10 Health Tips for Relieving Headaches and Migraine Naturally
10 Health Tips for Relieving Headaches & Migraine Naturally
Headaches and migraines can run the gamut from mildly uncomfortable to completely debilitating.
While it is easy to reach for your standard pain-relieving medicine, the discomfort of a headache can be alleviated, or sometimes even be prevented using the following interventions. Give it a try using the following tips.
1. Maintain a good posture.
Sustaining a poor posture for prolonged periods can lead to muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders and induce cervicogenic headaches. Incorrect postures such as sitting with excessive hunching the upper back, putting the neck and head in forward positions, can create joint stiffness and muscular imbalances in our neck, jaw, chest, upper back complex. This often irritates the nerves that exit the spinal column, causing inflammation and inducing pain in the base of the skull, top of the head and behind the eyes, making you more susceptible to the pain in the head.
Consider consulting a holistic physiotherapist who can treat neck and spinal problems, decrease the nerve compression and help you to improve your posture.
2. Move Your Body.
Doing moderate exercise regularly does not only improve blood circulation and promote health, but can also relieve the frequency, duration, and intensity of headache or migraine attacks.
Listen to your body and practice movements that feel great for your body. This can include gentle yoga, stretching, walking, tai chi, Qi Gong and any other joyful forms of movement.
Exercising regularly is also important. Aerobic exercise can reduce tension and keep your weight in check. Obesity may also contribute to migraines.
3. Sleep / Rest
Getting better quality sleep could help to prevent and manage headaches.
Keeping a regular sleep schedule, try aiming for 7–9 hours of restful sleep each night. Establishing a relaxing and calming bedtime routine, creating a quiet sleep environment, avoiding caffeine and alcohol as well as stimulating activities before bed are some of the ways that can help you to improve your sleep.
If you are still experiencing sleeping problems even after practising good sleep hygiene, or ruling out other medical conditions, consider trying Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) combined with Craniosacral Therapy which are hands-on holistic therapies which help to calm down the vagus nerve and restore the balance in the nervous system.(link)
4. Try Acupressure
Like acupuncture, acupressure can help to clear the blockages in the energy channels of our bodies, relax our muscles and improve the blood flow. This is an easy self-help tool to alleviate symptoms by applying firm pressure with the fingers and hands to the specific acupoints on your body. You can start with sitting or relaxing in a comfortable position. Use a thumb or finger to apply firm, deep pressure to the specific pressure points. While applying pressure, make small, circular movements to help stimulate the pressure point. Repeat these steps as frequently as desired throughout the day.
You can try the following acupoints for relieving headaches and migraines:
LI-4 (Hegu): it is located at the point where the thumb and index finger join together. Applying firm but tolerable circular pressure to this point using the opposite hand for a few minutes. This acupoint must not be used in pregnant women.
GB-20 (Fengchi): it is located between the two vertical neck muscles at the base of the skull. Applying pressure to these points may help to alleviate headache pain and improve energy levels.
M-HN-9 (Taiyang): it is located at tender depressions of the temples on both sides of the head.
M-HN-3 (Yintang): This is the spot in the centre of your forehead at the halfway point between your eyebrows. Associated with relaxing the sympathetic nervous system, pressure here may help with headaches.
You should stop applying pressure if the points feel discomfort or if they begin to experience any new symptoms.
Migraines and headaches can be set off with specific food and beverage triggers, which cause inflammation, dehydration, and issues with circulation. The food items involved and the reactions can be different and unique to each individual, and this type of headache can last up to 24 hours after consumption. The most common ones are processed food items, alcohol and caffeine.
People who suffer from food allergies or intolerances can also experience headaches and migraine attacks. It is helpful to discuss with your healthcare provider and run some blood tests to rule it out if needed. Keeping a food diary and looking for patterns is also helpful in identifying potential triggers.
6. Healthy Diet
People who suffer from micronutrient imbalances may experience more frequent headaches and migraine attacks. Therefore eating regularly and improving your diet can be very helpful in lessening the frequency of attacks. Healthy diet includes plenty of diverse vegetables, reduced refined sugars, less grain, lots of water, and good fats such as nuts and seeds. Try to consume more whole food and less inflammatory and processed foods.
7. Hydration
Adequate water intake is essential for our health and proper organ functioning. It helps to eliminate wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements. It also helps to reduce inflammation, lubricate joints, regulate mood and improve sleep quality. On the other hand, dehydration can often lead to symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, headaches or migraine attacks.
