Patients with migraine are very well aware of the fact that exercise can really help them in feeling better with this condition. There has also been much evidence to prove this theory, where exercises can act as an effective non-pharmacological intervention to reduce headaches caused by migraines.
A regular schedule of doing any kind of physical activities can help in releasing endorphins in the body which in turn helps to lower & reduce the headaches of migraine.
It also releases an anti-depressant called enkephalin which helps in reducing stress levels to keep migraine away.
Studies also show that doing aerobics have a positive impact on the health of migraine patients.
However, all of the above was about how exercises can help reducing migraine, but a recent study shows that exercises can even be a trigger to the condition.
The research was taken on around 100 women to know how doing exercises won’t help them in reducing the intensity of migraine.
Exercises can, in fact, act as triggers for women due to “anxiety sensitivity” present in them.
Anxiety sensitivity is nothing but having a fear of getting highly anxious because of any harmful cognitive, social or physical consequences & this may also be related to the avoidance of physical activity in migraine patients.
The research was done on 100 women having a migraine to fill up an online survey that calculates anxiety sensitivity scores, avoidance of any physical activity intentionally & a self-rated perception that exercises can increase migraine headaches & worsen the symptoms.
And, the study shows that an increase in the anxiety sensitivity score by one point lead to increases in the odds of avoiding physical activities by 5%.
There are many other reasons of doing exercises that can trigger migraine like exercising without proper planning, doing any physical activity on an empty stomach, inadequate water intake in the body during workouts. Also, exercising on a very high altitude or in a hot climate can trigger a migraine. This is also known as exercise or exertional headaches. A sudden change in the diet & lifestyle can also increase migraine.
Hence, researchers are of the view that physical activities could be avoided as a way to manage migraine
