How Exercise Helps Migraine, and How to Start Your Routine

Does exercise help with migraine, or make it worse? It’s an important question for people with migraine and the answer is… yes. An exercise routine can reduce the number of times you get migraine attacks, but for some people, physical activity is a migraine trigger.

CEFALY Technology is on a mission to tackle the persistent problem of migraine through breakthrough therapeutic innovations that are drug-free. We are here to offer CEFALY, which is an effective, convenient acute and preventive treatment for migraine. It’s an FDA-cleared, clinically proven migraine device with a 3-year warranty.

Why does exercise help migraine?

Does working out help with migraine? Researchers are still investigating the relationship between exercise and migraine headaches, but certain benefits of working out are well known. Exercise can do the following:

• Relieve stress: Stress is a common migraine trigger because it alters patterns to the brain’s allostatic load (AL) — which is a prolonged dysregulation related to chronic stress that affects regions of the brain.
• Help you sleep better: Insomnia or insufficient sleep can also trigger migraine attacks. Incorporating exercise into your daily routine helps you sleep better.
• Help reduce migraine pain: Cardiovascular exercise can activate multiple pain modulatory mechanisms.
• Help reduce obesity: Reducing obesity is a risk factor — not a cause — for migraine. The risk of chronic migraine increases with weight gain.

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Why does exercise sometimes trigger migraine?

The relationship between migraine and exercise isn’t always a positive one. Physical movement can trigger migraine attacks. If you rotate your body too quickly, turn your head suddenly, or bend over, these can all trigger migraine symptoms.

A sudden burst of activity or extra-strenuous exercise may also cause an attack. One recent study examined a group of runners after running a half-marathon. Researchers found in their blood increased levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) — a compound associated with blood-vessel dilation and headache pain.

Exercise-induced headaches occur more often in hot and humid weather, as well as at high altitudes. For some people, migraine attacks are also triggered by windy or stormy weather, bright sunlight or dry air.

How to start an exercise routine when you have migraine

You might be reluctant to try exercising for fear of a migraine attack. But unless you know that physical activity is a guaranteed trigger, the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Talk to your healthcare provider about exercise recommendations.

Experts recommend taking it slow. First, make sure you’re well hydrated and have eaten in the previous 1-4 hours. Don’t rush the warmup. Begin with walking and gentle stretching. If you’re doing strength training, start with lighter weights or a lower-resistance setting on machines.

Then, gradually ramp up the intensity. Pay attention to your body. If you feel like you’re getting dehydrated or overheated, dial it back. If you’re working with an instructor, tell them you have migraine and ask them to help monitor your form to avoid strain on your head, neck or shoulders.

Also, wear the right clothing, and remember to stop if you feel uncomfortable at any stage during your exercise.

Which types of exercise are beneficial for migraine?

Many people with migraine enjoy low-impact activities like walking, yoga, Pilates, cycling, and tai chi. The American Migraine Foundation recommends 30-50 minutes of aerobic activity 3-5 days every week.

Walking reduces migraine attacks

The Migraine Trust, a migraine charity in the United Kingdom, recommends walking to help your migraine. Walking can decrease occurrences of migraine attacks and their duration.

Try yoga for stress relief

Yoga is often recommended for people who experience migraine, but you have to make sure you’re choosing a practice that won’t exacerbate your migraine. Hot yoga or power yoga might be too much — instead, look for restorative or gentle yoga. Try Yoga With Adriene’s special session of Yoga for Migraine — free on YouTube — to see if it works for you.

Gentle aerobic exercise can aid in healing

Exercise activates endogenous neurotransmitter signals that can reduce the intensity of your migraine pain. Aerobic exercises work the cardiovascular system and muscles and can be an alternative to pharmaceutical therapies.

Tai Chi is meditation in motion

Tai Chi is a low-impact martial arts practice that involves the use of deep breaths and circular motions. Described by Harvard Health as meditation in motion, it improves your balance and coordination while reducing the pain of migraine attacks. It’s known to help prevent migraine if performed five days per week over a period of 12 weeks.

CEFALY devices

If you’re searching for more medication-free ways to manage migraine symptoms, consider trying  the CEFALY Enhanced or CEFALY Connected devices.

Users wear CEFALY on their forehead — no prescription is needed in the U.S. It sends tiny electrical impulses through a self-adhesive electrode, which helps to stimulate and desensitize your trigeminal nerve — a large nerve in the cranial region. You can control the level of stimulation — we recommend starting at an intensity where you feel a strong vibration or stimulation sensation that’s not painful.

CEFALY has two treatment modes:

• 1. ACUTE: Use the ACUTE treatment mode during prodrome, at the first sign of a migraine attack. The ACUTE program is a 1-hour treatment that relieves migraine pain.
• 2. PREVENT: The PREVENT treatment mode is for daily use to decrease the frequency of migraine attacks. The session lasts for 20 minutes.

To track and control your treatments and better understand your life with migraine, download our CeCe Migraine Management app. The CeCe app is an intuitive and personalized migraine management app that you can pair with your CEFALY Connected device or use on its own to log your attacks, see how the attacks change over time, identify your triggers and more.

Take control of your migraine treatment

CEFALY is a leader in advanced technology for treating migraine. We understand that living with migraine goes beyond just the physical pain — it’s an emotional struggle too.

We’ve been treating migraine since 2014 and are committed to patient care and support. Try CEFALY for 90 days with our money-back guarantee!

Learn more about how CEFALY works and try it with our risk-free 90-day money-back guarantee.