Headache Coming? Try These Quick Fixes
Let’s be honest here. Nobody enjoys the feeling of an oncoming headache. Continue reading to learn more about our quick remedies that may prevent the oncoming headache from becoming a full-blown painful disaster that will impact your ability to focus thereby affecting your level of productivity.
In other words:
Painful Headache = Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything
What is a Headache?
A simple explanation of a headache is the feeling of pain in the head. This pain is caused by over-activity or issues with the pain sensitive areas in the head. This type of headache is known as primary headaches. The muscles around your head and/or neck, the nerves and blood vessels around your skull, and the chemical activity in your brain can all play a role in why you experience primary headaches.
Examples of common primary headaches are cluster headaches, migraines, and tension headaches. Certain activities will cause these types of headaches. These may include cough headaches, headaches caused by excessive sneezing, and exercise headaches.
Lifestyle factors can cause primary headaches. These may include:
- Increased level of stress
- drinking alcohol
- lack of sleep
- eating certain foods high in nitrates and MSG (monosodium glutamate)
- poor posture
- change in your diet, not eating on a regular basis
Secondary headaches are the other type of headache. A headache is labelled “secondary” when it is caused by another symptom or condition.
Non-Medicinal Quick Fixes for an Oncoming Headache.
If you start to feel that a headache is forming, try these quick remedies:
- Drink lots of water. Dehydration is a common cause of headaches. When the body is dehydrated, the loss of fluids can cause the brain to temporarily shrink or contract. This causes the brain to pull away from the skull resulting in the painful feeling. Similar to providing quick relief from muscle cramps, rehydrating the body can help to provide quick relief from headaches.
- Get a shot of caffeine. Caffeine helps to reduce inflammation. Caffeine also helps to constrict the blood vessels thereby slowing down the pain signals to the brain. If you feel a headache coming on, try drinking a beverage that is high in caffeine such as green tea, Red Bull, or a caffeinated soda.
- Get adequate rest. Lack of sleep can affect, and even reduce, the body’s ability to withstand pain. The lack of sleep can increase the production of proteins in the body that cause chronic pain. However, be careful not to get too much sleep as doing so can also bring on headaches. If you feel the head pain coming, try closing your eyes for a quick nap in a dark, cool, and quiet place.
- Cold Compress. Applying a cold compress, such as a cold towel or ice pack, around the back of the neck, on the head, or around the forehead and temples can help to reduce the amount of inflammation. Using a cold compress can also constrict the blood vessels and slow down nerve conduction which helps to reduce the intensity of the headache pain.