Posted 5th May 2015
Stress has been cited as a cause and/or trigger by many headache and migraine sufferers. According to Dr Jerome Dixon Chiropractor and Editor of www.headache.com.au Medical researchers agree on key strategies to alleviate stress induced headaches and migraines.
Useful Methods to reduce Stress triggered ‘Stress Headaches’ or ‘Stress Migraines’
Biofeedback is a mental discipline that involves learning how to control the bodys functions, such as heart rate. With biofeedback, patients are typically connected to electrical sensors that help them receive info (feedback) about their bodies (such as heart rate). That helps them focus on making changes in the body, such as relaxing their minds and their muscles.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a type of treatment that helps patients understand that their thoughts and feelings influence their moods, behaviors, and ultimately their health. It is used to treat depression, anxiety, and addictions, as well as migraines. CBT therapists teach patients to identify and change thought patterns and behaviors that lead to stress, which can trigger migraines and other health problems.
Relaxation training techniques including meditation, yoga, or just making time for silent reflection or listening to soft music every day aim to ease stress, which is linked to everything from cancer and heart disease, to chronic pain and migraines. . Meditation can get you there, doing a guided visual imagery can get you there, yoga can do this.
Basically we spend a lot of our lives in the fight-flight-or-freeze response the activated stress response and that is the sympathetic branch of the nervous system and when we are in that activated response, people who are prone to migraine, people who have migraine, that might trigger an attack.
It is widely acknowledged that stress is a key trigger for migraines, however it must be noted also that the hormones and chemicals stress produces in the body, can linger well after the stressful event. According to Dixon, a great way to manage stress is with regular light cardiovascular exercise. “a brisk walk or bike ride can release stress and produce the hormones which help to relax us”. “its important to get professional advice before commencing any programs”, he says.
Read more about stress
– See more at: http://headache.com.au/news/287-stress-and-headaches-migraines.html#sthash.tgG844O1.dpuf
