In this article you will find some of the best ways to get rid of a headache with few natural home remedies and other quick feel-better techniques. We have also covered few long-term remedies that can help you fight those difficult times.
Let’s start with the most common and most effective measure, which is medicine.
How to Stop the Pain
When you feel like you are going to have a headache take a dose of medicine as it normally takes 1-2 hours for most painkillers to show the effect. You can take it at the time of pain if not before the most common medicines are aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, acetaminophen and capsaicin nasal spray.
Few things to note:
Don’t take these medicines daily without asking a doctor. These meds can become a part of medication overuse syndrome, which means you don’t need that medicine but you are afraid of future headaches and you take them as precaution.
In week if you are taking more than 3 medicines, then you probably need to see a doctor. These meds are for specific treatments and you become more tolerant to them in time and side effects also falls in.
Rebound headaches are bound to happen if you take the above medicine too often and the remedy to it is to stop taking them and see a doctor.
Check if you need medical assistance
Some symptoms with a headache can be deadly and you may be having a stroke, meningitis or encephalitis. Go and see a doctor immediately if your headache has symptoms like –
- Trouble walking, talking or seeing
- neck becomes stiff
- you are vomiting and/or nausea
- fever goes up (to 102-104 F)
- you are fainting
- one side of your body becomes hard to use
- if you have frequent or severe headaches and medicines you are taking are not at all working, plus you are not functioning normally.
Don’t take too much caffeine
Caffeine is just like a double-edged sword, you can get a initial help in some pain, but it’s matter of time when you will become addicted to it and as dependency increases it can be much worse. If you limit the need to coffee in headache to twice a week then its fine, but if you start getting addicted to it your blood vessels can constrict when it’s withdrawn. For frequent headaches avoid caffeine completely.
Drink Plenty of Water
Dehydration is also a cause for headaches, so drink plenty of water. In situations like vomiting and hangovers water should be consumed in good quantity. If you drink a tall glass of water or if you take small sips then the you will find that headache over time reduce in the course of day. Drinking 3 litres of water a day for men and about 2.2 litres a day for women is essential, and this value can be higher, if you are exercising or breast-feeding or you live in a humid condition. Avoid drinking cold water as it can trigger the migraine and normal room temperature water will help you a lot.
Take a break and find quiet place or dark place
By turning lights down and laying down to bed for a 30 min break will make you relax and heal quickly. Request people nearby to be quiet and ask them politely, if you ask them at a later stage the problem can be become more painful. Try to take a nap or sleep for a short while. Look for a comfortable bed and take pillow to remove stress from your head and neck. Block any kind of light or wear a mask if necessary. Find out which climatics condition, works for both?
Relax your Muscles
Lying down for a few minutes for progressive muscle relaxation also works in several headaches, you can try Yoga for few minutes by taking off few minutes and resting a position that allow you to focus on breathing and think about each muscle group like head, chest, forearms, hands, stomach, buttocks, leg and finally toes.
Use cool compress or hot compress
If you headache is due to temples or sinuses then a cool compress can work to reduce the blood vessel constrict and it your headache is related to tension, stress, anxiety than you can use a hot compress. Both hot and cool compress can be in a form of towel or cloth which is soaked in water with appropriate temperature hot or cold, depending on the cause of headache.
Massaging your scalp and face
Another way of reducing headaches from tension can be done by massaging your face and scalp. It helps in relieving tension and hence the pain in headaches. By placing your thumb between ear and eyes move your fingers in a circular motion and take your massage to your forehead, this will reduce tension that may be due to any anxiety and depression. You can also apply oil in your hair especially the coconut or the argan oil.
Massaging to other parts like like neck and shoulders can also reduce stress and can stop your headache due to tension.
Neck exercising
To stop headaches neck exercises can be very helpful, you can do a simple routine stretch by lowering neck so that your chin will touch the chest without any movement of your shoulders. Returning to upright position. Twisting head to one of your side holding it for 10-15 seconds and return to upright position. Repeating this process will help you reduce chronic headaches.
Acupressure points and techniques
Acupressure is another wonderful technique to reduce headaches due to tension. These acupressure points are in your neck, shoulder, and hands. The above method of massaging also works on the same ground.
