Headaches cause trouble for all of us from time to time. There are plenty of ways to help relieve a headache. Before we get into those, I would advise that if you experience headaches quite often and you’re unsure why do consult a doctor and try to find a way to prevent them in the first place. It is much better never to have a headache in the first place, wouldn’t you agree?
Drink Water
The most obvious cause of a headache is dehydration. If you drink water when you’re experiencing a headache, the pain should lessen after a half hour or so.
Drinking water can help you prevent headaches in the first place as you won’t get dehydrated. Not all headaches are caused by dehydration, but it is one of the main causes.
Use a Cold Compress
Sometimes exposure to something cold can help reduce headache symptoms. The idea behind using something cold is to decrease inflammation, slow nerve conduction, and constrict blood vessels. These three factors will reduce the pain in the meantime until the source of your headache recovers itself.
Using a cold compress on the back of the neck or temples of your head will relieve some of the pain caused by your headache. The cold compress method is especially effective for migraines as it slows the nerves communication of the pain levels as well as reduce inflammation.
Drink a Caffeinated Beverage
Sometimes, caffeine can alleviate the symptoms of a headache to some degree. Sipping on a drink of tea or coffee can relieve you of your headache in less than half an hour. Caffeine improves your mood and constricts the blood vessels which can reduce headache pain.
Caffeine works especially well in conjunction with painkillers such as ibuprofen. You must be careful when using caffeine as it is an addictive stimulant. If you consume caffeine on a daily basis, your body may develop a need for it. If you do end up addicted to caffeine, you will likely experience strong headaches whenever you don’t drink your coffee or tea.
The best method is to limit yourself to one teaspoon of coffee or one caffeinated tea per day. If you get a headache on a particular day, drink a second. However, you should never drink more than two caffeinated drinks in a single day as you will surely get addicted.
Yoga
When all else fails, yoga does wonders for the mind and body. Performing yoga exercises distracts you from your pain and helps you relax. Headaches are often caused by stress and tensing your facial muscles, so yoga helps to relieve this form of a headache.
These are a few of the home remedies you can use to relieve headaches. As I said earlier, consult a doctor if you are getting headaches on a daily basis, especially if the pain is intense. You can also take a guide from the lost book of remedies for some natural ways to relieve your headache.