 83.3% (n = 110) were females. Fourty seven percentage(n = 62) patients reported moderate to severe disability on MIDAS. Anxiety was most frequent (n = 87; 65.9%) emotional co-morbidity followed by depression (n = 70;53%) and stress (n = 52;39.4%). Severity of emotional co-morbidities increased while sleep quality deteriorated with increasing migraine disability. However, migraine frequency had positive correlation only with sleep quality. Stress showed a linear relationship with migraine disability at highest second-third decile of MIDAS.

Conclusion: Migraineurs in central India have higher emotional co-morbidities. These co-morbidities increased and sleep quality deteriorated with increasing migraine disability. Frequency of migraine has no association with emotional co-morbidities. Linear association of stress at higher migraine disability prompts possible role of stress management to break the complex relationship between stress and migraine.

Keywords: MIDAS; Migraine; anxiety; depression; sleep quality; stress.

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety / complications
  • Anxiety / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Emotions
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Migraine Disorders* / complications
  • Migraine Disorders* / epidemiology
  • Migraine Disorders* / psychology
  • Sleep
  • Surveys and Questionnaires