not vary their caffeine routine.
“I tell people with migraines you have a brain that doesn’t like change — it likes constancy,” Green says.
Researchers note that the study only shows a link between exercise and migraine triggers and doesn’t prove cause and effect.
Dyess suggests migraine sufferers work more activity into their daily life. He recommends starting with gentle yoga, then building up to a brisker routine. That could include jogging, depending on the patient, he adds.
“Exercise is such a cheap and accessible treatment option for people that’s just widely underutilized,” Dyess says. “I think awareness is powerful in this situation. It really can change lives anywhere and everywhere if utilized by patients.”
Exercise Tips
As mentioned before, if you are suffering from migraines consider trying the following for relief:
- Yoga: Yoga can help with tightness in your muscles, poor posture and stress (common symptoms that make your headaches worse). Restorative yoga has proven to be successful for those suffering from headaches. This method involves deep breathing with poses that are fully supported by props (blankets, mats, blocks, etc.). If you are new to yoga, you may want to start out light with yoga that frequently changes poses instead of ones that hold them for long periods of time.
- Stretching: Try stretching your arms, legs and neck for 10 minutes a day. This will provide greater mind and body awareness and help with breathing and tension control.
- Deep Breathing: When we are stressed, our muscles need oxygen the most. Try putting one hand on your abdomen and the other hand on your upper chest. The hand that is placed on your abdomen should move when you’re inhaling if you are taking proper deep breathes from your diaphragm. When you exhale, the hand that is placed on your chest should remain still. Once you get the hang of this breathing exercise, you should commit to doing this for several minutes a day.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: Learning to relax your muscles may reduce the emotional and/or physical stress that can lead to headaches. Try sitting or lying in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Tense the muscles in your legs for 10 seconds and then release the tension for 20 seconds. This technique works really well with the muscles in the abdomen, chest, arms and face. This technique is more efficient when you are consistent, so dedicate 10 minutes a day to this.
- Cardiovascular Exercise: Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise not only works out the heart and lungs, but also reduces stress, anxiety, depression and anger (common headache triggers).
The American Headache Society recommends 150 minutes of moderately intense activity per week. If you notice that exercising is triggering your headaches, contact your doctor.
You may also try:
- Staying hydrated before, during and after exercise
- Eating 90 minutes before exercise
- Warming up