Self-care measures for headache relief

Self-Care Measures for Migraine Relief

Migraine headaches can absolutely devastating. When the sufferer is hit by an attack, nothing else will be on his or her mind than to find peace and darkness until the attack is over. Clearly, such attacks makes it difficult to lead a normal work and family life. What are some self-care measures that can offer migraine relief?

 

Lifestyle Changes

A number of lifestyle changes can make your migraine attacks occur less frequently, and make them less severe when they do occur.

Remember to Relax

A number of activities, techniques, and exercises that do not require any equipment, such as muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga, can be help relieve stress. Another idea that will help you relax, is spending at least 30 minutes a day on “alone time”, examples couldbe listening to music, soaking in the bathtub, reading a book. Do what you find most comforting.

Getting Healthy Sleep

If you suffer from frequent headaches, it is crucial that you develop healthy sleeping habits. How do you do this? Go to sleep and wake up at regular hours. When you sleep it should be uninterrupted. The amount of hours you sleep should be appropriate, an average adult needs about six to eight hours every night.

Finding the Triggers

What triggers migraines differ from person to person. Finding out what triggers yours is crucial in preventing further attacks. How can this be done? It is often recommended to keep a headache diary. As this diary expands, you might be able to pin point what triggers migraines and what helps relieve them.

What to do when a Headache Approaches

If a headache is approaching, seek rest and relaxation in a dark, quiet room. Place an ice pack, or something similar, on the back of your neck. Finally, try to cautiously apply pressure to spots that hurt using your fingertips.
Finally, remember to consult your doctor. Here you can get help preventing further attacks, and help easing the pain of the attacks you do suffer.
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Headaches and Stress

Headaches and Stress

 

The most important meeting of the week starts in fifteen minutes and you're trying to focus when starts a band-like pain and tightness around your forehead and gradually spreads to the back of your head and neck. Chances are that you are suffering from a stress headache. Here are ways to deal with them.

Tension headaches are getting most common because of our overworked, deadline-ridden lifestyle. "They are caused by tightened muscles in the back of the neck and scalp. This muscle tension is often the consequence of inadequate rest, anxiety, fatigue and even hunger," says neuro physician Dr BS Singhal of Bombay Hospital.
   
 

Time management
Update your to-do list every day - both at work and at home. Tackle the rest, one task at a time.
Organize your day ahead of time. Try to keep your plan flexible, in case a headache strikes and you need to change course.

Relax
Set aside time for yourself every day, even if it's only a few minutes. When you feel your muscles begin to tense, breathe deeply. Focus on inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly for at least 10 minutes. Practice breathing exercises for a few minutes daily.

Exercise
Exercise can prevent and sometimes treat headaches. But be careful to warm up slowly as sudden, intense exercise can cause headaches. Eat smart: A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can give you more energy and keeps stress under control.

Laugh
Humor is a great way to relieve stress. Laughter releases endorphins, natural substances that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude.

There are several types of headaches caused by stress.

Tension Type Headaches

Such are more than 90% of all headaches. Almost everybody knows them and has felt them even though we do not often realize their real name. It feels like a dull, non pulsing, bilateral pain, tightening and pressing the areas of the neck and the crown. The feeling of load in the head remains constant.
It is not disabling but is annoying. It is not associated with serious side effects such as vomiting and people are actually active and able to meet their daily responsibilities. Sometimes sitting in a dark calm room or just a short walk in the park are the perfect solutions.
Doctors distinguish between episodic and chronic tension headache. Episodic tension headaches last from 4 to 6 hours a day and do not happen for more than the half of the month.
Researches show that more than 3% of the population suffers from chronic tension type headaches. They can occur for more than half of the month and can last from minutes to days or even months or years. Usually the chronic tension type headaches are moderate and severe rather than mild and are experienced by elder people over the age of 50.
Most often tension type headaches are caused by emotional stress. Other causes of tension type headaches might be sleep deprivation, irregular meal time, eyestrain or hidden depression.

Chronic Headaches

4% to 5% of the population suffers chronic headaches. The primary chronic headache lasts from 15 or more days per month and does not come as a result of other illnesses. The secondary chronic headache emerges as a result of other brain problems such as vessels problems.

Post Traumatic Headache

Local or general pain and can remind the symptoms of migraine and tension type headache. Usually it happens daily and is very hard to be influenced by medication. The pain may come after relatively slight trauma and it is very difficult to determine the cause.

Psychic Headaches

 

Almost daily headache lasting for months or even years with no interruption. The pain reduces during periods of relaxations, vacations and holidays.
Doctors usually recommend psychoanalysis, relaxation and avoiding any stressful situations.

