Feeling like you can’t catch your breath during a headache can be frightening and confusing.
Headaches are something most of us will deal with at some point in life. In fact, research shows that almost 5 million Australians experience migraines or severe headaches each year.
But what happens when a headache comes with something more unusual — like shortness of breath with migraines?
At the Brisbane Headache and Migraine Clinic, we often hear from patients who are surprised by this combination of symptoms. If you’ve noticed this yourself, you’re not alone.
In this blog, we’ll explain why this can happen, how it’s linked to your headaches, and how we can help you get to the bottom of it.
What Causes Shortness of Breath with Headaches and Migraines?
Shortness of breath during a headache doesn’t always mean there’s something wrong with your lungs or heart. Instead, it’s often connected to how your nervous system reacts when you’re in pain or feeling anxious.
Here are three of the most common reasons:
1. The Role of the Nervous System
When people experience headaches — especially migraines or cluster headaches — the autonomic nervous system can become overstimulated. This system controls automatic body functions, like heart rate, digestion, and breathing. An overactive autonomic system may make you feel like you can’t breathe properly, even when your lungs are working just fine.
2. Anxiety and Stress Responses
It’s no secret that headaches and stress often go hand-in-hand. If your headache is making you anxious, your body might respond by increasing your heart rate and changing how you breathe — often resulting in shallow, rapid breathing or even mild hyperventilation. This can make you feel short of breath, adding to the discomfort of your headache.
3. Sensitisation in the Brainstem
The part of your brain that helps manage pain, breathing, and blood pressure sits in the brainstem. For people with ongoing headaches or migraines, this area can become overly sensitive or misfire, which might cause unusual symptoms like dizziness, breathlessness, or chest tightness alongside head pain.
How Our Clinicians Can Help Identify the Root Cause
At the Brisbane Headache and Migraine Clinic, we understand how distressing it can be to feel short of breath during a headache or migraine. We take the time to listen to your full story — not just about your head pain, but about all the symptoms you’re experiencing.
Our clinicians focus on assessing how your neck and nervous system may be contributing to your headaches and any associated symptoms like breathlessness.
Through a thorough assessment, including hands-on techniques and specific tests, we can help determine the root cause of your shortness of breath with migraines by utilising the Watson Headache® Approach, a safe and gentle method designed to reduce sensitivity in the brainstem without relying on medications.
This approach can help not only ease headache symptoms but also reduce related issues like dizziness, breathing difficulties, or anxiety sensations linked to your headaches.
Take a Breath — Help Is Available
If you’ve been experiencing shortness of breath with migraines, it’s important to know you’re not alone — and you’re not imagining it. These symptoms are often connected, and with the right care, they can improve.
At Brisbane Headache and Migraine Clinic, we’re here to help you find answers and relief. Our expert clinicians are passionate about helping people just like you live life without the fear of ongoing headaches and migraines or the added worry of breathlessness.
If you’re ready to take the first step, book your session online or give us a call on 1800 432 322. We’d love to help you breathe easier and feel better.
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References
Gazerani, P., & Cairns, B. E. (2019). Dysautonomia in migraine: A review with focus on the gastrointestinal system. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 20(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-019-1035-1
Noseda, R., & Burstein, R. (2013). Migraine pathophysiology: Anatomy of the trigeminovascular pathway and associated neurological symptoms, CSD, sensitization and modulation of pain. Pain, 154(Suppl 1), S44–S53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2013.07.021
Peterlin, B. L., Tietjen, G. E., Meng, S., Lidicker, J., & Bigal, M. E. (2011). Post-traumatic stress disorder in migraine. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 51(5), 762–772. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.01872.
