Long before Coca-Cola was invented, the Incas used coca leaves as a natural remedy for pain, hunger and altitude sickness. What they did intuitively back then, we can explain scientifically today.
Does cola help with headache and migraine?
Many people reach for cola almost instinctively when they have a migraine or headache. That is no coincidence. The explanation lies in a series of subtle but measurable physiological mechanisms.
The “burp effect” activates the vagus nerve
When you drink cola, CO₂ is released. When you burp afterwards, the vagus nerve is stimulated. This is an important nerve involved in relaxation and recovery. It helps your body switch from “attack mode” (fight or flight) to a resting state (rest and digest).
When you burp, the pressure in the stomach area drops for a moment, which the nervous system can interpret as a sign of safety. After all, a relaxed stomach does not fit with an acute stress or pain situation.
You could compare it to stretching your muscles: as soon as you notice your muscles relaxing, your brain relaxes along with them. In a similar way, the combination of CO₂, scent and the drop in pressure can have a calming effect via the vagus nerve.
The aromas in cola calm the nervous system
Cola contains aroma compounds such as vanillin, linalool, limonene and cineole, which come from citrus oil, vanilla and cloves, among other things. These substances activate the olfactory and trigeminal systems.
The olfactory system is the part of your nervous system responsible for your sense of smell, in other words for perceiving scents.
- When you smell something (vanilla, citrus or cola, for example), aroma compounds enter through your nose.
- These aroma compounds are picked up by special smell receptors at the top of your nasal cavity.
- They send signals to your olfactory bulb in the brain.
- From there, the signals travel to brain areas involved in emotion (the limbic system), memory, mood and even autonomic functions such as heart rate and stress regulation.
In short: scent influences not only what you smell, but also how you feel. That is why aromatherapy (with lavender or vanilla, for example) can sometimes be calming: the olfactory system talks directly to your emotional brain.
The trigeminal system is a nerve pathway that processes signals from the face, eyes, nose, sinuses, jaws and meninges. It is also the main player in migraine: overactivation of the trigeminal nerve is one of the core mechanisms of migraine attacks.
This nerve is sensitive not only to physical pain stimuli, but also responds to chemical stimuli such as aroma compounds. Some aroma components, such as linalool, cineole and vanillin, can subtly influence this nerve:
- They can lower the sensitivity of trigeminal nerve endings, so you react less intensely to pain, cold or pressure.
- They can temper the release of pro-inflammatory substances such as CGRP, a neuropeptide that is strongly involved in migraine.
- They create a kind of sensory “confusion” or modulation: because the nerve is stimulated in a pleasant way, the brain can react less sharply to other (unpleasant) signals.
In short: aroma compounds can calm the trigeminal system.
Coca can slow down nerve cells
The leaves of the coca plant contain substances that block so-called sodium channels in nerve cells. These are tiny “gateways” that nerves use to pass on electrical signals. When these gateways are temporarily blocked, communication between nerve cells slows down. The result? The nerves are activated less quickly, which has a calming and pain-relieving effect.
That, incidentally, is exactly what some migraine medication does today as well. Prophylactic medication such as topiramate (Topamax) also works by influencing sodium channels, to curb overstimulation in the brain and prevent migraine attacks. The idea is the same: calm overactive nerves. But unlike a can of cola, topiramate often has very drastic side effects and long-lasting effects.
When Coca-Cola was launched in 1886, it used an extract of coca leaves in which those active substances were still present. Today the cocaine has been removed, as the law requires. But the drink still contains extracts of coca leaves, supplied by a licensed company in the US. These extracts no longer contain any narcotic substances, but they do contain aroma and flavour components that may still have a subtle influence on the nervous system.
The caffeine in cola constricts blood vessels in migraine
A classic part of migraine is vasodilation (widening) of the blood vessels in the meninges. Caffeine constricts blood vessels, which is why it is also used in some migraine medication. The dose in a glass of cola is small, but it probably also contributes to the relief.
Why drinking cola for migraine is not always wise
People with migraine are often sensitive to swings in blood sugar. If you regularly drink classic cola with sugar, you encourage glucose peaks and dips. Drink it during an attack and it may give you temporary relief, but you risk a relapse when a glucose crash follows.
The sugar-free version, such as Coke Zero, is not risk-free either: sweeteners such as aspartame and acesulfame K have been linked to neurotoxicity, especially in neurologically sensitive people. Sweeteners in general can also affect the reward system and the gut-brain axis.
Conclusion: cola can occasionally be seen as a medicine, but I cannot recommend it as an everyday habit.
In summary: why cola sometimes helps with headache
- Burping activates the vagus nerve: relaxation
- Aromas stimulate the trigeminal nerve and the sense of smell: they dampen stimuli
- Coca extracts block sodium channels: they dampen the overactivation of nerve cells
- Caffeine constricts blood vessels: it relieves throbbing headache
- Sugar causes peaks and crashes, and sweeteners are possibly neurotoxic: not suitable for daily use
More tips for getting through a migraine attack
To reduce the risk of medication overuse headache, it is important to get through an attack without medication as much as possible. Painkillers only work on the symptoms and do not solve the original problem. Cola partly does that, because it helps calm your nerve cells, but it is only a small part of the story.
Want to understand what drives your attacks, so you need fewer painkillers and can help your brain recover? Start with the Building Block Analysis.
