Yoga for Migraine
Nearly everyone experiences headaches from time to time. But not all headaches are similar. Migraine is a lifestyle affliction characterised with recurring unbearable and excruciating throbbing pain in head. Migraine headaches range from moderate to high intensity. This neurological disorder causes an extremely insufferable pulsing sensation that is felt usually on one side of the head and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. You may experience extreme sensitivity to sound and light. The incidence of Migraine is more common in women than in men.
Migraine attacks may last for few hours and can be carried to days if left untreated. Migraines might occur rarely or strike several times a month. After a migraine attack, you might feel a loss of energy, congestion, running nose, and confusion. Some people also report feeling highly elated or completely washed out for a day and others may feel even a temporary loss of vision or see flickering lights. Impulsive and speedy head movement can precipitate the pain again for some time.
Migraine pain can be so severe that it can also restrict and interfere with your routine activities. A combination of the right medicines can help manage the symptoms of debilitating migraine headaches and make them less agonising.
Factors that trigger migraine
- Changes in the weather,
- Excessive fatigue,
- Deep anxiety
- Stress
- Bright or flickering lights
- Loud noises
- Strong smells
- Lack of proper sleep
- Poor dietary habits
- Increase in intake of caffeine or alcohol
- Hormonal changes (in women)
- Constant exposure to the sun
- Bright light
Understanding what might be triggering a migraine will help you to deal with it effectively and can help prevent it from happening again. Avoiding these triggering factors and learning to relax can help to keep the agonising migraine pain from striking in the first place.
However, medication, combined with some self-help calming home remedies such as, scalp massage, or massaging of reflex points on the feet and hands, yoga, and other lifestyle changes, can help prevent the occurrence of migraines.
Dietary changes help to prevent a migraine attack
It is important to keep track of your reaction to the food you consume. Altering your dietary habits is one of the most useful home remedies. Research studies indicate that certain foods have been shown to affect the severity and frequency of migraine pain. Some dairy products, fruits, such as banana, avocado, oranges, meat, bacon, and hot dogs, foods with high monosodium glutamate content and tyramine, red wine, and pickled foods, onions, chocolate, and peanut butter can trigger migraine attacks. Buck Wheat and Flaxseed which is rich in omega fatty 3 acids helps to provide relief to migraine pain.
Yoga helps to combat migraine
Yoga is an ancient technique that promotes holistic living, improves circulation, relieves stress and helps to fight migraines. It includes practicing a combination of postures and breathing techniques every day. It does not have any side-effects. Practicing these simple yoga postures for a few minutes every day will help avoid the occurrence of a migraine attack. Yoga is a significant means to make your resistance against migraines better. Studies indicate that practicing yoga reduces migraine frequency and intensity and concludes that Yoga Therapy produces helpful effects on the nervous system.
Specific yoga poses, focus on reducing tension and stress that is a significant triggering factor to your migraines. Certain yoga poses help boost circulation and improves blood flow to the brain. This helps to reduce any pain or throbbing sensations in the head.
Types of yoga
The finest types of Yoga to support migraine pain relief are those which enable deep breathing and meditation: These include
- Gentle Hatha Yoga– this type of yoga is good for migraine as it focuses on mild activity and deep breathing
- Yin Yoga-This type of yoga helps to alleviate headaches as it focuses on relaxation and meditation
- Restorative Yoga-These stress releasing poses helps to reduce migraine pain as it focuses on alleviating tension
- Few simple asanas in yoga can help you combat migraine pain. These include;
Hastapadasna: Standing Forward Bend stimulates the nervous system as it increases blood supply and also calms the brain
- Setu Bandhasana: The bridge pose reduces anxiety and relaxes the mind.
- Child’s pose Or Shashankasana : Try this with a cushion for more comfort. It helps to calm down the nervous system and alleviates the pain.
- Paschimottanasana: This Two-Legged Forward Bend calms the anxiety and relieves stress. This simple yoga posture also helps to get rid of the headache.
- Marjariaasan or Cat pose: The Cat Stretch improves blood circulation and also relaxes the mind.
- Adhomukh svanasana: The Downward Facing Dog Pose increases blood circulation to the brain and alleviates headache.
- Legs up The wall: This pose is very relaxing and extremely helpful in relieving anxiety
- Brahmari Pranayama
- Sitting Butterfly Forward Fold: You can use cushions, blocks, or even a chair for support
- Pinch your eyebrows with your thumb and index finger. Then pinch your ears in a downward direction and pull the top of the ear. Finally, massage your jaws with four fingers.
Doing all these or even a few of these with soft music playing in the background will help to alleviate this unendurable pain in the head
Yoga offers not only a holistic and all-inclusive approach to fighting migraines but is also a proactive approach to reduce the excruciating pain. Practicing these simple yoga postures will help to reduce the impact of a migraine attack and will eventually stop them permanently. Yoga brings calm and peace to the mind and body, and alleviate migraine pain. While practicing yoga postures, your heart rate slows and your blood pressure gets regulated automatically. This calms your mind, prevents pain in the head, and in the eventuality of a stressful migraine attack helps your body to recover quickly. Yoga is an effective way to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches.
So, roll out your yoga mat, repose for some time every day to eliminate migraines out of your life for good. It is better to cultivate a regular yoga practice as it supports the prevention of migraine pain.
