Exercising on a bicycle helps a wide range of physical conditions. It's an effective aerobic activity and it's a great option for people who need to keep pressure off their knees and hips. Cycling has also been shown to reduce the tremors of Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's tremors are not the same as head tremors, however. Still, exercising on a bicycle can indirectly help with head shaking.
Head Shaking
Head shaking is usually caused by essential tremor, a nervous system condition that is not life-threatening and is not associated with any other disease. Essential tremor affects the hands most often but can also cause a vertical or horizontal shaking in the head. The tremor typically becomes worse over time and more pronounced when you are stressed. Treatment ranges from drugs to exercise. The Mayo Clinic recommends cycling as an additional treatment for essential tremor to help reduce stress, which in turn may reduce essential tremor aggravation.
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's Disease is different from essential tremor. Parkinson's is a degenerative brain condition that does not cause head shaking but does cause hand and arm tremors, muscle freezing and also problems walking, swallowing and writing. The disease is the result of a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. There is no cure for Parkinson's Disease, but symptoms are treated with Levodopa. Symptoms may also be treated with cycling in some patients.
Cycling and Parkinson's
In a study published in the January 2009 issue of "Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair," Dr. Jay Alberts of the Cleveland Clinic found that the forced exercise of riding a bicycle built for two helps relieve Parkinson's symptoms. When patients had to keep up with a trainer who made them pedal 80 rpms for an hour a day, three times a week, patients experienced a 35 percent reduction in symptoms such as tremors and muscle freezing. Dr. Bastiaan Bloem of the Netherlands made a similar discovery when a patient with severe Parkinson's was able to ride a bicycle for miles symptom-free. Both doctors believe cycling may stimulate a different part of the brain that controls body movements.
Cycling and Head Shaking
While exercising on a bike may not directly relieve head shaking the way cycling can relieve Parkinson's symptoms, it can relieve your stress levels. The Mayo Clinic notes that exercise releases the body's feel-good chemicals called endorphins which reduce stress, and that repetitive exercise such as cycling has a meditative effect on the body which also relieves stress. Since stress relief is recommended as a treatment for essential tremor, exercising on a bicycle may help reduce your head shaking. At the very least, it will make you feel better.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Essential Tremor
- Mayo Clinic: Symptoms
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: NINDS Parkinson's Disease Information Page
- Pub Med: Neurorehabilitation & Neural Repair; Forced, not voluntary, exercise improves motor function in Parkinson's disease patients; Dr. Jay Alberts et al.; July 2009
- New York Times: Cycling Provides a Break for Some With Parkinson's; Gina Kolata; March 2010
- Mayo Clinic: Stress Management; Exercise and stress: Get moving to combat stress
