Migraines & Headaches Resource Center

Migraines affect many millions of people. They are triggered by any number of things from various foods and wine to stress. Now a new culprit may be added to the list. The new culprit is fluorescent lights.

Researchers have been studying the reactions that fluorescent lights cause. Because the lights flicker constantly, many people claim that the flickering causes them to have headaches. Old fluorescent bulbs used to flicker about 60 times per second which scientists say was perceptible. However, new and current fluorescent bulbs flicker around 10,000 times per second, which some researchers feel the eyes and brain cannot decipher. The individuals who work in offices or other areas that use fluorescent lights and have never had headaches or migraines before they have had to work with these lights definitely disagree with the scientists and researchers who discount or simply deny the fact that migraines are triggered by these lights.

Some researchers who aren’t so sure that fluorescent lights actually trigger migraines, however, the people who are suffering from migraines after sitting under flickering fluorescent lights for several hours are sure they trigger migraines. Some researchers feel that the brain cannot detect the flickering because it happens quite quickly. Again, the people getting migraines feel quite differently.

In addition to migraines, people have reported nausea, dizziness, loss of concentration, weakness, plus joint and muscle pain. Also, some of these individuals get migraines from cell phones, television, computer monitors and other electronics that give off “electromagnetic waves”. Some who believe in the existence of this curious phenomenon even offer a rationale for the effect, usually explaining that our nervous system functions based on electrical impulses and that it is therefore susceptible to the effects of external electromagnetic fields.

If you suffer from migraines and you think they are electromagnetic – emanating from fluorescent lights, cell phones or other electronics, you are not alone, and there is research currently being conducted to figure the situation out and to find a way to stop the trigger.