Help for your headache

Headaches stink! And are tricky.  There are so many types of headaches and so many causes of headaches. 

Plus, it can be difficult to pinpoint the actual cause of a headache. 

Did you know there are at least a dozen different types of headaches? Some common ones include

• tension

• cluster

• migraine

• thunderclap

• hormone

• caffeine

• hypertension

The most common type is a tension headache, also called a muscle contraction headache or stress headache (1).  It’s believed that tight muscles in the shoulders, neck, scalp, and jaw can cause a tension headache. 

What causes this tightness?

• stress

• anxiety

• poor posture

• poor sleep habits

• dehydration

• grinding your teeth

• clenching your jaw

• fatigue

• eye strain

Regardless of the cause or type, having throbbing, uncomfortable, distracting pain in your head stinks. Below are tips to try and alleviate your headache, or can be used to prevent them in the first place. 

Use essential oils

Essential oils can be wonderful for calming your mind, stress, and inflammation. However, if your headaches make you nauseous or sensitive to aromas then this may not be the tip for you. 

This headache blend uses the following essential oils

• Frankincense for its calming resinous aroma that can help with headaches and healing.

• Lavender because it helps reduce inflammation.

• Rosemary for supporting circulation and soothing aches and pains.

• Eucalyptus to help clear the mind and negative emotions.

Use a blank inhaler (or even a cotton ball) and add 1 drop of each to it. Breathe in the aromas. You could add a couple more drops of frankincense and lavender if you like. 

** If making this for children 10 and under then replace Rosemary and Eucalyptus with Cedarwood. 

Check your water intake

Are you staying hydrated? Not getting enough water can lead to headaches for some people. Our bodies need water!

The general rule is to drink half your weight in fluid ounces. But keep in mind hydration is not always a one-size-fits-all approach. How much you should drink depends on many things!

• Your diet

• How active you are

• If you’re pregnant or nursing

• Your environment

• How much caffeine you consume

• Your health

Do reflexology

Reflexology is based on the principle that areas (called reflexes) in your hands and feet correlate to different parts of your body. 

It’s incredible to have someone work on your feet or hands, but you can practice it on yourself. This is one reason why I love reflexology so much! 

For headaches this is what I suggest:

1. Grab your favorite lotion and rub some into your hands

2. Work on your thumb, starting at the tip. This corresponds to your head. Use pressure.

3. Work your way down your thumb and start applying pressure to the fleshy mass of skin, fat, and muscle on the thumb side (refer to the photo). The adrenal gland reflex is found in this area. If stress or inflammation is a part of your life then this can help.

4. Apply pressure to the webbing between the thumb and index finger (refer to photo). In reflexology, this corresponds to the muscles of the back. In Traditional Chinese Medicine this point is LI 4. This area can be very sore! (Note: if you are pregnant don’t rub this point because it can cause premature uterine contractions).

5. Repeat on the other hand.

Yoga

Yoga can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression (2). Because stress is a common trigger for headaches, yoga can be a wonderful complement to what you’re already doing for your headaches. Several studies have even found that yoga contributes to reduced headaches, even migraines (3, 4, 5). 

Should you go jump into a hot yoga class to alleviate a headache? Probably not. 

Start small. 

Check out my articles below where I offer various small actions you can take. 

• This one has a great grounding sequence, for Fall or anytime really.

• This article offers tips to gently backbend. I emphasize gently here!

• If you’d like to try out inversions safely, then check out this article.

• This article helps wake up the front side of your core! 

• This one offers tips to strengthen your back.

Acupressure points

Acupressure uses your fingers to press key points on the surface of the skin. The points are located on different meridians within your body. This ancient healing tradition comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The LI 4 point mentioned above is an acupressure point that’s found along the large intestine meridian. 

A couple of other points to try…

GB 20. This point is below the base of your skull, in the hollow areas between the 2 neck muscles. Use your thumbs to press into the hollow area. Slightly tilt your head back, close your eyes, and breathe deeply.

B 10. Place your fingers on the thick, ropy muscles on the back of your neck about 1/2 inch below the base of your skull. This point is about 1/2 inch from either side of the spine. Apply firm pressure as you slightly move your head up and down. Breathe. 

I have found it most effective when I rub these acupressure points on a regular basis. My tension headaches are from tightness in my neck and shoulders so rubbing these points help prevent that.

What tips do you have to prevent or alleviate a headache? Share below!

Sources:

1. Shah N, Hameed S. Muscle Contraction Tension Headache. [Updated 2021 Nov 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562274/

2. Shohani, M., Badfar, G., Nasirkandy, M. P., Kaikhavani, S., Rahmati, S., Modmeli, Y., Soleymani, A., & Azami, M. (2018). The Effect of Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women. International journal of preventive medicine, 9, 21.

3. Mehta, J. N., Parikh, S., Desai, S. D., Solanki, R. C., & G Pathak, A. (2021). Study of Additive Effect of Yoga and Physical Therapies to Standard Pharmacologic Treatment in Migraine. Journal of neurosciences in rural practice, 12(1), 60–66.

4. Sharma, V. M., Manjunath, N. K., Nagendra, H. R., & Ertsey, C. (2018). Combination of Ayurveda and Yoga therapy reduces pain intensity and improves quality of life in patients with migraine headache. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 32, 85–91.

5. Kisan, R., Sujan, M., Adoor, M., Rao, R., Nalini, A., Kutty, B. M., Chindanda Murthy, B., Raju, T., & Sathyaprabha, T. (2014). Effect of Yoga on migraine: A comprehensive study using clinical profile and cardiac autonomic functions. International journal of yoga, 7(2), 126–132.