Practicing yoga to relieve headaches, is it effective?

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Are you feeling headache? Maybe it's time to open up your yoga mat. Many studies have shown that yoga can help people with headaches and migraines get relief, and practicing yoga will help manage migraines effectively. Meanwhile, migraine attacks are often accompanied by periods of stress. Therefore, practicing yoga is very effective to relieve headaches. Find out more in the article below.

1. Why is Yoga Helpful for Headaches?

Headaches or migraines are no longer a rare health problem. Headaches can be made worse by prolonged muscle tension or stress. In addition, people with migraine often move in the wrong position or asymmetry between the two body parts. This makes it very difficult to fully relax after headaches.
Yoga is a very good practice for migraine sufferers. Yoga helps people balance their mind, body as well as their spirit and energy levels. It calms the practitioner's mood and helps them feel more relaxed. In addition, Yoga can also improve flexibility, body posture, symmetry and reduce muscle tension thereby completely releasing pressure on the musculoskeletal system.
Yoga can provide more to the body than just physical strength. It can bring calm and peace to the mind and body of the practitioner, as well as help cure some chronic conditions such as anxiety, depression and aching joints caused by inflammation. Scientists still don't know exactly how yoga changes the body in this particular direction, but the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is thought to possibly play an important role in balance. by body. During yoga practice, the parasympathetic nervous system can slow down the heart rate and lower blood pressure of the practitioner. This allows their body to recover from prolonged stress or pain, such as a migraine.
Migraines are more intense than regular headaches. They are often characterized by a sharp pain on one side of the head. Accompanied by signs of nausea, dizziness and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines can last from a few hours to a few days. Yoga is not only a holistic approach to fighting migraines while they are happening, but it is also a proactive approach to pain relief. Studies over the last few years, typically a 2014 study, have found that headache frequency and intensity have decreased in people who practice yoga in addition to their usual treatment regimen. These participants also had an improvement in vagal tone, which refers to the amount of activity in the parasympathetic nervous system. Overall, yoga improves the autonomic balance of the heart. Disorders of the autonomic nervous system and the regulation of the circulatory system have been implicated in migraine. If balance is restored, the likelihood and symptoms of migraine attacks will be reduced.

2. Yoga cures migraines

If you are someone who suffers from frequent headaches or even migraines, yoga can help. Like most yoga therapies, there is no one specific yoga pose that can make a person's headache go away forever. Yoga is most effective when practiced consistently over a long period of time as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Since many headaches are associated with prolonged stress, the following postures and breathing exercises are intended to promote gentle stretching and relaxation, especially of the neck, shoulders, and back.
A 2007 study, published in the journal Headaches, found that migraine sufferers benefited from three months of yoga that focused on these areas of the body. If you have a severe, persistent headache, see your doctor first because headaches can be a symptom of other serious conditions. It's also important to note that the poses below are not intended as a treatment for headaches, but should be performed regularly to promote a healthier lifestyle and reduce the risk of health problems, including: migraine.
2.1. Neck Roll Neck roll is a form of yoga based on the principle of neck stretching to combat headaches. Start by finding a comfortable sitting position. You can cross your legs on the floor or sit up straight in a chair, with both feet on the floor. Take a few breaths to focus your attention on the present moment. Then tilt your head to the right. Roll your head forward, left and then back. Continue to repeat those movements about five times continuously, then switch directions and also do five rotations in the opposite direction. If you find it difficult at a certain point during the rotation, do not try, but should rotate in the opposite direction to avoid unnecessary injuries.
2.2. Chakravakasana This pose is performed by walking on all fours to perform a cat-style crawling stretch, which will help the practitioner's spine move. You can also do these moves in a chair if you feel more comfortable. Alternate between inhaling into arched back and exhaling into spinal stretch for 5 to 10 alternating reps.

2.3. Balance on hands and knees Keeping on all fours, extend right leg back and lift them parallel to the floor, keeping hips square. Once you feel stable, raise your left arm parallel to the floor to balance your hands and knees. Stay in that position and count from 3 to 5 breaths, then repeat with the other side for the same amount of time.
2.4. Sphinx Pose Lie on your stomach to prepare for Sphinx. Raise your elbows, but don't let your shoulders bounce toward your ears. Keep your shoulders down, your neck long, and your forearms pressed to the floor. Try to stay in this position for at least 5 breaths.
2.5. Camel Pose - Ustrasana Bend your knees to come into camel pose. There are several variations that can be made to make this pose easier for beginners. You can keep your hands on your low back, use arm rest blocks, or roll your toes downward to raise your heel to make it easier to grasp the heel. You can also choose to tilt your head back or tilt your neck and keep your head up, whichever is most comfortable for you. Hold for 3-5 breaths and then rest on tiptoes. You can repeat this pose two or three times if you want.
2.6. Eagle Pose - Garudasana For the eagle pose, scientists are most interested in the shoulder stretch, which means there are several options for the practitioner's legs. They can do the full pose, can sit cross-legged on the floor, or can return to a chair if that is the position that makes them most comfortable. Hold each side for 3 to 5 breaths.

2.7. Mermaid Pose – Ardha Matsyendrasana Sit on the floor (or in a chair) to twist your spine. Use an inhale to lengthen your spine and exhale to twist. Hold for 5 breaths on each side.
2.8. This yoga exercise is performed by alternate nostril breathing, in which the practitioner breathes through each nostril in turn while blocking the other. This is a balancing, relaxing breath. Repeat that cycle 5 to 10 times.
Migraine headache is no longer a rare disease. Migraine headaches can reduce quality of life. However, they can be completely controlled with yoga exercises accompanied by a reasonable treatment. There is no one specific method to treat migraine headaches. Many experimental studies have shown that yoga can make migraine sufferers feel more comfortable and relaxed, thereby minimizing the effects of the disease. In addition, you also need to combine exercise with reasonable diet adjustments, limit sun exposure and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
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References: americanmigrainefoundation.org, healthline.com, verywellhealth.com