Headaches affect millions of people in the United States every day. A headache can range from mild discomfort to severe debilitating pain that decreases the quality of your life. Of course, a lot of medications exist to treat headaches, but some people are looking for natural remedies to avoid side effects.
Below are 5 great natural remedies to help you treat headaches and improve your well being.
1. Try essential oilsEssential oils are a popular natural remedy for headache treatment. They often have stress and pain-relieving properties. Peppermint essential oil is the most commonly used to treat headaches. It contains menthol that helps relax muscles and relieve headaches. Rosemary oil has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. It helps reduce stress and treat tension headaches. Lavender essential oil has a calming effect and may also be used for headache treatment.
There are several ways you can use essential oils. You can apply them topically on the painful area or make a compress with particular oil. One of the most frequently used ways to reap the benefits of essential oils is aromatherapy. Apart from relieving pain, inhaling essential oils has a lot of other health benefits. It can help you strengthen immunity, improve digestion, and increase energy.Dehydration is a common cause of headaches. Besides, it can cause a variety of other symptoms like fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and poor concentration. Dehydration disrupts the balance of electrolytes in your body. Due to the loss of fluid and electrolytes, your brain begins to shrink and contract. As a result, it pulls away from the skull, causing pain and headache.
Additionally, your blood becomes denser because of dehydration, making it difficult for your heart to pump blood. This can trigger high blood pressure and reduce the supply of oxygen to your brain. Fortunately, restoring your hydration levels can help relieve headaches and other symptoms of dehydration.
3. Try acupunctureAcupuncture is a Chinese therapy that uses thin needles to promote healthy energy flow in your body. During an appointment, the practitioner inserts needles in special points of your body. This helps improve blood circulation and improves the regenerative processes. During an acupuncture session, your body releases endorphins. Endorphins are feel-good hormones that reduce pain and can help you relieve a headache.
Acupuncture can be used to treat different types of headaches including tension headaches and migraines. Finding a qualified practitioner is important to get maximum benefits from acupuncture therapy.
4. Get enough sleepSleep deprivation is another common cause of headaches and migraines. Because of a poor sleeping regimen, your quality of life can suffer significantly. When you are constantly sleep-deprived, your body starts producing proteins that contribute to the development of chronic inflammation and pain. This can result in severe headaches and trigger migraine flares.
During a night's sleep, your body recovers and regains power for the next day. If you don't sleep enough, your body cannot recover resulting in fatigue. This can also cause a variety of health problems including headaches.
5. Limit your alcohol intakeAlcohol-induced headaches are a common issue. Alcohol can trigger headaches in several ways. It relaxes your blood vessels, increasing the blood flow and pressure in your brain. This can trigger tension headaches. Besides, alcohol is a known trigger of migraine flares. For this reason, people susceptible to migraines should consume alcohol in moderation or completely avoid it.
Alcohol ingredients like congeners and histamine may also cause headaches. Histamine triggers overall body inflammation and can contribute to pain. Besides, alcohol is a diuretic that can cause dehydration. As you already know, dehydration is the most common cause of headaches.
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