The next time your head’s pounding, you might want to grab your man—not just your meds. Turns out, getting it on may help relieve pain from migraines and cluster headaches, according to a new study published in the journal Cephalalgia.
Researchers from the University of Munster in Germany surveyed 800 migraine patients and 200 patients who suffer from cluster headaches, a rare condition that affects about 1 percent of the population and consists of sudden, intensely painful headaches. Each participant was surveyed about whether or not sexual activity had an impact on the intensity of their symptoms. Sixty percent of migraine patients said that having sex helped reduce their migraine pain—especially good news for women since about 70 percent of migraine sufferers across the world are female. As for those with cluster headaches, 37 percent of those who responded noted an improvement in their symptoms after having sex.
According to the study, you get relief no matter who your partner is, which position you use, or which type of sexual activity you engage in. Achieving orgasm, however, does appear to play a role in lessening the pain: Forty-three percent of migraine patients said that the improvement occurred right after they crossed the finish line, and 18 percent claimed that the change happened at the exact time they experienced the big O.
Why sex helps ease headaches is unclear. One possible explanation: The natural chemicals released when you get some action—like dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin—induce both pleasure-enhancing and pain-relieving sensations, according to Donald Penzien, PhD, director of the Head and Pain Clinic at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a professor in the department of psychology.
Whatever the reason for sex’s pain-relieving benefits might be, scheduling in some time between the sheets to soothe your migraine is worth a shot. “The benefits you’re talking about are on par with the more potent medications we have,” Penzien says. “It’s not a trivial thing, and the encouraging thing is that a substantial number of people get a lot of relief.”
Researchers from the University of Munster in Germany surveyed 800 migraine patients and 200 patients who suffer from cluster headaches, a rare condition that affects about 1 percent of the population and consists of sudden, intensely painful headaches. Each participant was surveyed about whether or not sexual activity had an impact on the intensity of their symptoms. Sixty percent of migraine patients said that having sex helped reduce their migraine pain—especially good news for women since about 70 percent of migraine sufferers across the world are female. As for those with cluster headaches, 37 percent of those who responded noted an improvement in their symptoms after having sex.
According to the study, you get relief no matter who your partner is, which position you use, or which type of sexual activity you engage in. Achieving orgasm, however, does appear to play a role in lessening the pain: Forty-three percent of migraine patients said that the improvement occurred right after they crossed the finish line, and 18 percent claimed that the change happened at the exact time they experienced the big O.
Why sex helps ease headaches is unclear. One possible explanation: The natural chemicals released when you get some action—like dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin—induce both pleasure-enhancing and pain-relieving sensations, according to Donald Penzien, PhD, director of the Head and Pain Clinic at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a professor in the department of psychology.
Whatever the reason for sex’s pain-relieving benefits might be, scheduling in some time between the sheets to soothe your migraine is worth a shot. “The benefits you’re talking about are on par with the more potent medications we have,” Penzien says. “It’s not a trivial thing, and the encouraging thing is that a substantial number of people get a lot of relief.”
