Headache Relief

Pain Relief During A Headache

Exercise

A tension headache can sometimes be relieved by gentle exercise that involves the neck and shoulders, see exercises that are used in headache prevention section earlier.

Heat and Cold

Depending on your headache it might give you relief to either use a Heat Pad or a Cool Pack, applied to the neck, forehead or temples usually.

Heat Pads – can be a type of “bean bag”, that is warmed in a microwave for a short time, that can be worn around the neck like a scarf, or there are specially designed electrical heated pads.

There are also single use heat pads, sometimes available as a self-adhesive bandage, that rely on a chemical reaction, these can be useful for when you are away from home and can be worn discretely under clothing.

Cool packs – are usually gel filled packs that don’t go hard even when kept in the freezer, these can be very soothing when placed over the forehead and temple regions, some in the form of a cap to help bad migraines.

Follow instructions and do not apply ice or frozen objects directly on to the skin as frostbite may result!

Massage

Particularly with tension headaches it may be possible to find points on the back of the head, neck or shoulders that are hard and or very tender to touch, sometimes called “trigger points”, by messaging these points with your fingers the tension can be released, bringing relief from the headache.

Applying either heat or cold, or alternating between the two, to these tender points can also bring relief.

There are various massage devices on the market that can help with neck or shoulder tension, but any that use pounding or vibration are not really what you want when you have a headache.

Medication

This can be in the form of prescription painkillers, non-prescription (OTC) painkillers, targeted headache cures or herbal remedies.

Headache Relief Products

Herbal Remedies

Herbal Remedies that can be taken at the first sign of a headache, as a hot tea like drink or as a tincture can be soothing and effective in that they have a sedative or anti-spasmodic (helps relax muscles) effect.

Such herbs include: -

Lavender
Lemon balm
Mullein
Passion flower
Skullcap
Valerian

Those that have more of a muscle relaxant effect are: -

Chamomile
Mint
Rosemary

These can often be bought ready mixed, or with some advice you can mix or make your own.

Relaxation

Even when the cause of the headache was not initially stress related, the pain makes us tense up our muscles in the neck head and shoulders, any form of relaxation can often help relieve the headache pain.

It might be as simple as taking a walk in the fresh air, particularly if it takes you away from a stressful situation!

Steam

Inhaling steam (with caution) can bring relief from sinus headaches.
A suitable bowl of hot water, with a few drops of inhalant decongestant, containing such things as menthol and eucalyptus, added as directed and placed safely on a table, then usually with something like a towel over the head to concentrate the vapour, you gently inhale for a period of time. This has the effect of opening up the sinus tubes to allow mucus blocking them to drain away, releasing pressure in the sinus cavities eventually allowing the inflammation to subside.

Headache Relief