Migraine is one of the common problems that occur to numerous people. It is a disease which is associated with headache and throbbing pain in the head. It could get complicated by doing nothing about it. Migraine can be extremely troublesome because the sensitivity of the pain increases with light and sound. Migraine attack usually lasts for few hours or maybe more, this should not affect your regular lifestyle. Many people also do regular activities in their routine to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips to keep their migraine attacks under control. Know preventive tips one must take in order to have throbbing pain in their head from expert.
Migraine link with Exercise
Exercise particularly are believed to be trigger for migraine attacks, however this is not true in all conditions. It usually depends on the type of exercise and duration for which it is performed. Some exercises are particularly more problematic for patients suffering from migraines, whereas other may not be triggering it.
According to Dr. Sumeet Nigam, General Physician from Sahara Hospital, Lucknow, this might not always be the case. You need to take some preventive measures before and after performing any exercise or workout. He says that frequency of exercise, water intake; pressure points, etc play a big role. We have mentioned some tips to combat migraine attacks during workout sessions.
Tips to Combat Migraine Attacks While Working Out
1. Choose a light activity
Do not go for heavy workout straight away after having migraine pain. Most of the light activities which you can prefer include brisk walking, jogging, swimming and cycling. Starting with a low impact activity or exercise could be beneficial as it may prevent having migraine trigger.
2. Build your stamina gradually and smoothly
Do not hurry to work out just because of zeal and enthusiasm. It also needs a lot of courage to take things slow and gradually increase your stamina. The important factor which comes in between is that stamina cannot be pressurised to build because of lifting heavy weights. There are lot of aerobic activities that need to be worked upon to build that stamina which can sustain or prevent migraine attacks.
For this you need to get comfortable with low intensity training such as jumping jacks, cycling and running on stairs. Once your body gels up with the pace you are working on, it becomes easier for you to perform high impact exercises as well. This will make your body comfortable with exercises and reduce the risk of migraine attacks.
3. Eat snacks in regulation with blood sugar levels
Blood sugar levels are crucial for everyone especially to increase the risk of migraine attacks. It could be more problematic if the problem persists from early on. Therefore it could be healthy option to keep some basic snacks with your during exercise so that your blood sugar does not becomes low.
This does not mean you take chips and burgers to the gym or ground, instead carry some nuts which could increase protein amount in the body. Also you need to eat well before or little after you have exercised, otherwise it may lead you to nausea.
4. Stay hydrated at all times while working out
One of the most important things for people doing exercise while having migraine is staying hydrated. If there is loss of hydration at any level, then it could possibly cause migraine attack and pain in your head. Hydration is important at all times, therefore make sure you drink enough water before an exercise, carry a water bottle to drink water in between and then some time after the exercise. This will help you stay away from migraine attack and reduce the tendency of having one.
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5. Warm Up and Cool Down
This means that your body should be well warmed up before doing the actual exercise or workout. Putting direct pressure on the muscles could lead to migraine attack and severe pain which might last long. Therefore make sure your body is active enough active before doing any exercise or going to gym.
If you are going for resistance training then make sure you lift some light weights first and then move to heavier weights. After working out make sure your body is cooled down. Do not directly have cold water or have bath. Walk or do some basic stretching exercises for 10 minutes to cool down your body and then perform other functions.
6. Use correct Posture during exercise
One of the major causes of having migraine pain during an exercise is because of putting stress on your head. It could possibly be problematic more migraine as well as your health. This is because doing an exercise in wrong posture and put pressure on the wrong part of the body and that could possibly result to migraine attack and throbbing pain in the head. Take proper instructions from the trainer or instructor so that your body posture remains correct at most times.
Also Read- 5 Pelvic Floor Exercises To Relieve Urinary Incontinence
7. Try exercises of physical activity which is not actually aerobic
There are different exercises which you can do in order to prevent migraine attacks. However there are some activities which you may avoid in order to reduce the risk. Aerobic activities put a lot of pressure on your brain to perform functions. It could also possibly a reason for water retention in the body and lead to dehydration. Having anxiety, stiffness and pain could be some symptoms of having migraine attack. Hence go for exercises that are not aerobic or does not trigger your migraine pain.
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