Sensory processing

Migraine or Sensory Overload? How to Tell the Difference

Migraine or sensory overload? They look alike but need different care. Learn the key differences, the shared triggers, and how to manage each one.

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Migraine or Sensory Overload? How to Tell the Difference

Reviewed by Dr. Eva Lassey, PT, DPT · Last updated October 8, 2026

Overstimulation can cause headaches: noise, flickering light and glare triggered headaches in laboratory studies of people prone to migraine or tension-type headache.⁠^8,9 A pressing headache on both sides, without nausea, fits tension-type headache. Throbbing pain with nausea, or with both light and sound sensitivity, points to migraine.⁠¹

Key takeaways

Migraines and sensory overload share many distressing symptoms, including heightened sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and an overwhelming urge to escape the environment, which can make them hard to tell apart.
The defining difference is the headache: a migraine's primary symptom is throbbing, moderate-to-severe head pain, while sensory overload is primarily a feeling of being overwhelmed and agitated by environmental stimuli, with head pain not a required feature.
Sensory overload is a processing issue in which the brain receives more sensory input than it can organize, and relief often begins as soon as the person leaves the overstimulating environment; a migraine is a complex neurological disease that can last hours or days.
Visual or sensory aura, such as flashing lights, blind spots, or numbness, and a draining postdrome 'hangover' phase are specific to migraines and are not part of a sensory overload episode.
The two conditions are connected and can trigger each other: a highly stimulating environment can set off a migraine in a susceptible person, and the sensory sensitivity during a migraine is itself a state of acute sensory overload.

The intense head pain begins, lights feel blindingly bright, and every sound seems amplified to an unbearable level. You retreat to a dark, quiet room, desperate for relief. Is this a classic migraine attack, or is it a severe case of sensory overload? The lines between these two experiences can feel incredibly blurry, as they share many distressing symptoms, including heightened sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and an overwhelming need to escape the environment.

Differentiating between a migraine and sensory overload is more than just a matter of semantics. While they can and often do trigger each other, understanding the root cause of your symptoms is crucial for finding the most effective way to manage them. Treating a sensory overload episode with migraine medication might not work, and trying to “push through” a migraine as if it’s just overstimulation can make the attack much worse.

This guide will help you untangle these two distinct yet overlapping conditions. We’ll define sensory overload and migraine, highlight the key differences to help you identify what you are experiencing, and provide practical tips for managing both, empowering you to take control and find relief.

What is sensory overload?

Sensory overload is a state where your brain receives more input from your senses than it can process and organize. It’s like having too many browser tabs open on your computer; eventually, the system slows down and crashes. For individuals with conditions like Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), autism, ADHD, or even high anxiety, this “crash” happens much more easily.

The brain’s sensory filter, which should automatically tune out irrelevant information like the hum of a fan or the feeling of a shirt on your skin, is not working efficiently. As a result, every piece of sensory data—sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch—is processed with equal importance. This flood of information overwhelms the nervous system, triggering a physiological fight-or-flight response. It is primarily an issue of processing, not a primary headache disorder.

Symptoms of sensory overload include:

Intense anxiety, irritability, or a feeling of being “on edge.”
Difficulty focusing or concentrating.
A strong urge to escape the current environment.
Covering ears or shielding eyes.
Feeling physically uncomfortable or agitated.
In severe cases, it can lead to a shutdown (withdrawing completely) or a meltdown (an intense emotional and behavioral outburst).

What is a migraine?

A migraine is a complex neurological disease characterized by severe, throbbing head pain, which is often, but not always, confined to one side of the head. It is far more than just a bad headache. A migraine attack is a cascade of neurological events that can last for hours or even days, significantly impacting a person’s ability to function.

