In Argentina, one in 10 adults suffers from migraines, According to the first prevalence study conducted in the country. It is a moderate to severe headache (throbbing, usually on one side), which is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light or noise. In severe cases, the discomfort is so great that it does unbearable daily activities of those who suffer from it. Exercise is one of the measures that can help prevent triggers, but according to a study in the United States, more than two out of three people with migraines do not get enough physical activity.
“Migraine is one disabling condition It affects millions of people and instead regular exercise can be an effective way to reduce frequency and intensity of some migraines, ”says study author Mason Dyess of the University of Washington in Seattle and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Why does physical activity help prevent triggers? “The exercise is liberating natural painkillers called endorphins, it helps people sleep better and reduces stress. But if people with migraines don’t exercise, they may not get those benefits, ”he argues.
Stress and bad rest are triggers for migraines. Photo Shuttertock.
Dyess led the study involving nearly 5,000 people diagnosed with migraine. Three-quarters of participants had chronic migraine, that is, 15 or more episodes a month; the rest experienced episodic migraine (up to 14).
Participants completed a questionnaire about the characteristics of their migraine, sleep quality, depression, stress, anxiety, and the amount of moderate to vigorous exercise they did per week. The types of exercise they rated as moderate to vigorous included jogging, walking very fast, playing a sport, cleaning a lot and cycling.
Participants were divided into five groups according to moderate to vigorous weekly exercise level: completely sedentary people; those who exercised for up to 30 minutes; 31 to 90 minutes; from 91 to 150 minutes; more than 150 minutes a week.
The researchers found that those who make one minimum of two and a half hours of activity of this intensity per week had a reduced rate of migraine triggers such as stress, depression, and sleep problems. The work, of which preliminary results were known, will be presented at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April.
Two and a half hours a week of moderate to vigorous exercise, or 150 minutes, is the minimum amount of exercise recommended by the World Health Organization.
Exercise releases endorphins, a natural painkiller. Photo Shutterstock.
Just 27% of people who participated in the study reported having done the most exercise. In the rest, higher rates of factors were observed that may predispose to migraine symptoms.
the depression was reported by almost half (47%) of the people in the group who did not exercise, and only one in four (25%) in the most active group.
In addition, 39% of people in the sedentary group reported anxiety compared to 28% of people in the high-exercise group. that 77% of sedentary participants reported sleep problems compared to 61% in the high-exercise group.
Researchers also found one association between exercise and migraine risk. Among those who did not engage in physical activity, 5% reported a low frequency of headache (zero to four days of headache per month), and 48% had a high frequency (25 or more). In the high-exercise group, 10% had low frequency and 28% high.
“There are new treatments available for migraine, but they are very expensive. People with migraine should consider incorporate more exercise into your life daily because it can be a safe and low-cost way to manage and minimize some of the other problems that often accompany the picture, ”the lead author of the paper concluded.
The researchers pointed out that one of the limitations of the study was that participants reported weekly minutes of exercise rather than their activity being monitored with a device, so this research only shows associations between exercise and the triggers of migraine, it proves no cause and effect.
In migraine, the intense, throbbing pain usually presents on one side of the head.
How to know if you have migraines
Answering four of the MS-Q (Migraine Screen Questionnaire) questions in the affirmative, a simple internationally validated questionnaire, could indicate that you suffer from migraines, so you should consult a professional.
1. Do you have frequent headaches?
2. Do your headaches usually last more than 4 hours? (Without taking painkillers)
3. Do you have nausea when you have a headache?
4. Annoying light or noise when you have a headache?
5. Does the headache limit your physical or intellectual activities?