I get ocular migraines too but only very occasionally thank…
I get ocular migraines too but only very occasionally thankfully, and so far (touch wood) without pain. Just like staring into a bulb after-burn image for 15-20 mins. I did used to have intracranial hypertension and headaches that lasted for weeks and months at a time, which made life absolutely miserable. I used to have to take high dose steroids to get rid of them. For me, it was estrogen dominance (and inefficient respiration) gone badly too far.
@metamitya Just curious, is it breathless exercise that sets them off, or could it happen after non-breathless exercise, such as weight lifting? If only after breathless exercise it could be low oxygenation of the brain leading to low brain energy due to excess lactic acid/low CO2, due to the more primitive and inefficient glycolytic shift (2 ATP of energy from glycolysis vs 28 ATP of energy from oxidative phosphorylation) vs the usual efficient oxidative form of respiration when not out of breath. The CO2 (produced by oxidative phosphorylation) is needed to release the oxygen molecule from red blood cells and deliver it into the tissues (Bohr effect). When we stay in the lactic zone too long (producing lactate instead of CO2), we get muscle cramps due to low oxygen, which means muscle cells don’t have enough energy to return to their soft resting state, so they tighten up. So a migraine headache could be a sort of brain cramp in that case, a side effect of being out of breath longer than your body can tolerate.
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this is interesting. its def breathless exercise, mostly jiu jitsu. im fine with weight lifting. i find that when my cardio gets above a certain threshold the headaches become much less common, whereas if i havent trained in a while i will get it after every practice until my cardio improves
So it seems like you can increase tolerance through training. Migraines may begin when reduced CO2 production (breathlessness) causes blood vessels to constrict. The resulting low oxygen/brain energy from hyperventilation (losing too much CO2) causes nitric oxide and lactate release, causing blood vessels to dilate and create a spasming effect as the brain attempts to restore blood flow.
"A response to stimulation is the production of more energy, with a proportional increase of oxygen and sugar consumption by the stimulated tissue; this produces more carbon dioxide, which enlarges the blood vessels in the area, providing more sugar and oxygen. If the irritation becomes destructive, efficiency is lost: oxygen is either consumed wastefully, causing blueness of the tissue (assuming circulation continues; blueness can aiso indicate bad circulation), or is not consumed, causing redness of the tissue. As more sugar is consumed in compensation, lactic acid also enlarges the blood vessels."
- Ray Peat PhD, Nutrition For Women
Nitric oxide has been linked to migraine for over 150 years, ever since the discovery of nitroglycerin. Nitroglycerin works for chest pain by creating nitric oxide, but in doing so, it also triggers migraine attacks in susceptible individuals. Our work shows that this may happen through peroxynitrite that is created when nitric oxide reacts with other substances within the body, and not by nitric oxide itself. - Dr. Gregory Dussor
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0076687914001037
For the past 7 or so years, I’ve used molecular hydrogen as a way to detoxify hydroxyl radicals (OH) and peroxynitrite intracellularly, which lowers oxidative stress systemically - something I struggle with due to systemic inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis. I drink hydrogen rich water (made by electrolysis) and take a Megahydrate daily to increase my H2 levels. It gives more resilience during exercise.
https://molecularhydrogeninstitute.org/…
For more info about molecular hydrogen and its benefits: https://molecularhydrogeninstitute.org/scientific-studies/