Everybody gets a headache now and again. Headaches interrupt your ability to function in your daily life. If you get a terrible headache, you may need to leave work or school because the non-stop pain makes it hard to focus or causes stress and tension. Sometimes the pain is so awful, you feel nauseous or throw up. Whether your headache is a dull throb or a sharp stabbing pain in your head, you want quick headache relief to get back to your life.
Thirteen Tips for Fast, Natural Headache Relief
Here are thirteen natural ways to get fast headache relief.
1 – Drink water for headache relief
Drink a big glass of water. Then drink another one. Dehydration causes headaches, especially in the summer when it’s hot outside. You may not realize you’re dehydrated until a headache shows up. One study found that adults who carry extra weight find it hard to distinguish hunger from thirst. Many people said they couldn’t tell the difference, so they got dehydrated.
There’s a big debate about how much water you need each day. Some researchers suggest at least eight glasses daily, while others say you should drink 11.5 glasses of water daily. Generally, somewhere in between these two are good goals. Of course, how much water you need every day also depends on certain things such as:
- Where you live: Certain areas in the United States are hotter and drier than others. You’ll need to drink more water if you live in a dry, hot climate. The altitude you live in also plays a part in how much you should drink. Generally, people who live at higher altitudes need to drink more.
- Think about your diet: If you have a salty diet, or a sugary diet, you need more water. If you eat a lot of hydrating foods like fruits and veggies, you may not need as much water.
- Outdoors: If you work outside, then you’ll need to drink more water. If you exercise outdoors, you’ll need to drink more.
- Your health status: If you have certain health conditions, you may need to drink more water. Sinus pain from infections, diabetes, or certain autoimmune conditions requires more fluids.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding: If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you should drink extra fluids to stay hydrated.
2 – Get a jolt of caffeine
Another quick remedy for headache relief is to eat or drink something caffeinated. Eat a chocolate bar, drink a caffeinated soda or cup of coffee to get a boost of caffeine right away. Many over-the-counter headache medications contain high doses of caffeine, so you’re replicating what they do by consuming a large amount of caffeine for headache relief. Here’s a list of foods to take when a tension headache has got you down.
- Dark chocolate coffee beans
- Coffee
- Energy drinks
- Espresso
- Caffeinated sodas
- Green tea
- Black tea
- Dark chocolate
3 – Try some ginger
Ginger reduces headache pain and nausea caused by the pain. Researchers found that ginger could not only help relieve the pain, but people who took it were pain-free for up to two hours longer than others who took medication. Ginger also helped relieve nausea and vomiting that sometimes accompanied a migraine headache. Raw ginger extracts were a good home remedy for people with migraines for people who couldn’t take other types of treatments. It is unclear if ginger tea or crystallized ginger works as well as raw ginger to relieve headache pain.
4 – Find your pressure points
Finding certain pressure points and gentle pressure on them will help relieve your headache. Here are several of the main pressure points to massage to find relief.
- Yinxiang points: Points on either side of your nostrils, lined up with your eyes. Pressing on these pressure points can help remove a headache and relieve tension.
- Yintang points: This is called the 3rd eye. It’s between your eyebrows. This pressure point can help reduce eye tiredness and headaches.
- Tian Zhu points: These are pressure points on the back and middle of your head. Massage these points to relieve sinus pain and severe headache pain.
- Outside your nose: This area is sometimes called the ‘welcome perfume.” This pressure point is on either side of your nostril. When you have a headache, try putting pressure here using a circular motion. It should relieve your pain.
- Edge of your eyebrows: On the inside edge of your eyebrows, massage the area until you feel the pain leaving.
- Shuai gu points: At your temples, apply pressure on this area to relieve a headache or eye pain.
- Point celestial pillar: This pressure point is at the back of your neck. Apply pressure in a circular motion for 1 minute. You should feel your headache pain leave.
5 – Lavender or peppermint essential oils
Using a couple of drops of peppermint or essential oils massaged into your temples is an effective way to get quick headache relief. To reduce tension and stress, put a small drop of essential oil on your upper lip so you can inhale the pleasant scent. Other essential oils that can bring you headache relief include:
- Chamomile oil
- Rosemary oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Lemon oil
6 – Say the code
TikTok videos gone viral claim that the CIA uses numerology to help agents deal with pain. It’s a trending topic supposedly from declassified CIA documents on how to deal with pain. So far, everyone who does this says their pain goes away immediately. It’s a simple technique. Visualize the area where you have pain. This could be a headache in any part of your head. Focus on where the pain is located, then say, “55515.” Your pain could diminish or completely go away. You may need to do it twice, but it should disappear. It’s a crazy remedy, bur some people swear that it works. Try it.
7 – A cold pack for headache relief
An ice pack on your forehead is a quick headache remedy for a pounding headache. Lie down with it on your head for fifteen minutes. If you don’t have an ice pack handy, you can use a bag of frozen veggies or fruit in a pinch. The coldness will ease the pain and reduce the tension in your head.
8 – Go to a dark room
If possible, go to the darkest room in your house for relief. Avoid blue screens like television, computer, or iPhone. If you don’t have a dark room in your home, pull the curtains and turn off all the lights. Avoid fluorescent bulbs in light fixtures, which can cause headaches and migraines.
9 – Avoid chewing
Avoid chewing, drinking, or talking. The movement of your jaw will hurt your head. Try to relax your face as much as you can. Use a straw for drinking water or a caffeinated drink. If you wake up in the morning with a headache, you may grind your teeth during the night. Talk to your dentist about this. They will suggest you get a mouth guard to prevent teeth from grinding at night. This will save your teeth and gums and prevent you from getting a headache every morning.
10 – Hot water on your feet
If your head is throbbing, one quick remedy is to climb into the shower. Let as hot of water as you can stand wash over your feet for several minutes. The hot water increases blood circulation from your feet throughout your entire body, including your head. This takes away your headache pain.
11 – Breathing exercises for headache relief
Find a comfortable position, like lying on your bed or sitting in a comfy chair at work. Take regular breaths, focusing on the air going in and going out. Take rhythmic breaths. Breath in for six seconds, then out for six seconds. As you do this, relax your muscles. Another simple technique is to start at your feet and relax each part of your body. Focus on how relaxed your feet are, then relax your legs and work up your body. Before you know it, your entire body will feel comfortable. This technique can help ease the tension in your head and reduce headache pain.
12 – Eat spicy foods
Try eating chili peppers, jalapeno peppers, or sprinkle cayenne pepper on your food. These foods contain capsaicin, a natural remedy that helps control pain.
13 – Drink apple cider vinegar
Add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a large glass of water. If you want, add a little honey to it and then drink it. The vinegar restores your body’s acid-alkaline balance, which can help relieve some if not all of your headache pain.
Final Thoughts on Natural Headache Relief
Headaches prohibit you from being able to do your everyday activities. You might need to leave work or school because the pain takes away your ability to focus. You want a quick headache remedy when your head is throbbing with tension and pain.
These suggestions can give you quick pain relief, whether your headaches are because of tension, sinus infection, or plain old stress. Try one or two of these remedies the next time you experience a headache. Hopefully, you’ll find relief and be able to get back to your life pain-free.
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