Untangling the Mystery of Headaches: Tension vs. Migraine

In the grand opera of headaches, four major performances take the stage: Tension, Migraine, Sinus, and Cluster headaches. While Ayruveda aficionados like Vasant Lad have a whole separate program, starring Vata, Pitta, and Kapha headaches, let’s focus today on the melodrama of Tension headaches, those universally acclaimed performers that manage to ‘entertain’ nearly half the global population. Tension headaches, with their understated mild to moderate pain, do not demand the limelight like their migraine counterparts—they prefer giving us a dull, aching, or tight sensation around the head, scalp, neck, and the ever-vigilant shoulders.

So, what scripts these notorious tension headaches into our lives? The usual suspects: stress, overexertion, posture made worse by perpetually gazing into screens, and the encore appearances of favorites like alcohol and caffeine. Perhaps, sleep disturbances and fickle environmental changes join the cast, making it a production no one asked for.

But fear not, dear Ashtanga yogis, relief resides in our yoga mats! Inducing relaxation responses, or albeit just releasing muscle tension, can free us from this all-too-familiar act. Yoga steps in gracefully, emphasizing proper posture, especially steering clear of the beguiling forward head posture, ensuring our necks don’t have their curtains prematurely closed. The head, it turns out, works best when it’s not channeling its inner leaning tower over the cervical spine.

We mustn’t forget the suboccipital muscles—those unsung heroes at the base of the skull that stabilize our heads while staying connected to our eyes and balance mechanism. The real antagonist here is prolonged screen time or poor positioning, leading to neck pain and headaches. Maintaining pristine body alignment is your ticket to headache prevention nirvana.

Migraines, of course, make tension headaches look like a dress rehearsal. They bring their own buffet of woes, from sensitivity to light, sound, or smell, to unwelcome guests like nausea and visual disturbances. Believe it or not, migraines thrive through a four-act tragedy: prodrome, aura, attack, and postdrome—which can unfortunately last from four predispositions to a haunting three days. Discovering one’s individual triggers opens the door to preventive strategies—although skipping the rigorous yoga poses during an unwelcome migraine visit is highly advisable.

Yoga practitioners would tell you that mild posture corrections and those wonderful, stress-soothing relaxation techniques are the yoga community’s response, especially when breath control becomes the hero of the story. During the throes of a migraine, a quiet, dark room becomes a sanctuary, because it’s best not to engage in activities that might intensify the audience’s applause of symptoms.

The research, ever the analytical presence, indicates that regular yoga practice diminishes the intensity and frequency of tension headaches, although migraines prove to be stubborn divas, standing firm against such definitive conclusions. Regardless, consistent practice of mindfulness and tips from your friendly neighborhood yogi can, indeed, smooth out the nuisance of body tension.

This ongoing drama can have an optimistically peaceful finale. By weaving yoga into the fabric of our daily lives, overall well-being is yours for the taking along with a greater chance of reducing repeat performances of headaches. Specific yoga techniques are at your disposal to address tension in your head, neck, shoulders, and they’re worth every standing ovation.

Want the grand piano version of this? Visit the full-length feature at ashtanga.tech.