Migraine involves the trigeminovascular system — the trigeminal nerve and the blood vessels it supplies — together with brainstem and cortical changes across the attack. A signaling molecule called CGRP is released during attacks and drives both the pain and the vessel changes.⁠⁶ They often progress through distinct stages, though not everyone experiences all of them:

Prodrome: Subtle changes that occur one or two days before a migraine, such as mood changes, food cravings, or neck stiffness.
Aura: Reversible symptoms of the nervous system that usually occur before or during the headache. These are often visual (flashing lights, blind spots) but can also be sensory (pins and needles) or motor.
Attack: The headache phase, characterized by moderate to severe pain, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia).
Postdrome: The phase after the attack, where individuals may feel drained and exhausted, often referred to as a “migraine hangover.”

Is migraine a sensory processing disorder?

No, but the two are closely related. Migraine is a neurological disease with its own diagnostic criteria: repeated attacks of headache lasting hours, with nausea or with sensitivity to both light and sound.⁠¹ Sensory processing disorder, or sensory processing difficulties, is a wider pattern of over- or under-sensitivity to everyday sensation. A child or adult can have either one, or both, and in children with migraine the second is more common than in other children.⁠¹⁰

Migraine is itself a disorder of sensory processing. That is how researchers now describe it: an inherited tendency for the brain to lose control of its inputs, with attacks that come out of a cycling disorder of sensory processing. Before the headache starts, in what is called the premonitory phase, the brain systems that regulate incoming light and sound begin to malfunction.⁠¹¹ People with migraine also have lower discomfort thresholds for light, sound and smell than people without it, their brains respond atypically to sensory input both during and between attacks, and between attacks they do not get used to a repeated stimulus the way other brains do.⁠⁷

Light and sound sensitivity are part of the attack. In a clinic series of 187 adults with migraine, 75.4% had sensitivity to light, 76.5% to sound and 55.1% to smell, and 41.7% had all three; those with all three had more headache-related disability.⁠¹²

Children with migraine show more sensory processing difficulties. In a study of 134 children aged 8 to 12, those with migraine had significantly more sensory processing difficulties than children without headaches, and the more difficulties they had, the lower their quality of life. Its authors recommend screening children with migraine for sensory processing difficulties.⁠¹⁰ A second study by the same group, in 92 adolescents aged 13 to 18, found that a tendency to avoid sensory input predicted how disabling a teenager's migraine was.⁠¹³

In practice: if a child with migraine is also bothered by noise, light or textures on ordinary days, raise both with the doctor treating the migraine, and consider an occupational therapist for the sensory side. Migraine in children has more on how attacks differ in children and how they are treated.

How do I tell a migraine from sensory overload?

While sensory sensitivity is a hallmark of both, a few key distinctions can help you determine what you’re experiencing. The primary differentiator is the headache itself.

Primary Symptom: For a migraine, the primary and defining symptom is the head pain, which is typically throbbing and moderate to severe in intensity. For sensory overload, the primary symptom is a feeling of being overwhelmed and agitated by environmental stimuli; head pain is not a required feature, although it can develop as a result of the stress.
Onset and Triggers: Sensory overload is almost always a direct and immediate response to an overly stimulating environment (a crowded mall, a loud concert, a visually busy classroom). Relief often begins as soon as the person is removed from that environment. Migraine triggers can be more varied and sometimes delayed. Triggers can include hormonal changes, certain foods, weather shifts, or stress, and the attack may not begin until hours after exposure.
The Nature of the Headache: When head pain does accompany sensory overload, it often feels like a tension headache—a tight, squeezing pressure around the head. A migraine headache is characteristically a pulsating or throbbing pain, often localized to one side of the head.
Presence of Aura: The visual or sensory disturbances of an aura (like seeing zig-zag lines or experiencing numbness) are specific to migraines. Sensory overload does not include a distinct aura phase.
The “Postdrome” Effect: After a migraine attack, it’s common to experience a postdrome phase of exhaustion and cognitive fog for up to a day. While a sensory overload episode can be tiring, it doesn’t typically have the same prolonged “hangover” effect once the nervous system has had a chance to calm down.

