Headache Migraine Relief

By Laura Ng

Headache and migraine are very annoying "twins" that always hit us the hardest when we're most unpreparedly vulnerable.

Stressed, depression, insomnia, insufficient hydration, poor oxygen intake, polluted environment, caffeine addiction, thinking too hard, overuse your brain at work, under medication, certain degenerative diseases etc... all these can trigger headache or even the more excruciating "long-lasting" migraine.

How about you? What usually induces your headache or migraine?

Hey, before that, you probably are confused between the term "headache" and "migraine". Let me explain.

When your blood vessels constrict and dilate, releasing inflammatory substances that cause painful pulsations, headache strikes. The mild to severe pain can last from four hours up to a week, two to four times a month. Your headache may turn into migraine if you have any combination of these symptoms:

Moderate to severe pain (often described as pounding, throbbing pain) that can affect the whole head, or can shift from one side of the head to the other
Sensitivity to light, noise or odors
Blurred vision
Nausea or vomiting, upset stomach, abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Sensations of being very warm or cold
Paleness
Fatigue
Dizziness
Fever (rare)
Bright flashing dots or lights, blind spots, wavy or jagged lines (aura)

Now you understand the closed differences between headache and migraine, but beyond that, the most important thing is how to get rid of them.

Natural Headache Relief

Headache can be destrutive as it can lower your productivity, make you lose interest in almost anything you usually like to do. Worst, it can even affect your work performances. Not to mention migraine.

Let's talk about headache first before we move on further to deal with migraine.

To reduce headache, you must first find out what triggers your headache? If your headache stems from insufficient sleep, you just need to catch a good night's sleep once you get back home today. If your insufficient consumption of water leads to headache, you just need to make sure you ingest plenty of water from today onwards to cope with the scorching weather. But what if you don't get enough oxygen for your brain to "breathe", what should you do?

This type of headache is often caused more by the office environment you're working in than anything else. It makes you lose concentration and thus, productivity. But wait, before you reach for that painkiller - aspirin or ibuprofen, give these 5 tips a shot. They should help reduce, if not eliminate your headache completely.

Headache Relief Tip 1 — Fresh Air Alleviates Headache

Most office buildings are enclosed and air-conditioned where you don't get good supply of fresh air. To make matter worse, you can easily breathe in harmful chemicals released from the air-conditioning system, air fresheners, insecticides, pesticides and the pollutants already existing in the building. No wonder you get such an intense headache.

What you can do is open the office windows (if possible) near to where you sit at some intervals to allow fresh air to gush in. This could regulate the air quality in your working environment and help you and your colleagues breathe better and reduce headache problem.

Alternatively, you can leave your office for a short breather. If possible, suggest to your company to install air purifiers and ensure regular cleaning and servicing of the air-conditioning system in the offices.

Headache Relief Tip 2 — Relieve Your Eyes to Reduce Headache

Did you know that overstraining your eyes can also induce headache? That's because when you strain your eyes, the muscles around the eyes may get cramps which will in turn stress the optic nerves connecting to your brain.

You should try to turn away from your computer screen or documents after every 30 minutes to give your eyes a break. For better results, look into a distance from a high place for 5 minutes to let your eyes take some breather. This should help to reduce your headache. However, if the problem persists, it's probably high time for you to get a new pair of glasses.

Headache Relief Tip 3 — Mind Your Sitting Position

How do you sit at your office desk? If you bend your back and wrists while typing the keyboard, or you grip the phone between your shoulder and ear to talk on the phone while your hands are still on the keyboard, over time your blood may not flow well to your brain and thus trigger headache. That's because you're straining your muscles for a prolonged period.

Now, keep your sitting posture correct by always keeping your head aligned with the spine when you sit, and your wrists straight and aligned with the forearms when you're typing. Make good use of your chair's ergonomic design which provides good support for your back to avoid slouching.

Headache Relief Tip 4 — Stress is the Killer

Don't you realize that most of the time when stress hits you, headache comes along? I know, you can't avoid stress completely in a working environment, but you definitely can do something to "spread out" your stress in order to reduce headache, such as stopping your work for a minute and crack some jokes with your fellow colleagues to relieve tension, or enjoy a 10-min tea break at the pantry sipping your favorite coffee or tea. Sometimes, a little distraction can benefit your health.

Headache Relief Tip 5 — DIY Acupoint Massaging

Rest your hands on top of your head at each side and spread your fingers. Using your fingertips, knock lightly from the top and to the sides, for at least 10 times on each area. When you reach the sides of your head, slowly massage the areas with your fingers to ease the pressure. Do this massaging for at least 10 minutes or till you feel relaxed. This is actually a way to massage the acupoints on your head to help reduce headache.

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Natural Chronic Migraine Relief

Have you been suffering from migraine that the pain sometimes gets so bad your head feels like it's literally splitting in half?

While there's no single method that may help cure your chronic migraine, these natural migraine reliefs do work for a number of people. They may work for you too.

Fresh grape juice can treat migraine effectively. Grind grapes to extract the juice. Consume the juice in the concentrated form, without adding water.
You can rub peppermint oil right on your temples, neck, etc. IT WILL BURN but it's a good kind of burn. It feels better than the headache. It may not cure it, but it will calm it. Be careful not to get in your eyes. If you don't want to apply it topically, then place a few drops of the oil on cotton balls, and put in a baggie. Open the bag and inhale as needed.

If you can't get your hands on peppermint oil, then moist heat also helps — just place a dry cloth or hand towel in the microwave and heat for at least 10 seconds — only as hot as you can stand it. Place on your neck and/or head. No need to wet anything. A natural moist heat is created.
Press hard on the affected area between your thumb and index finger for about 5 minutes. At the same time, also apply a cold towel to the back of your neck. Relax for about 10 minutes. Your headache should vanish in 10 minutes flat.
Although I don't encourage this, this is one of the effective methods to relieve migraine. Drinking one to two cups of coffee (not green tea, as it doesn't contain enough caffeine per cup) improves blood circulation in your brain. Also, I have to give props to having an orgasm or sex. Often, this kills off light migraines.
Lay on the couch with all the lights off with a cold pack on your neck. Additionally, wrap something like a wet rag tightly around your head. Then take a nap. When you wake up, your migraine should almost be gone or become very dull.
Eat raw purple/red onions whether by itself or on food. Red onion almost works immediatley and can help make the migraine so dismal that you wouldn't believe that it's so much effective than acetamenophin and other pain killers. But take note, cooking red onion might lose its effect, so try to bear with it being raw.
Consume foods rich in niacin such as yeast, whole wheat, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, nuts, sunflower seeds as niacin (vitamin B3) has been found to be helpful in alleviating migraine pain.
Keep yourself from getting too hungry during the day by keeping something to snack on. Hunger can also cause migraines.
I know smiling or laughing may be the last thing you want to do, but it actually helps. Sure being around loud noises or going out to have fun may not be your thing, but think of a good memory and try smiling and you'll possibly realize that the headache/migraine is gone.

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