The Overlooked Connection of Exercise with Migraines
(Photo : Reuters)

According to a recent study, there is a connection between migraines and exercise. Their connections are sometimes overlooked by many.

The study called the "Anxiety, sensitivity and intentional avoidance of physical activity in women with probable migraine" research conducted by a team of New Jersey State University's Department of Psychology from Rutgers, Samantha Farris.

The research of the Farris team was published in the journal called Cephalalgia. Cephalalgia is the International Headache Society's official journal.

According to professionals, 10 percent to 15 percent of the entire population of the world is affected by migraines. Some of the symptoms of migraines are a pain in the head, throbbing, and hypersensitivity to a lot of things such as light and sounds.

Frequent aerobic exercise had been suggested by many physicians as a good way to prevent migraines. A third of migraine patients can start getting migraine attacks through exercise. This had resulted in people avoiding the performance of physical exercises to stop getting migraine attacks.

The avoidance of physical activities by patients (who constantly experience migraines) may have been caused by other types of pain conditions and anxiety. This is very factual especially to those who perform intense physical activities which make each migraine attack even worse. 

However, light-moderate exercise can produce positive results for those who are constantly suffering from migraine attacks.

The published research of Farris and her team had included participants of 100 females with a high probability of experiencing migraines. The participants of the study were asked to answer survey questions involving the avoidance of moderate to intense exercise. 

The results of the study included heightened anxiety sensitivity in connection with the avoidance of moderate to intense physical activities.

The increase of one point to the anxiety sensitivity scale had revealed a five percent increase in the possibility of them avoiding physical exercise. Concerning problems with bodily sensations, there is a 7.50 percent chance of people avoiding intense physical exercise. The intellectual effects of sensations in the body such as the lowered ability to concentrate effectively resulted in a 5.20 percent chance of people to stay away from moderate physical exercise. The scores of the anxiety sensitivity are related to higher expectations of intense physical exercise as an initiating factor for migraine.

According to the outcome of the research by Farris and her team, migraines are a commonly overlooked factor by many. It was seen as a widespread and incapacitating illness and physical exercise is suggested as one of its treatments.

The research team had emphasized the patients who were suffering from migraines and has a heightened anxiety sensitivity and the benefits they can attain from multi-faceted and well-planned interventions such as psychoeducation on the positive outcomes from doing physical activities to relieve migraine and the unfavorable results of the avoidance of physical exercises. 

According to the researchers, everyone should be informed of the comparison between the proposed rates and the actual results of physical exercises in influencing migraines and the use of steady exposures to promote desensitization to dodged physical exercises and other related physical activities and sensations.