6 Clues Your Migraines Are Really a Brainstem Problem
Before the pain shows up—your body may already be whispering the truth.
You know that feeling right before a migraine hits?
That weird off-ness?
The foggy head.
The pressure behind your eyes.
The light sensitivity that seems to come out of nowhere?
Most people chalk those early symptoms up to hormones, stress, or skipped meals.
But after working with hundreds of chronic migraine patients…
I’ve found something most doctors overlook:
The issue isn’t just in your head. It’s in your brainstem.
So what’s the brainstem got to do with it?
Your brainstem is like mission control for your nervous system.
It controls the stuff you don’t think about—like your heart rate, digestion, pupil dilation, blood pressure, and sleep-wake cycles.
It also acts like a relay station, sending sensory and motor signals between your brain and body.
If your brainstem is even slightly irritated or compressed—everything starts to go haywire.
That includes migraines.
Especially the kind that show up with a laundry list of symptoms long before the pain hits.
Here are 6 subtle (but powerful) clues your migraines are really a brainstem problem:
1. Dizziness or feeling “off-balance”
Even if it’s not full-blown vertigo, that floaty, wobbly, or disconnected sensation?
That’s often tied to how your brainstem integrates input from your inner ear, neck, and eyes.
When this system gets disrupted, it’s like having a bad GPS signal.
Your body doesn’t know where it is in space—so you feel unsteady, anxious, or out of sync.
2. Brain fog or word-finding issues
Can’t think clearly? Losing your train of thought mid-sentence?
That foggy feeling can happen when blood flow and nerve signaling from the upper neck to the brainstem gets disrupted.
Remember—this area controls alertness and focus.
If it’s under stress, your mental clarity takes a hit.
3. Light and sound sensitivity
Your brainstem is where sensory input gets filtered and prioritized.
But when it’s irritated, the “filter” breaks.
Suddenly, everyday things like bright lights, scrolling your phone, or background noise become unbearable.
That’s not just sensory overload—it’s neurological dysregulation.
4. Vagus nerve symptoms (nausea, heart palpitations, digestive issues)
The vagus nerve originates in the brainstem.
So if your vagus isn’t firing properly, you might feel it in your gut, chest, or mood—even before the headache.
This is why so many people with migraines also deal with:
Nausea
IBS-like symptoms
Anxiety
Racing heart
You’re not imagining it.
Your vagus is trying to signal that something is off upstream.
5. Chronic neck tightness or stiffness
Your upper cervical spine (C1/C2) is one of the most neurologically sensitive regions in your body.
It’s also directly connected to brainstem function.
If you’ve got stubborn neck tension—especially on one side—or pain at the base of your skull…
It’s not just “bad posture.”
It could be a sign of biomechanical dysfunction affecting your nervous system at the source.
6. Migraines that don’t respond to typical treatments
If you’ve tried everything—medications, Botox, supplements, functional lab tests—and still feel stuck…
That’s a massive red flag that the real issue hasn’t been addressed.
Because you can’t out-supplement or out-medicate a nervous system that’s out of balance.
So what’s the solution?
When the brainstem is involved, you need more than just symptom management.
You need a strategy that restores balance to the nervous system.
That’s exactly what we do in my Migraine Mastermind session. Its a 30 minute virtual call where I help people like you figure out:
What your body is trying to say
Whether your brainstem or vagus nerve is involved
How to move forward with a real, customized Migraine Optimization Plan
If you feel like this post was describing you…
Don’t ignore those whispers.
Book a session at www.migrainemastermind.com
You deserve more than “try another medication.”
You deserve a plan that actually gets to the root of these issues.
As I always say…
Fix your neck. Fix your life.
Be blessed,
Dr. Brandon Brown
The Migraine Doc & The Specific Chiropractic Centers of Richardson Tx