Besides a general correlation between the two diseases,
the migraine attack itself temporarily correlates with RLS
episodes. In a study done at China Medical University in
Taiwan, Dr. Chen and his colleagues studied patient dia-
ries that record both migraine headaches episodes and RLS
episodes. They found that a patient is more likely to experi-
ence a RLS episode within 2 days of a migraine attack. In
addition, there is a correlation between the severity of the
migraine and the RLS – the worse the migraine, the worse
the RLS episode that develops. This correlation, however,
does not support the opposite as migraine attacks tend to
follow RLS attacks only within one day.
The reason why the two diseases are correlated is un-
known in part due to our lack of knowledge of the exact
neurological mechanism for RLS. And, to some extent,
what triggers a migraine attack. There are, however, vari-
ous educated speculations. One theory is that sleep quality
confers a common link between the two diseases. Patients
with RLS tend to have poor sleep qualities (from both the
symptom of leg discomfort as well as the syndrome itself )
and as many migraineurs would agree, a poor night’s sleep
can often trigger a migraine attack. As Dr. Oosterhout
from Leiden University Medical center stated: “Restless
leg syndrome is associated with lower sleep quality and
fragmented sleep, which are known triggers for migraine
attacks.”
Of course, he does not preclude the possibility of another
hypothesis – that a neurochemical called dopamine is the
cause of both conditions. Dopamine is a chemical in the
brain that modulates rewards and risk-taking behaviors. It
is also implicated in both RLS and migraine. Dopamine-
blocking medications, for example, have been shown to
help with migraine. Medications that act like dopamine in
the brain (dopamine agonists), on the other hand, tend to
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Volume 6, Issue 3 • 2017
help with RLS. Dr. Chen, who rep