It’s important to note the cyclical⁠³ relationship: a highly stimulating environment can trigger a migraine in a susceptible person, and the sensory sensitivity experienced during a migraine attack is, in itself, a state of acute sensory overload.

What is an overstimulation headache, or sensory headache?

An overstimulation headache, also called a sensory headache or sensory overload headache, is a headache brought on by more input than the nervous system can comfortably handle: noise, bright or flickering light, glare, crowds, strong smells. It is an everyday description rather than a diagnosis. A doctor diagnoses the headache by its features, and in children the two most common types are tension-type headache and migraine.⁠¹⁰ The link to overstimulation holds up in the laboratory: in people prone to migraine or tension-type headaches, 50 decibels of white noise brought headaches on, in both diagnoses alike, and so did flicker, glare and eyestrain.⁠^8,9

The difference shows in the headache itself. A tension-type headache is typically on both sides, pressing or tightening rather than throbbing, mild to moderate, and not made worse by walking or climbing stairs; it brings no nausea and at most one of light or sound sensitivity. The infrequent kind occurs in almost the entire population and in most cases needs no medical attention. A migraine has at least two of one-sided pain, throbbing, moderate to severe intensity and worsening with routine activity, plus nausea or sensitivity to light and sound together, though in children the pain is more often on both sides.⁠¹ So the same noisy afternoon can end in either: a band of pressure that fades, or a migraine that needs treating as one.⁠⁸

Overstimulation headache and migraine, side by side
Feature	Overstimulation headache	Migraine
What sets it off	Too much input at once. In laboratory studies, noise brought headaches on, and so did flicker, glare and eyestrain.⁠^8,9	Often several things together. In a study of 1,207 people with migraine, 75.9% reported triggers, most often stress, hormonal changes, missed meals and weather; smells were reported by 43.7% and lights by 38.1%.⁠¹⁴
How it starts	During or after time in a noisy, bright or crowded setting.⁠^8,9	Can be preceded by a premonitory phase before any pain, and in migraine with aura by visual or other neurological symptoms, each lasting 5 to 60 minutes and usually followed by the headache.⁠^1,11
How long it lasts	As a tension-type headache, 30 minutes to 7 days. In one laboratory study, the challenges' effect on headaches could still be measured two to three days later.⁠^1,9	4 to 72 hours untreated in adults, 2 to 72 in children and teenagers.⁠¹ Most attacks are fully over within a day of the pain ending, though four in five people have after-effects such as tiredness.⁠²
What helps	Less input first: a quieter, dimmer space, then rest. The steps for both are set out below.	Treatment taken early in the attack; the guideline for children and teenagers also stresses avoiding known triggers and not overusing pain medication.⁠¹⁵
Red flags	The same for both. A sudden, severe headache, fever, any new neurological sign, a headache after a head injury, or a change in the usual pattern needs care the same day, as the list below sets out.⁠⁵

Can overstimulation cause a headache or a migraine?

Yes, both — by two different routes, and it is worth knowing which one you are in.

Overstimulation can trigger a migraine in someone prone to them. Bright or flickering light, loud or sustained noise, strong smells, and crowded, visually busy environments are among the most commonly reported migraine triggers, and people with migraine show heightened sensitivity to light and sound even between attacks.⁠⁷ For a child or adult who is already over-responsive to sensory input, the starting threshold is lower, so an environment that would be merely unpleasant for someone else can be the thing that starts the cascade. The headache that follows is a migraine — throbbing, with nausea or light and sound sensitivity, lasting hours — and it needs to be treated as one.

Overstimulation can also produce an ordinary headache without migraine. Sustained effort to cope with too much input is physically stressful: jaw clenching, shoulder and neck tension, shallow breathing, and the fight-or-flight response that sensory overload triggers. The result is a tension-type headache — a tight band or pressure, both sides, without the throbbing, nausea, or aura — that eases once the person has been out of the environment for a while. This is the headache most people mean when they ask whether overstimulation causes headaches, and the answer is that it commonly does.