How much water should you drink in a day?
The National Academy of Medicine suggests an adequate intake of daily fluids of about 13 cups and 9 cups for healthy men and women, respectively, with 1 cup equaling 8 ounces (approximately 30 ml). You may need more water if you are physically active, doing exercise, exposed to very warm climates, having fever, and losing excessive body fluids such as vomiting or diarrhoea. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, you may need additional fluids to stay hydrated.
Drinking water gradually throughout the day is also important. If you have some migraine related symptoms such as nausea, taking small sips of water may help alleviate the discomfort.
8. Minimise Toxic Exposure at Home
Exposure to poor indoor air quality and harmful substances in the living environment can irritate our central nervous system, causing symptoms of headaches and migraine, and an over-sensitivity of nerve tissues to other stimuli.
Toxic mold and other common allergens like dust mites and pollen are commonly found in indoor air with poor quality. They may lead to chronic sinus inflammation and even sinus infections, both of which can cause severe headaches. Some varieties of mold even carry the dangerous particles called mycotoxins, which can damage the liver and kidneys, and also cause chronic inflammation, migraine headaches, and severe fatigue.
Besides, regular exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCx) are known to irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, inflame the sinuses and cause headaches, nausea, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. Some of them could be carcinogenic. These toxic chemicals can easily be found in common household cleaning and disinfecting products, degreasers, cosmetics, scented candles and air fresheners. They are also released into the air of our homes and offices by paint, treated wood, furnishings, cleansers, building materials, office supplies.
To prevent a headache or migraine from cleaning supplies, you can try the followings:
Switch harmful household cleaning products to natural, safe home cleaning products.
Choosing unscented, nontoxic cleaners, look for labels that say “fragrance free” rather than “unscented”. Unscented products may actually have fragrances added to them to mask other scents!
Check the label of your household cleaners, and keep in mind that VOCs may be listed under a different name in the ingredients list, such as formaldehyde, acetone, benzene, dichlorobenzene, ethanol, propylene glycol and terpenes.
If you need to use a commercial cleaning product, adhere to the manufacturer's direction for safe use, and make sure you provide plenty of fresh air when using these products.
For better indoor air quality, invest in a quality vacuum cleaner and an air purifier with HEPA filters which can remove up to 99% of airborne irritants and allergens like pet dander, dust mites, dander and mold.
Pick low-VOC paints and avoid buying furniture made from particleboard.
9. Take Screen Breaks
Eye strain resulting from staring at a computer or digital device screen for a prolonged period of time does not only cause blurred vision, eye discomfort and fatigue, but can also lead to headaches. It is helpful to adjust the display settings of your digital devices such as the brightness, colour temperature, the text size and contrast to help reduce eye strain and fatigue. Consider using a screen glare filter to protect your eyes. Remember to blink often in order to moisten your eyes to prevent dryness and irritation. Taking regular breaks to rest your eyes is important too. You can also use this time to calm your nervous system by listening to music or doing some stretching exercise for your neck and shoulders. It is also recommended to limit screen time before bed in order to improve sleep quality and let the nervous system unwind.
10. Reduce Stress & Relax your Nervous System
Excess or chronic stress can lead to increased inflammation and poor hormone production, both of which can promote the trigger and development of headache and migraine. Stress includes feeling overwhelmed at home, at work or in a relationship. You can also become stressed by exercising too much or not getting a good quality of sleep.
With this fast paced world, relaxing and calming our nervous system become more and more important for our long term health and well being. Stress reduction is pertinent in preventing the onset and development of headaches and migraines too.
Whenever possible, it is best to limit situations that can lead to stress. Try to schedule more time for relaxing activities to unwind. Finding outlets such as journaling, doing moderate amounts of exercise and meditation may help. Strategies such as taking a warm bath, listening to music, meditation, practising breathing techniques or doing stretching exercises can also be useful to deload stress. If you have difficulty in calming the nervous system, consider trying Craniosacral Therapy and Integrative Manual Therapy.
Keeping a headache or migraine journal, to track what the triggers and patterns are, is a very helpful tool in helping your recovery. If you are experiencing headaches or migraines that are increasing in severity or frequency, having a quick onset of new and severe pain, involving visual dimming or double vision, or associating with focal motor or sensory deficits, syncope, seizures, fever, or stiff neck, you should consult your doctor or physiotherapist for further evaluation.