How to Avoid and Deal with Stress Headaches?

• First of all avoid stress of any kind if you can. I know this one is hard but any effort should be done because it will dramatically decrease the chances of headaches.
• Have a look at the 5 SIMPLE STEPS MANAGING STRESS STRATEGY. Those are basic rules we have to blend in our daily round in order to cope with stress.
• Relax! Have a look at the stress headache massage technique. It always helps getting an immediate headache relief.
• Do not strain your eyes to much. Give them a deserved rest every 50 min by just looking at the horizon. If it is hard to find the horizon just stare around for 5 to 10 min.
• Sleep at least 8 hours a day.
• Eat regularly, reduce alcohol and quit smoking. Have a look why ginger has a magic effect against headaches.
• Plan your holidays! You are not a machine! You need and deserve a rest.
• Avoid any painkillers and drugs. Use them really as a last resort when you do not have anything else to do and after a consultation with a doctor.

 

Stress Headaches and Tension Headache Relief

Alternative Methods Stress Headache Relief

It’s common practice stress headache relief to deal with headaches with over the counter prescription drugs but for anyone who is amongst the growing village of folks who decide on more healthy options to relieve discomfort, you’ll be thrilled with the approaches I’m about to share. The top part is they don’t involve any probably hazardous pharmaceutical drugs.

• Mental Imagery

• Consuming H2O

• Low Intensity Exercise

• Magnet Therapy

A stress headache trigger could be some thing as uncomplicated as missing several hours of sleep. A diary may help you find and stay away from stressors. If you want more information about headaches and discovering stress headache relief.

Stress headaches might be due to mental or emotional tension, but can also be caused by muscular tension. Anxiety headaches are common too widespread for a number of reasons that stem from excellent intentions such as:

  

• Failing to program your days consequently

• Getting on an excessive amount of responsibility and neglecting to delegate when proper

Quite a few individuals have discovered stress headache relief in massage, either from your professional, or by utilizing straightforward self-massage techniques.

You’ll find a number of successful procedures for stress headache relief that helps ease the vise like pressure and constant pain speedily.

Natural cures for Stress Headache Relief

Peppermint oil can be a common home treatment for stress headache relief. Merely rub a couple of drops of the vital oil onto your temples, forehead, and neck. Placing a number of drops of peppermint oil onto a handkerchief and breathing inside the vapors also helps relieve headache pain. An additional essential oil successful in reducing headache pain is rosemary oil.

The application of medication

It is possible to get stress headache relief by using specific prescription drugs. Indeed, it is really accurate. Nevertheless, prescription drugs could only be limited to a specific extent; and also by extent means, your headache are only able to be alleviated or comforted for a certain period of time. Relief medication provide a extremely quickly strategy to relieve you of the headache that you simply feel. They are also very efficient for you of their symptom.

 

Anxiety headaches are among the most widespread sorts of headaches, and practically every person experiences a tension headache at some point in their life. relying upon medications for stress headache relief could be harmful over time. Thankfully, there are numerous approaches to locate relief with out medication.

When you’re being affected by a tension headache, you would like fast relief. Attempt one, or possibly a combination, with the following natural treatments and strategies so when a tension headache strikes.

• Deep Breathing

• Massage Therapy

• Relaxation Tactics

• Essential Oils

Stress Relief and Headache - Health Tips

Massage Therapy for Stress Relief and Much More

Few sensual experiences rival a full-body massage for pleasure and stress relief -- at least among those things you can talk about in front of the children at the dinner table. Word on the health benefits of massage therapy for stress relief has spread. In 2006, 39 million Americans -- one in six adults -- had at least one massage, according to a nationwide survey by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).

"Americans are looking to massage for much more than just relaxation," says Mary Beth Braun, President of the AMTA. "Massage therapy can be effective for a variety of conditions, including arthritis, lower back pain, insomnia, headaches, anxiety, circulatory problems, and recovery from a sports injury."
When you can't get to a masseuse, you can still reap many of the benefits of this age-old healing practice -- with your own hands. WebMD consulted several massage experts to find these simple, self-massage techniques that incorporate the best soothing rubs and pressure-point applications that massage has to offer.
Try them on yourself -- or someone you love -- throughout the day to boost your energy and increase concentration. You can also use them at night to relax and get a good night's sleep. You'll find the benefits of massage therapy for stress relief are only the beginning.

 

Massage Therapy to Relieve Tired Eyes

"This one is great for tired eyes from staring at the computer -- it brings circulation to the area and relieves sinus pressure, eye strain, and headaches," says Dale Grust, President of the New York Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association and a licensed massage therapist in New Paltz, N.Y., for 23 years.

