Page 36 - Sun Rays Flipbook proof_FinalTrim
P. 36
The strange Heading
relationship for
between misery?
exercise and
headaches
By Josh Peterson For the most part, exercise reduces your risk of headaches. Unless, of course, you’re
prone to migraines. Then it can be a headache trigger.
Aheadache feels like someone sud-
denly opened an umbrella inside ate some of the triggers that cause run- and headaches can be a symptom of poor
your head. It is as unlucky as it of-the-mill headaches. circulation. Exercising regularly has
is painful. Headaches can be triggered been found to improve blood flow and
by stress, hormones, muscle tension, It’s probably not a surprise that migraine counteract arterial stiffening associ-
inflammation, blood-vessel constriction sufferers—those who are at greater risk ated with the aging process. It should be
and, most surprisingly, exercise. The of exercise-induced headaches—don’t ex- noted again that changes in blood flow
majority of exercise-induced headaches ercise as often as non-sufferers. Most ex- might affect migraine sufferers differ-
are caused by the dilation of blood ves- perts suggest migraine sufferers should ently.
sels in the noggin and are—aside for the attempt moderate, low-impact exercises
pain—harmless, although they may in- like walking, swimming or cycling, pay- Finally, yoga is often cited as a method
dicate a predisposition toward migraine ing special attention to form, posture for combatting headaches because it fo-
susceptibility. Traditional methods of and preparation: drink plenty of water cuses heavily on regular breathing and
headache treatment will usually thwart to avoid dehydration, include adequate correct posture. Bad posture can cause
them. It should be noted that if you expe- time to warm up and cool down and eat tension in the head and neck which
rience an exercise-induced headache for an hour and a half to two hours prior. might lead to headaches. Breathing ex-
the first time, it could also be the result Most of all, listen to your body and stop ercises are often employed to relieve ten-
of another underlying health condition. if you need to. sion around those areas. Yoga may not
Check with your doctor to ensure that burn as many calories as, say, running,
your headache isn’t indicative of some- If you’re not migraine prone, exercise but it is exercise, one seemingly adept at
thing else. can help lower your chances of basic maintaining a pain-free head.
Throwing together a regular exercise headaches in several ways. For start-
routine is difficult enough, but to toss ers, it is one of the all-time great stress Exercise has a bizarre relationship to
excruciating headaches into the mix can relievers and mood enhancers, flooding the headache, both potentially causing
make the undertaking seem impossible. your body with pain-killing endorphins. and relieving them. Because exercise
The good news is that regular exercise Exercise has also been known to im- is so fundamentally important to living
has been shown to reduce the likelihood prove one’s ability to sleep at night and a healthy life, everyone should try and
of migraine occurrences and can allevi- overall sleep quality. More and better find a pain-free regimen that works.
sleep not only relieves stress which de-
OPTIONS AT OUR creases the likelihood of headaches, but Always consult with your doctor about
FITNESS CENTERS: a lack of sleep by itself is also a headache health concerns or before beginning an
trigger. exercise regimen.
– Meditation
TH, 3:15 p.m. Texas Drive Exercise also improves your circulation, ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG
– Sunrise Yoga
TU/TH, 6:30 a.m. Texas Drive
– Gentle Breath Yoga
TU/TH, 11:45 a.m. Texas Drive
344 | SUNRAYS SEPTEMBER 2017
