Tips And Tricks To Relieve Headaches
Most everyone in their lifetime will often experience a headache. We all know that pounding feeling behind our eyes, in our forehead and radiating pressure within our skull. The first thing most of us is do is reach for a bottle of pain relievers and hope that within the hour the pain will dull down enough so we can function.
The reasons behind headaches are most frequently assumed it's just because stress or lack of sleep, and that is mostly true, but the root of the issue remains in the actual biological functioning in our brains. Neurotransmitters in the brain are chemical agents which affect and contribute to the way we feel, act and respond to aspects of our lives. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which as been studied and shown to become more active while one is experiencing a migraine or headache.
Research has also shown that one of the most vital and common reasons behind headaches is lack of oxygen. Most people are actually going through their lives breathing wrong. That may sound strange, but as we grow older we tend to breathe from our chest which diminishes the amount of oxygen our bodies are getting. The proper way to breathe is from our stomachs, your abdomen should rise and fall with every breath. When your body is not getting the proper amount of oxygen, your organs do not function properly which in turn creates a toxin that accumulates in the bloodstream and thus leads to vascular headaches. The end result is blood vessels widening and migraines beginning.
There are a few valuable tips to stop headaches when they start, but in order to prevent them most doctors suggest doing breathing exercises when you wake-up, in the middle of the day and before you fall asleep. Spending a few minutes at a time simply inhaling until your body cannot hold anymore oxygen and holding it for a count of 3 and slowly exhaling until there is nothing left can give you energy, relieve stress and tension and give your brain and bloodstream the oxygen it needs to keep you going.
Here are a few tricks though to help you relieve a headache if all else fails:
1. There is a pressure point in your hand in the fleshy part in between your thump and pointer finger. If you pinch that area where it dips in you feel an uncomfortable pressure, you have to pinch it rather hard and it will hurt, but this pressure point will relieve a headache after you have applied pressure to it long enough.
2. There are pressure points at the beginning of your eyebrows on your eye sockets. If you feel around the bone you will feel a slight indent in the bone. In a circular motion apply pressure and rub the indents in the bone, this will relieve pressure in your head.
3. On the back of your neck near where your spine and head meet take both thumbs on either side and press into your neck, while applying pressure slowly tilt your head back and then slowly push your thumbs up. Hold like this for a few moments and then raise your head back up and gently rub the same spot in a circular motion.
4. Slightly applying pressure to your temples in circular motion can relieve tension and pressure.
5. Drink a full glass of water when you wake up, before you go to sleep, and constantly sipping water through out the day will keep your body hydrated and will greatly reduce the chance of getting a headache.
6. Peppermint oil relieves aches and pains and its menthol scent has been proven to relieve headaches when a small amount is applied on the souls of the feet and dabbed behind each ear.
7. Helichrysum oil is a strong anti-inflammatory, rubbing a small amount of this oil on the forehead, behind the neck or on the temples can help relieve headaches.
8. Take an over the counter anti-inflammatory wait 15 minutes then run a warm bath, drop 5 to 8 drops of lavender oil in the bath and turn off the lights. Light candles or turn on a night light and relax. While in the bath take deep breaths and slowly exhale. After 15 minutes the pain reliever and warm water and lavender should begin to relieve the inflamed blood vessels, the warm water will have relaxed the tension in the muscles and the lavender will have relaxed you.
From personal experience I have found all of these tricks to help. Sometimes they fully stop my headaches, other times they slightly dull it, but regardless I have found them all to help. Most of these tips I have received from family friends who work in an ICU and have passed down this invaluable information to me, and I hope these work for you as well. Leave a comment if you find one of these to work for you. Good Luck!
