The Combined Effect of Eight Weeks of Aquatic Training and Resistance Training on Headache Indicators, Quality of Life and Sleep Quality of Women with Migraine

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Nabi Shamsaei 1
Hadi Abdi 2
Bahare Bikdelo 3
1 Associate Professor, Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Sciences, Payam-e Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3 MSc of Exercise Physiology, Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
10.22089/spj.2025.17324.2336
Abstract
Background and Purpose
Migraine is a neurovascular disorder of the trigeminal nerve with brainstem dysfunction that occurs in attacks of varying severity and frequency. Among neurological diseases, migraine is one of the most common and debilitating types of headaches, especially among women. This disease is not only associated with severe and frequent pain, but also has widespread negative effects on the quality of life, daily functioning, and mental health of affected individuals. Migraine is also the leading cause of disability in people under the age of fifty. Given the chronic and complex nature of migraine, effective management of this disease requires multimodal approaches that, in addition to pharmacological treatments, also include lifestyle changes and non-pharmacological interventions such as physiotherapy, acupuncture, relaxation, and exercise. Evidence suggests that regular physical exercise, especially aquatic exercise and resistance training, can synergistically help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches due to their positive effects on the neuromuscular system, stress reduction, and improving general health. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of a combination of eight weeks of aquatic training and resistance training on headache indices (including headache frequency, severity, and duration), quality of life, and sleep quality in women with migraine.
 
Materials and Methods
Forty women with migraine (age range 40 to 50 years) were selected as a convenience sample from the migraine patient population, whose disease was confirmed by a neurologist, and participated in this study by completing a written consent form. These patients were divided into four groups: aquatic exercise, resistance exercise, combined exercise, and control group (n=10). Initially, the research variables were assessed with standard Questionnaire (Migraine Headache Index Questionnaire (including headache severity, headache duration, and headache recurrence), quality of life questionnaire, and sleep quality questionnaire). The experimental groups participated in eight weeks of special exercises, and during this period, the control group only engaged in their daily activities and was prohibited from participating in sports activities.
The aquatic exercise groups performed aquatic exercises for eight weeks and three sessions per week. The exercises included warm-up (10 minutes), main exercises (30 minutes), and cool-down (10 minutes). The resistance training protocol included stationery and circuit training, which was performed for eight weeks. After completing eight weeks of training, the research variables were measured again under the same conditions as the pre-test.
The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to examine the status of data distribution, and the Levine test was used to examine the homogeneity of variance between groups. The analysis of Covariance test and the Bonferroni post hoc test were used to examine the differences between groups at a significance level of p≤0.05. All calculations and data analysis were performed using SPSS software (version 22).
 
Findings
based on the results of the paired t-test, there was a significant difference between the severity of headaches in all experimental groups (aquatic exercise, resistance exercise, and combined exercise) in the pre-test and post-test. The results of the analysis of the data related to the headache severity index showed that there was a significant difference in terms of headache severity between the exercise and control groups (p≤0.05), but no significant difference was observed between the experimental groups.
Regarding the headache duration index, the results of the paired t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the duration of headaches in all experimental groups in the pre-test and post-test. Data analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the duration of headaches between the exercise and control groups (p≤0.01), but the difference between the other groups was not significant statistically.
Based on the results of the paired t-test, there was a significant difference between the frequency of headaches in all experimental groups (aquatic exercise, resistance exercise, and combined exercise) in the pre-test and post-test. The results of the analysis of data related to the headache frequency index showed that in terms of headache frequency, there was a significant difference only between the exercise groups and the control group (p≤0.001), but there was no significant difference between the experimental groups in terms of headache frequency.
In terms of the quality-of-life index, the results of the paired t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the quality of life in all experimental groups in the pre-test and post-test. Data analysis showed that in terms of quality of life, there was a significant difference only between the exercise groups and the control group (p≤0.01), but there was no significant difference between the experimental groups in terms of quality of life.
According to the results of the paired t-test, there was a significant difference between the quality of sleep in all experimental groups (aquatic exercise, resistance exercise, and combined exercise) in the pre-test and post-test. The results of the analysis of data related to the sleep quality index showed that in terms of sleep quality, there was a significant difference only between the exercise groups and the control group (p≤0.001), but there was no significant difference between the experimental groups in terms of sleep quality.
 Conclusion
the results of this study showed that eight weeks of resistance training, aquatic training, and a combination of these two types of training had positive and significant effects on improving indicators related to migraine headaches in women with this disease. On the other hand, the results showed that this type of trainings is also effective in improving the quality of life and sleep quality of patients with migraine. These results clarify the importance of performing regular physical activities in reducing migraine pain and, as a result, improving the quality of life and sleep of patients. According to the obtained results, it can be suggested that the combination of resistance training and aquatic exercise can act as an effective intervention in improving or reducing migraine headache indices as well as sleep quality and quality of life in women with migraine, therefore it can be considered as an approach to reducing medication use, especially for patients who cannot tolerate the side effects of synthetic medications.
Article Message
The combination of resistance training and aquatic exercise can serve as an effective intervention in improving or reducing migraine headache indices as well as sleep quality and quality of life in women with migraine.
 Ethical Considerations
this study was conducted after obtaining ethical approval from the Research Ethics Committee of Ilam University (Ethics Code: IR.ILAM.REC.1402.004).
Funding
this study received no funding from public, commercial, or nonprofit organizations.
Authors' Contributions
All authors contributed to the design, implementation, and writing of all parts of the present study.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
we thank all those who helped us in this study.
 
Keywords
Resistance Training
Aquatic Training
Quality of Life
Quality of Sleep
Migraine

Main Subjects

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  • Receive Date 07 October 2024
  • Revise Date 20 February 2025
  • Accept Date 26 May 2024