Can frequent migraines damage memory?
Many people who get migraines often notice fuzzy thinking or trouble remembering things, but research shows this is usually temporary and not permanent damage to the brain. During a migraine attack or right after, called the postdrome phase, you might feel brain fog with memory slips, confusion, or slow thinking. These effects come from how the brain reacts to the pain and changes in blood flow or chemicals, not from lasting harm.
Studies on people with chronic migraines and other long-term pain, like back pain, find they report memory problems but do not have bigger declines in actual memory tests compared to others. One study looked at chronic migraine patients and saw no greater memory issues than expected. Pain during migraines can distract your attention, making it harder to focus on remembering new things right then, but this distraction fades when the pain does.
Brain fog shows up in stages of migraines too. Before the headache, you might yawn a lot or feel confused. During the headache, focus is tough. After, fatigue and weak thinking linger, along with mood shifts. Even between attacks, some feel low energy or mild memory hiccups, but these do not mean brain cells are dying or memory centers are broken.
Links to things like low vitamin D or iron levels in migraine sufferers might play a role in feeling foggy, as these affect energy and thinking speed. Depression often tags along with frequent migraines, and it can make memory feel worse, but again, no proof of true damage. Treatments that cut pain or improve sleep, like some low-dose drugs, have helped memory complaints in studies without fixing the pain itself.
Overall, frequent migraines strain your brain in the moment and wear you down over time, leading to complaints about memory, but evidence points to no permanent loss or structural damage from the migraines alone.
Sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12729793/
https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/advance-article/doi/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf486/8376909?searchresult=1
https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/bangkok-bone-brain/content/hidden-migraine-symptoms-awareness
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1727744/full
https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/bangkok-bone-brain/content/migraine-and-depression-connection
https://migrainebuddy.com/why-tracking-lifestyle-factors-matters-in-migraine-not-just-medications/
