Sleep, Stress and Migraine - an Observational and Training Study

Migraine Sleep Study (MiSleepS) - The Role of Sleep and Stress as a Trigger in Migraine

The MiSleepS study investigates how sleep disturbances and stress are linked to migraine attacks. Participants wear a device called a WHOOP band, which tracks sleep and body signals, and answer brief daily questions via a smartphone app about their sleep, stress levels, and migraine symptoms. The goal is to identify personal patterns that may contribute to migraine. Based on these insights, participants receive individualized recommendations to improve their sleep and daily routines - aiming to reduce migraine attacks in the long term without medication. The study is conducted at the University Hospital Zurich and is aimed at adults with episodic migraine.

Migraine is a widespread neurological disorder affecting more than one billion people worldwide, and is among the leading causes of disability, particularly in women. It is characterized by episodic or chronic headaches and often accompanied by nausea, photophobia, and cognitive impairment. Despite advances in pharmacological therapies - such as the advent of CGRP antagonists - a large proportion of patients remain undertreated or refractory to standard interventions. Critically, migraine is influenced by multiple behavioral and environmental triggers, among which sleep disturbances and stress are consistently among the most frequently reported and most modifiable. However, their complex and often bidirectional interactions with migraine are still not fully understood, and most available research is limited by methodological constraints, including short observation periods, retrospective data, and insufficient attention to sex and gender variables.

The Migraine Sleep Study (MiSleepS) is a prospective, two-phase clinical study aiming to investigate the role of sleep, circadian rhythm, and stress as dynamic triggers of migraine and to evaluate the effectiveness of individualized, non-pharmacological behavioral interventions. Conducted at the University Hospital Zurich, this monocentric study will combine high-resolution physiological data captured via the WHOOP 5.0 wrist-worn wearable device with real-time, ecological momentary assessments (EMA) collected through the SEMA3 smartphone app. These dual digital tools enable continuous monitoring of key variables such as sleep duration, sleep architecture, heart rate variability, perceived stress, and migraine occurrence and severity.

Participants will undergo a five-week observational phase (phase A), during which their natural sleep-stress-migraine interactions will be captured without interference. An interim analysis will be conducted to identify individual behavioral and circadian profiles, including insomnia-like patterns, sleep deprivation, social jetlag, and chronotype mismatch. Based on these results, participants will be stratified into clusters and assigned a tailored behavioral plan to address their specific profile. In the subsequent six-week intervention phase (phase B), participants will implement these behavioral strategies, supported by remote follow-ups and daily app-based tracking. The primary endpoint will be the change in monthly migraine days, while secondary endpoints include migraine severity, sleep quality, stress levels, and adherence to recommendations.

To control for observation-related confounding - such as the Hawthorne effect - a run-in cohort of the first ten participants will follow a modified protocol. While they undergo the same assessment and tracking procedures, they will not receive any behavioral recommendations in phase B. This approach allows for differentiation between improvements due to heightened self-awareness and those attributable to the targeted intervention itself.

The study further aims to examine sex- and gender-related differences in migraine pathophysiology and response to behavioral interventions, using validated tools such as the Stanford Gender-Related Variables for Health Research (GVHR) score (Nielsen et al., 2021). By integrating physiological, psychological, and gender-related dimensions, MiSleepS aspires to develop a more individualized understanding of migraine and to explore scalable, low-risk, non-pharmacological treatment strategies that can be implemented in clinical practice.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged between 18 and 65 years
• Diagnosis of episodic migraine according to The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) criteria confirmed by our headache specialists
• 4 to 14 headache days per month (mean value based on the 3 months prior to study enrollment)
• Ability to give informed consent and to adhere to the study protocol
• Sufficient German language comprehension to follow the study procedures and answer all questions related to the study outcomes
• Stable migraine medication regimen for the past 3 months and throughout the study period

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of sleep disorders that could interfere with the sleep intervention, such as obstructive sleep apnea with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 15, Restless Legs Syndrome, frequent (i.e. weekly) Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep parasomnia, REM Behavior Disorder (RBD)
• Current diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder that is inadequately treated or therapy-resistant and may interfere with study participation or adherence to study procedures (this includes, but is not limited to: schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder (type I), post-traumatic stress disorder with active symptoms, or major depressive disorder with ongoing functional impairment despite treatment). Diagnosis must be confirmed by clinical history or treating physician.
• Regular use of benzodiazepines and other central nervous system (CNS)-depressant substances (self-reported)
• Concomitant steroid medication (self-reported)
• Known or suspected alcohol, drug or medication abuse (i.e. > 0.5 l wine or 1 l beer per day)
• Inability to follow the procedures of the study (e.g., due to language problems, cognitive deficits, instable home situation)
• Concurrent participation in another study involving drug and behavioral interventions within 3 months prior to and during the present study, as well as participation in an ongoing study with data collection through SEMA3
• Planned medical intervention of substantial relevance requiring hospitalization for more than 24 hours (e.g. surgery) during intervention (routine assessments, e.g. check-ups will be allowed)
• Shift work with working during the night
• Travelling more than 2 time zones in the last month before the observation or intervention periods or during the study
• Persons who are pregnant or breastfeeding