How to tell which: if the pain is throbbing, one-sided or frontotemporal in a child, comes with nausea or an urge to be in the dark, and does not lift within an hour of leaving the environment, treat it as migraine. If it is a pressure that fades with quiet, it is the overload itself. If it is neither — sudden, severe, with fever, after a head injury, or with any new neurological sign — it is the same-day list below.

What this means for prevention. For someone with both migraine and sensory over-responsivity, reducing sensory load is not only a comfort strategy; it is migraine prevention. Sunglasses and a cap in bright environments, ear protection in loud ones, an exit plan for crowded ones, and attention to sleep — one of the most consistent migraine triggers — address both problems at once.

What helps a migraine, and what helps sensory overload?

In the moment, for both: leave the environment, or reduce it — dark, quiet, cool. Do not push through; both conditions get worse with persistence.

For a migraine: medication prescribed for it, taken at the first sign rather than after the pain is established. A cold pack. Sleep if possible. Recording the attack — onset, duration, side, what preceded it — because a pattern across five or six attacks is what a clinician uses to diagnose and prevent.

For sensory overload: slow breathing, deep pressure if the person wants it (a firm hug, weight through the shoulders), and time. Then the pattern work: what environment, what time of day, what had already happened that day. How to calm sensory overload covers the in-the-moment version in detail.

A go-kit, for both: ear defenders or discreet earplugs; sunglasses and a brimmed hat; any prescribed migraine medication; water; a written plan for where the quiet space is. Not scents — a strong smell is a trigger for both conditions, not a remedy.

For prevention, for both: regular sleep, regular meals, and reducing the sensory load of environments you can control. For overload specifically, an occupational therapist can build a sensory diet around the profile. For migraine specifically, a neurologist or a pediatrician can assess frequency and discuss prevention.

Who should you see for headaches or sensory overload?

A pediatrician or primary care doctor first for any recurring headache, and same-day for anything on the red-flag list. A neurologist or headache specialist for migraine that is frequent, severe, or not responding. An occupational therapist for the sensory profile and the strategies that reduce overload. Bring the record: when, how long, where the pain was, what the lights were doing, and what came before. Find an occupational therapist.

What does migraine look like in children?

Almost everything written about migraine describes the adult version, and a parent who applies that picture to a seven-year-old will often conclude it cannot be migraine. The international diagnostic criteria are explicit that it presents differently before 18, and the differences are exactly the ones most likely to mislead.

Attacks can be shorter. In adults an untreated attack runs 4 to 72 hours⁠¹. In children and adolescents under 18, attacks may last 2 to 72 hours. A ninety-minute episode that resolves after a nap is well within range.
The pain is more often on both sides. One-sided pain is the textbook adult picture, but migraine headache in children is more often bilateral; unilateral pain usually emerges in late adolescence or early adult life. Pain across the forehead or both temples does not rule migraine out.
It is usually frontotemporal — forehead and temples. Pain at the back of the head is a different matter: occipital headache in children is rare and, in the words of the criteria, calls for diagnostic caution. It is worth mentioning to a doctor rather than assuming migraine.
Light and sound sensitivity may have to be inferred. A young child will rarely say “I am photophobic.” They turn the lights off, pull a blanket over their head, refuse to go outside, or ask for the television to stop. The criteria allow these to be read from behavior, and for a parent that is usually the most reliable signal available.

The overlap with sensory processing runs in both directions here. A child who is already over-responsive to light and sound has a lower starting threshold, so the sensory phase of a migraine hits harder⁠⁴ and the two become genuinely difficult to separate from the outside. If your child also struggles with loud noise on ordinary days, or has disrupted sleep — itself one of the more consistent migraine triggers — both are worth raising at the same appointment rather than separately.

