Relaxation​

Relaxation exercises can relax the mind and body. Regular relaxation practice has been shown to reduce headache frequency and intensity. Relaxation can also help with sleep.

Try using relaxation exercises as part of your pre-sleep routine or to help you return to sleep if you wake up in the night. There are many types of relaxation exercises, including progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, visualization, and mindfulness meditation.

Here are some relaxation tracks to try. The relaxation tracks were made by staff from the Calgary Headache Assessment and Management Program. Please also try Dr. Dawn Buse’s headache relaxation tracks located at the end of this section.

• Deep breathing audio track (5:46 minutes)
• Body scan audio track (7:36 minutes)
• Progressive muscle relaxation audio track (9:30 minutes)

• Trap the migraine and head for the beach (5:47 minutes)
  Learn how to picture your headache as something that can be put in a cage or trap. While your headache is locked away, visit a favourite place.
• Release the headache in an outdoor scene (5:43 minutes)
  Experience how you can reduce the impact that a headache has on you by visualizing your headache first as something big and scary, and then changing it into something small and harmless.

Find more breathing exercises for managing stress.

Stress management

Stress, headaches, and sleep are connected in complex ways:

• People with migraine or tension-type headaches often say that stress is a powerful trigger.
• Changes that happen in the body during stress can make migraines worse.
• Many people say they feel stressed when they get headaches.
• Insomnia can sometimes happen when people are under a lot of stress. This can make it even harder to fall asleep and stay asleep, and sleep quality can be affected.
• When stress and poor sleep happen at the same time, headaches can get even worse.
• If stress is reduced, insomnia often gets better too. Stress coping skills and realistic stress appraisal skills can improve insomnia.

To start managing your stress, think about what’s causing it, what part you might play in it, how you react to it, and how you cope with it.

The SOLVE Problems Approach: Created for people with headaches

Headache researchers Drs. Penzien and Rains suggest the SOLVE Problems Approach as a way for people with headaches to deal with stress.

For each event that causes stress, try this approach.

S = State the problem

O = Outline the problem

L = List some possible solutions (as many as you can)

V = View the consequences (for each solution, list a possible positive and negative outcome)

E = Evolve a solution

Imagine you have a 14-year-old son who often breaks his curfew. You and your son fight when this happens. It’s very stressful.

1. State the problem
   

   “I get very upset when my son keeps breaking his curfew.”

2. Outline the problem
   

   “I’ve tried to be generous with setting a curfew for my son, but he often comes in 1 hour late. When this happens and I try to talk to him about it, we both get very upset, raise our voices, and nothing is resolved. I usually get a headache afterwards.”

3. List some possible solutions


4. View the consequences
   
   

   List possible solutions		View consequences
   1	Set aside time to talk about the situation with my son when it's a good time to talk.	Positive: We might come up with a solution that works for both of us. Negative: My son might see talking as a waste of time and not take it seriously.
   2	Talk to the parents of my son’s friends to see what curfews their children have.	Positive: This might really help. If my son's friends have much later curfews, he might feel left out. Maybe I could adjust his curfew. Negative: The other parents might not want to talk about this with me. My son might resent me for calling the parents.
   3	Get my son a cell phone so he can check in with me when he’s out.	Positive: This could help me keep track of where he is without interfering too much with his plans. Negative: My son might turn off his phone and I won’t be able to talk to him anyway. He could also have a big phone bill.



5. Evolve a solution
   

   “I chose all 3 solutions. I talked to the other parents and found the other boys could stay out an hour later. I talked to my son and decided to extend his curfew so it’s the same. I will get him a cell phone and he’s promised to leave it on and call me when he’s out. He also promised to be home on time.”