Commonly characterized by excruciating pain that radiates around the head, migraines can certainly take a toll on their victims. The Mayo Clinic describes a migraine as "chronic headaches that can cause significant pain for hours or even days." Although the exact cause of migraines remains unclear, genetics and environmental factors likely play a role in their development. Fortunately, a few simple migraine relief exercises can help soothe away the pain.
Triggers & Symptoms
A variety of factors may trigger migraines, such as certain foods, stress, loud sounds, bright lights, unpleasant smells, physical exertion, weather changes, certain medications and abnormal sleep patterns. When a migraine develops, it typically causes severe pain in the head that pulses or throbs. This pain may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, intense sensitivity to light and sound, tunnel vision, dizziness and auras.
Gentle Cardiovascular Exercise
Regular cardiovascular exercises, such as outdoor walking, cycling or swimming, may decrease the severity of migraines. These types of cardiovascular stimulate the production and release of chemical endorphins, which reduce migraine pain. Since migraine pain often becomes worse with physical activity, these types of exercise should be used as a preventive method. Ideally, these types of exercises should be done on a regular basis. However, if a regular exercise routine is not feasible, these types of exercises should simply be done at the first signs of a migraine.
Meditation
Since meditation does not require any physical movement, it is a popular migraine relief exercise. In fact, the Michigan Health & Neurological Institute, MHNI, claims that meditation "can have a powerful effect on pain." The MHNI promotes the use of "mindfulness meditation," which they describe as "focusing attention from moment to moment." To achieve migraine relief through medication, the institute recommends sitting upright in a dark quiet room as you focus on your breathing and attempt to quiet your mind. A variety of techniques and tips for achieving successful meditation can be found through books, website, lectures and videos.
Neck Stretches
Since neck stretches are so simple, they can even be done in a dark room at the peak of migraine pain. A neck stretching routine generally begins with five to ten repetitions of gently stretching the neck forward and backward. After this stretch, the sides of the neck are engaged by gently dropping the head to the right and left shoulder five to ten times. When done correctly, the stretch should be felt along the entire length of the neck. Once the neck has been stretched on all four sides, the stretching routine ends with five to ten repetitions of rotating the head from the left to the right.
Yoga Poses
The ABC-Of-Yoga website explains that gentle yoga poses can "alleviate the headache pain by providing relief to sensory overload and relaxing your mind." However, the website also explains that yoga should not be used during severe migraine attacks. Instead, these yoga positions should be practiced at the first sign of a migraine. The yoga session for migraines involves a variety of yoga poses, from the simple mountain pose to the more advanced triangle pose. These mild poses aim to stretch and relax the entire body, from the head and face to the feet and toes. Any poses that worsen migraine pain should be avoided.