Keeping a short record helps more than trying to decide in the moment. Note when it started, how long it lasted, where the pain was, what the child did with the lights, and what was happening beforehand. A pattern shows up across five or six episodes that is invisible in any one of them.

Are migraines and headaches more common in autism?

Migraine is more common in autistic people, and sensory sensitivity appears to be part of the link. A 2026 study of two large US data sets found frequent or severe headaches in 7.1% of autistic children, against 3.0% of other children, in a national survey, and a migraine diagnosis in 3.1% of autistic patients, against 2.0% of other patients, in a university health system.⁠¹⁶ The evidence is still sparse, in the words of a 2026 clinical perspective in Headache, but it points the same way.⁠¹⁷

Sensory processing is the shared ground. Altered responses to sensation, from over-responsivity to sensory seeking, are part of the diagnostic description of autism, though not required for a diagnosis, and migraine brings heightened sensitivity to light, sound and smell both during and between attacks.⁠¹⁷ In a pilot study of 81 autistic children aged 7 to 17, those whose parents reported migraines showed more sensory over-responsivity and more anxiety than those without.⁠¹⁸

The overlap shows from the other side too. Among 169 adults with migraine, 35% scored above a screening cutoff for autistic traits, against 17% of healthy controls, and in the migraine group those traits went with greater sensory sensitivity.⁠¹⁹ Genetics may play a part: in 337,386 UK adults, a higher genetic predisposition to autism went with a slightly higher risk of migraine, both with and without aura.⁠²⁰

Migraine can look different in autistic people. Pain may show as a change in behavior, such as agitation, rather than as a complaint, particularly in someone who does not speak, and nausea or light and sound sensitivity can be hidden behind everyday sound sensitivity or ongoing stomach problems.⁠¹⁷ In the 2026 US study, autistic people with headache or migraine were also more likely to have anxiety or depression, to have been bullied, or to have had a concussion.⁠¹⁶ A headache after a loud, crowded day may be the overload itself, or a migraine the overload set off; the features in the table above, and a record kept across several episodes, are how to tell them apart.

Writing in Headache in 2026, a physician in UCLA's department of neurology advises keeping “a high clinical suspicion for migraine” in autistic patients, given how differently it can present.⁠¹⁷ If you are autistic, or parent an autistic child, recurring headaches are worth raising as a possible migraine in their own right. Sensory overload in autism and autism and noise sensitivity cover the sensory side.

When does a headache need a doctor the same day?

This page is about telling two ordinary things apart. There is a third possibility it would be wrong to leave out: that a headache is neither migraine nor overload, and needs a doctor now rather than a strategy. Headache specialists screen for the following, and any one of them is a reason to seek care rather than wait and see.⁠⁵

Sudden, severe onset — pain that reaches full intensity within seconds to a minute, sometimes described as the worst headache of a person’s life. This one is an emergency room, not an appointment.
Fever, or feeling systemically unwell, particularly with a stiff neck or a rash.
Any new neurological sign: weakness, numbness that does not resolve, trouble speaking, changes in vision that do not clear, confusion, or reduced consciousness.
Headache after a head injury, even a minor one, and even if it starts days later.
Pain brought on by coughing, sneezing, straining or exercise, or that changes clearly with position — much worse lying down, or waking a child from sleep.
A change in the pattern: a headache unlike the ones this person usually gets, a first headache in someone who never had them, or steady worsening over days or weeks.
Swelling at the back of the eye found on examination, a painful eye with tearing or drooping, or headache in someone whose immune system is compromised.
Painkillers being used most days. Frequent use of over-the-counter pain relief can itself drive a daily headache, which will not improve until the pattern is broken with medical help.
Onset after 65, or during pregnancy or the weeks after birth.

