How to prevent headaches and migraines when doing yoga

Posted by Modern Movement on June 28th, 2022

Yoga classes Brookvale can prevent headaches and migraines but if you do it wrong, you can get headaches from yoga.

Yoga practice is associated with pain relief. You might develop headaches during or after yoga. This may happen for different reasons such as poor preparation and improper yoga technique. Luckily, you do not have to avoid yoga if you get a headache. We will explore some possible causes and remedies and how to prevent headaches from happening.

Is it common to get headaches from yoga?

Yoga is beneficial for migraines and headaches. Research has shown that yoga may relieve stress, and promote better sleep, improve posture and reduce musculoskeletal tightness. All of the above benefits can prevent headaches. Stress is a common trigger of migraines and headaches so when it is relieved, your chances of having a headache are reduced. Also, if you do not get better sleep, you can experience migraines and headaches and since yoga promotes better sleep, it shows that yoga can relieve headaches associated with bad sleep.

Poor posture can contribute to head pain. When you practice yoga, you can improve your alignment and posture and reduce or prevent headaches. Similarly, musculoskeletal tightness in the upper neck, back, and face can cause headaches. Since yoga has relaxing movements that may loosen these muscles, you can reduce or prevent headaches with yoga.

Causes of headaches

If yoga near you causes headaches, you should consider your environment or habits. This can help you know the cause and prevent headaches. Some of the most common reasons for migraines and headaches during or after yoga are indicated below.

Dehydration

This is a common cause of headaches. It happens when you drink less water than required by your body. Sweating increases your risk of dehydration. You are more likely to become dehydrated if you do yoga in hot weather or if you do a physically demanding sequence. Other symptoms of dehydration include increased thirst, fatigue, dark yellow urine, dizziness, irritability and dry mouth.

Hunger

You need glucose for energy. This is very important during yoga. If you do not eat before practising yoga because glucose levels in your blood might dip low and low glucose will easily cause hunger headaches along with feeling faintness, difficulty concentrating and nausea.

Incorrect technique

Yoga requires proper technique. When you do each pose with the correct form, you prevent injuries and pain. Practising yoga with the wrong technique can strain your head and neck muscles. This can cause headaches and tension in the affected area.

Inversion poses

When you do an inversion yoga pose, your heart is positioned higher than your head. This put the head in an upside-down position. These poses might trigger headaches if you are prone to headaches.

Preventing headaches during yoga

Now that you know the causes of headaches during yoga classes Brookvale, you can easily prevent headaches by hydrating properly, eating a small snack before yoga, using the correct technique, breathing deeply, avoiding bright lights, moving slowly, and massaging your temples.