Is laying down during a bad headache or migraine the best thing at this time?

You're experiencing a bad headache, migraine  and all you want to do is lie down. Is this the best advice? Not necessarily. So let's go through it.

When you're experiencing a bad headache or a migraine sometimes all you want to do is just lie down, you don't want to move, you just want to get into your cozy positions and just stay there but is this the best thing for you?  Sleep can be really good for headaches and migraines. It can be fantastic and a lot of people can actually sleep off their headaches and their migraines so in that regard it can be fantastic, but if you were just lying down, sleep isn't actually restorative for you. You're not waking up and you're not feeling better or you're not actually going to sleep and you're just lying down, then the lack of movement isn't necessarily beneficial for you. 

The reason why is because the neck is actually implicated for a lot of people in their headaches and migraines so by lying down, you usually get into these cozy comfy positions because you’re    not feeling very good and you're not particularly worried about your posture that you're getting into. 

Does my head feel better when I am not lying straight? It can actually make it more stiff and a little bit more tense, so actually getting movement in through the neck can really help versus it's stiffening up and potentially making it last longer. 

You can lie down that's not a problem at all but as much as possible if you can get up ideally every hour or so and do some neck range of motion exercises so going from side to side going around in circles coming forwards and backwards and just getting some movement in through your neck can be absolutely fantastic.

You can also go for a walk even just around the house or going outside is even better as you are getting fresh air, seeing some greenery and getting your whole body moving. But again that's if you're up to it otherwise just doing some neck range of motion exercises doing 10 to each side doing 10 neck circles in each direction then go back down to lying down.

Getting some motion in through your neck, stops it from getting too stiff. Hopefully we can jiggle that out and we're helping to encourage that headache or migraine to disappear quicker rather than staying around for longer.  Remember, give that a whirl if you're experiencing a higher headache or lower headache or migraine. 

Ideally we want to prevent headaches and migraines from happening but it's always good to have tools if something is occurring because we want to treat them as soon as possible.  

Do you have any favorite neck exercises that you do? Shrugging your shoulders, moving your shoulders, moving your upper back, it can be really helpful. Ice and heat can be really helpful as well. 

If you want to know more other neck range of motion exercises or any other exercises that you can do at home that help your headaches and migraines during an attack, our team at Melbourne Headache Solutions is here to help!

We can help you with your headaches and migraines. Please call us on (03) 9486 7432 or visit our website https://www.melbourneheadachesolutions.com.au/ to learn more. It is our absolute passion to help people with headaches and migraines find their way back to themselves and a life unburdened by pain.