Doing Yoga 3 Times a Week May Help Curb Migraine Symptoms
- A study in Neurology suggests that yoga could reduce frequency, duration, and pain from migraine.
- It supports
past research showing that yoga can be effective in alleviating migraine. - Aside from stress reduction, there could be other effects from doing yoga that alleviate migraine symptoms.
Spending time on a yoga mat could do wonders for people with migraine. Those who added yoga to their routine found it provided better relief than medication alone.
A study in Neurology suggests that yoga could reduce frequency, duration, and pain from migraine. It supports
Only about half the people who take medication for migraine experience relief, noted Dr. Rohit Bhatia, lead author from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Bhatia evaluated 114 people between the ages of 18 and 50. They all had episodic migraine, which is defined as having 4 to 14 headaches per month. The people were randomly assigned into two groups: those only on medication and those on medication who also practiced yoga.
Both groups were given appropriate medications and counseling on lifestyle changes such as getting enough sleep, exercise, and eating well.
The yoga group underwent a 1-hour yoga practice 3 days a week for 1 month. The practice included breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga postures. After the first month, they practiced yoga at home 5 days a week for an additional 2 months.
Participants wrote down all migraine information, including the duration of the episode, severity, and medication taken.
While everyone saw improvements, the benefit was higher in those who added yoga. That group began with an average of 9.1 headaches per month and ended the 3-month study period with 4.7 headaches per month — a 48 percent reduction. The medication-only group began the study reporting 7.7 headaches per month and reported 6.8 per month at the end of the study period. They saw a 12 percent decrease.
After 3 months, the average number of pills taken by those in the yoga group went down 47 percent. The average amount of pills taken in the medication-only group decreased by about 12 percent during the same time.
“Our results show that yoga can reduce not just the pain, but also the treatment cost of migraines,” Bhatia said in a statement. “That can be a real game-changer, especially for people who struggle to afford their medication. Medications are usually prescribed first, and some can be expensive.”