7 Ways To Prevent Headaches From Ruining Your Day
Headaches can affect all aspects of everyday life. But there are many things you can do to prevent headaches and alleviate the pain.
Dehydration, sleeplessness, eye problems, and even eating certain foods can lead to painful headaches; not to mention stress and anxiety, the main culprits here.
So, as you can see, we are always surrounded by potential headache triggers. And relying solely on medication means eating pills like M&Ms. This is not what you want.
There are a few natural ways to prevent headaches without the need for medication. Let’s take a look over the most effective ones.
How To Treat And Prevent Headaches
If you want to stay away from headaches, you need to try these seven methods that work:
1. Stay Hydrated
We hear so much about the importance of water, but none more so when we are discussing headaches.
“Have you drunk enough water?” is the common response when mentioning a headache. Actually, science shows that this attitude is entirely correct. It’s called dehydration headache.
Dehydration causes the volume of blood in your body to drop, and therefore the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain is reduced.
It also leads to slight shrinkage of the brain, where it pulls away from the skull. Both lead to headaches.
The intensity depends on the individual as well as the level of dehydration.
Try drinking a glass or two of water when you feel a headache coming on, and you should start to feel a difference in as little time as thirty minutes.
2. Get Plenty Of Sleep
Sleep is essential for both your mental and physical wellbeing. Without enough, you can experience headaches or even migraines. Endeavor to get around eight hours every night.
If you struggle to settle into a routine, try going to bed at the same time each evening and set your alarm for the same time on a morning. Doing this will help your body to get into a natural rhythm.
Try decluttering your room as well as this can have a huge impact. A clear space can lead to a clear mind.
Using lavender essential oils can also support your aim for a better night’s sleep.
3. Look After Your Eyes
Eye strain is commonly linked to headaches. If you work in front of a computer, you ought to attempt to take screen breaks every twenty minutes to avoid damage.
Regular eye tests carried out by a qualified optician are advisable. The tests will not only show if you are in need of glasses or a change to your current prescription, but they can also flag up any potential eye-related illnesses.
Ensuring that your glasses are a good fit by having the pupillary distance properly measured is essential. Ill-fitting glasses can lead to eye strain if you end up looking over the top of the lenses rather than through them.
4. Avoid Food High In Histamine
Foods that are high in histamines are linked with certain types of headaches. Avoiding such foods can have a positive impact on certain people.
Try avoiding spinach, eggplant, avocado, blue cheese, cured meats, fermented food, smoked fish, and dried fruit to see whether you notice a difference or not.
Do not be tempted to reintroduce anything until you have cleared your system of them for at least two weeks.
Drinks high in histamines like beer and wine must be avoided too.
5. Try Alternative Therapies
Alternative therapies such as reflexology and acupuncture have been known to offer relief to headache sufferers. Both focus on specific parts of the body and can help you to relax as well.
Aromatherapy and the use of essential oils are said to help too. Peppermint and lavender essential oils are known to be the best for headaches:
- Try rubbing a little peppermint oil into your temples when you feel a headache beginning.
- Alternatively, inhaling lavender oil or rubbing a little just above your top lip can alleviate the pain.
6. Incorporate Relaxation Techniques Into Your Daily Routine
There are many benefits to be had from adding a bit of yoga or meditation into your everyday life.
Some people report that doing yoga on a regular basis leads to a decrease in both the intensity and frequency of headaches. Stress-related headaches can be debilitating.
Try meditation as a tool to reduce the amount of anxiety in your lifestyle. Doing this should have a positive effect on your wellbeing as well as reducing the number of headaches from which you suffer.
7. Find A Painkiller That Works
Sometimes, we cannot truly avoid taking medication, as much as we would love to.
Finding a painkiller that works can be a little trial and error, but it is worthwhile trying lots of different ones.
If you struggle with this, speak to your physician who should be able to advise and may even prescribe something a little stronger for you.
Be sure to read up on the side effects before taking and ensure you are still able to drive or operate machinery if you need to do so.
Now, you can prevent headaches by staying hydrated, sleeping well, taking care of your eyes, and eating the right foods. But if you need to alleviate the pain, try some alternative therapies like acupuncture and reflexology, meditation, or even yoga.
If none of these seem to work, it’s time to call your doctor and get some painkillers. Just make sure this is your last resort.