None of this makes migraine dangerous. Migraine is common and treatable, and most head pain is not sinister. The point is that “is this migraine or overload?” is the right question only once the list above has been ruled out, and it takes a clinician a few minutes to do that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can sensory overload cause a migraine?

Yes. For people prone to migraines, an intense sensory overload episode can be a powerful trigger, because the stress and neurological strain of processing too much information can start the cascade of events that leads to a migraine attack.

Can children have both migraines and sensory overload?

Yes. Childhood migraines are common, and many children, especially those with autism or ADHD, struggle with sensory processing. Because children may not be able to clearly describe their symptoms, it helps to observe their behavior to tell the difference.

How can I tell if it's a migraine or sensory overload?

The main clue is the headache: a migraine causes throbbing, moderate-to-severe pain often on one side of the head, while sensory overload mainly causes a feeling of being overwhelmed by stimuli, with relief usually starting once you leave the overstimulating environment. Aura and a prolonged exhaustion phase point to a migraine.

Is there a medication for sensory overload?

There are no specific medications to treat sensory overload itself, since it is a processing issue rather than a disease. Treatment focuses on occupational therapy and management strategies, though a doctor may discuss anxiety medication if anxiety is a major component.

What should I do first when an episode is starting?

For both conditions, the best first step is to retreat to a dark, quiet, calm space and reduce all sensory input. For a migraine, take prescribed medication as soon as you notice symptoms; for sensory overload, focus on slow, deep breathing to calm your nervous system.

How long does an overstimulation headache last?

It depends on which kind it turns out to be. A tension-type headache lasts from 30 minutes to 7 days by definition, and in one laboratory study the effect of sensory and stress challenges on headaches could still be measured two to three days later. A migraine set off by overload lasts 4 to 72 hours untreated in adults, and 2 to 72 hours in children and teenagers.⁠^1,9

Is an overstimulation headache dangerous?

Usually not. The infrequent tension-type headache occurs in almost the entire population and in most cases needs no medical attention. The warning signs are what matter: a sudden, severe headache, fever, a new neurological symptom, a headache after a head injury, or a change in the usual pattern needs care the same day.⁠^1,5

Why do lights and sounds hurt more during a migraine?

Because migraine is, at root, a disorder of how the brain handles sensory input. Before the pain starts, the brain systems that regulate incoming light and sound begin to malfunction, and people with migraine have lower discomfort thresholds for light, sound and smell even between attacks. During an attack, sensitivity to both light and sound is one of the features doctors use to diagnose migraine.⁠^1,7,11

How common are light and sound sensitivity in migraine?

Very common. In a clinic series of 187 adults with migraine, 75.4% had light sensitivity, 76.5% sound sensitivity and 55.1% smell sensitivity, and 41.7% had all three. Those with all three had more headache-related disability.⁠¹²

Is ADHD linked to headaches from overstimulation?

ADHD is linked to migraine: a 2018 meta-analysis found higher odds of migraine in people with ADHD, though no link with tension-type headache. Headache is also a common side effect of stimulant medication, so a headache that started or changed with a new medication is worth raising with the prescriber.⁠²¹

Should a child with migraine see an occupational therapist?

If sensory sensitivities are affecting daily life, it is worth considering alongside medical care for the migraine. Children with migraine show more sensory processing difficulties than other children, and the researchers who found this recommend screening for them. The occupational therapist assesses the sensory side; the migraine itself is for a pediatrician or neurologist.⁠¹⁰

Do tinted glasses help with migraine?

The evidence is small. In a 1991 study of 20 children with migraine, those given rose-tinted glasses went from 6.2 attacks a month to 1.6 over four months, while those given blue tints did not improve. A 2002 trial of individually chosen tints in 17 adults found fewer headaches with the chosen tint, a result its authors called suggestive rather than conclusive.⁠^22,23

Also worth reading: adults describe this differently from children — sensory processing in neurodivergent adults. And when it is happening, what actually helps in the moment.

Sources

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Giffin NJ, Lipton RB, Silberstein SD, Olesen J, Goadsby PJ. "The migraine postdrome: An electronic diary study." Neurology, 2016. A three-month daily diary study in 120 people with migraine: 81% reported at least one non-headache symptom after the headache resolved. This is the source for the postdrome being a real phase rather than a figure of speech. doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000002789
Schulte LH, May A. "The migraine generator revisited: continuous scanning of the migraine cycle over 30 days and three spontaneous attacks." Brain, 2016. Imaging across whole migraine cycles, supporting the description of migraine as a cyclical neurological process with premonitory changes rather than an isolated headache. doi.org/10.1093/brain/aww097
Miller LJ, Anzalone ME, Lane SJ, Cermak SA, Osten ET. "Concept Evolution in Sensory Integration: A Proposed Nosology for Diagnosis." American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2007. Where the sensory over-responsivity language used on this page comes from. doi.org/10.5014/ajot.61.2.135
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Notes that migraine and tension-type headache are the most common primary headaches in children.
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Among autistic people, headache or migraine went with anxiety, depression, bullying and concussion.
Nwaobi SE. Useful considerations for treating migraine in patients with autism. Headache. 2026;66(3):768–770. doi:10.1111/head.70054 (PMID 41607345) A clinical perspective: sensory differences are part of the DSM-5-TR description of autism though not required for diagnosis; migraine may present as behavior change, and its symptoms may be masked by baseline sound sensitivity or stomach problems; clinicians should keep “a high clinical suspicion for migraine”.
Sullivan JC, Miller LJ, Nielsen DM, Schoen SA. The presence of migraines and its association with sensory hyperreactivity and anxiety symptomatology in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism. 2014;18(6):743–747. doi:10.1177/1362361313489377 (PMID 24072661) A pilot study: parents of 81 autistic children aged 7–17 reported migraines, sensory over-responsivity and anxiety; children with migraines showed more of both.
Türkel NN, Vurallı D, Bolay Belen H, Kuruoğlu A. The association of migraine and autistic traits effects on anxiety, depression, and headache-related disability. Headache. 2025;65(8):1439–1448. doi:10.1111/head.14945 (PMID 40320985) 169 adults with migraine and 112 controls: autistic traits (Autism Spectrum Quotient 23 or above) in 35% against 17%; in the migraine group, traits correlated with sensory sensitivity.
Mohammad S, Bussu G, Rukh G, Schiöth HB, Mwinyi J. Migraine and its major subtypes – with and without aura are associated with polygenic scores for autism. Cephalalgia. 2025;45(1). doi:10.1177/03331024241312666 (PMID 39814546) 337,386 UK Biobank participants: polygenic scores for autism were associated with migraine (odds ratio 1.04), with and without aura.
Salem H, Vivas D, Cao F, Kazimi IF, Teixeira AL, Zeni CP. ADHD is associated with migraine: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2018;27(3):267–277. doi:10.1007/s00787-017-1045-4 (PMID 28905127) A positive association between ADHD and migraine (odds ratio 1.32), not with tension-type headache; notes that headache is regarded as a common side effect of stimulants.
Good PA, Taylor RH, Mortimer MJ. The use of tinted glasses in childhood migraine. Headache. 1991;31(8):533–536. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.1991.hed3108533.x (PMID 1960058) 20 children with migraine wore rose or blue tints for four months: headache frequency fell from 6.2 to 1.6 a month with rose tints, with no overall improvement with blue.
Wilkins AJ, Patel R, Adjamian P, Evans BJ. Tinted spectacles and visually sensitive migraine. Cephalalgia. 2002;22(9):711–719. doi:10.1046/j.1468-2982.2002.00362.x (PMID 12421156) A double-masked crossover trial in 17 adults: headaches were marginally less frequent with an individually chosen tint than with a control tint; the authors call the effects “suggestive rather than conclusive”.

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