• Close your eyes. Place your thumbs under your eyebrows, starting at the inside corner of each eye socket. Press and gently move the thumbs in tiny circles, working slowly towards the outsides of your eyebrows and continuing this movement all around your eyes, ending back at the bridge of your nose.
• Repeat this several times, spending a little extra time at the indentation of the inner eye socket, where the bridge of the nose meets the ridge of the eyebrows - an especially tender point on many people.

Massage Therapy to Ease Headaches and Tension

• Start by placing your thumbs on your cheekbones close to your ears, and use your fingertips to gently apply pressure and rub the temples (the soft spot between the corner of your eye and your ear).
• Using very firm pressure and a tiny circular motion, gradually move your fingers up along your hairline until they meet in the middle of your forehead, massaging your entire forehead and scalp as you inch along.

Massage Therapy to Relax the Hands

Here are several moves that will relieve the strain from pounding the keyboard all day.

• Stretch your hands and fingers out. Rub each finger from the base to the tip, gently pulling and twisting each finger as you go.
• Next, rest your left hand, palm upward, on your lap. Squeeze the fleshy part of your palm between your right thumb and index finger, moving from your wrist to the base of your thumb.
• Now squeeze that web between your left index finger and thumb several times, looking for any tender points.
• Then rub the entire palm with your right thumb, applying firm pressure and using gliding strokes from the wrist to the base of each finger.
• Repeat this process on your right hand.

"Massaging the hands is not only great for the hands but can help to relieve headaches as well," Grust says. The hands, like the feet, contain reflexology points that correspond to the entire body, including the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and sinuses.

Health Tips and Technics - Stress Management

Stress.. This is caused due to heavy working hours, fatigue and strain. Stress leads to head ache and restlessness.

Articles for stress relief and eye strain below gives you easy to follow tips and technics to overcome stress and also treat your eyes. These technics result in stress relief and treatment to your eyes.

Treat Headaches by Breathing
Breathe Deep - Drive Headaches Away
RELAXATION : exercises can help to relieve headaches, backaches and insomnia.

One of the simplest relaxation exercises is deep breathing, which will release endorphins (the body's very own painkillers) into our body.

Begin by breathing through your nostrils; inhale for five counts, silently saying the word "in" (concentrate on breathing deeply); fill your lower abdomen with air; count to five, and then exhale slowly, silently saying the word "out" as you let the air escape through your mouth; repeat this exercise for about two minutes; gradually you will be able to build up to ten counts or higher; increase your relaxation by imagining a peaaceful scene or by breathing in fresh air or pleasant smells.

Best ways to drive out Headaches
Headaches can be caused by a number of different reasons, and diet is only one area that could contribute. The most common causes of headaches are stress with associatd muscle tension, or hormones or medication or medical conditions like high blood pressure or water retention.

Ensure that you drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily, and limit alcohol consumption to a maximum or abstain completely. Increase water intake if you are having alcohol.

Keep your blood sugars constant by eating regular meals, preferably with snacks in between, and limit intake of very sugary foods (e.g. sugar, jam, cool drinks, sweets, etc.) as these cause a rapid rise and resultant fall in sugar levels.

Eat high fibre foods to help keep blood sugar levels constant. Certain foods can trigger headaches. Dietary triggers are foods which are commonly found to trigger headaches or migraines in certain individuals.

However certain foods will affect different people differently, and you will need to identify which particular foods trigger your headaches. The most common trigger foods are:

- Red wine, champagne and beer
- Caffeinated beverages especially coffee, smart drinks, tea and carbonated beverges like
- Coke
- Cheese
- chocolate and chocolate drinks
- Peanuts and peanut butter
- Foods containing Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) like packet or canned soups, sauces, instant pastas and - - - Chinese foods. Foods high in other additives can also trigger headaches. avoid processed foods and learn to read labels on foods.
- Salted and cured meats, dried meats, pickled herring and chicken livers may also be a problem.
Certain beans (broad lima, soya, lentils) and citrus fruits; avocados, raspberries and bananas.
In order to identify trigger foods, speak to a dietitian about keeping a food diary and doing exclusion tests.

Healthy habits for a healthy life
There are a few healthy habits which can be followed in daily routine life. These habits will improve blood circulation in the body and also increases the energy levels and fitness.

Excercise If you are planning to add a daily dose of exercise to your routine, this is the right time to start. There is nothing like an early morning walk to start with. A good brisk walk of about 30 minutes will recharge your batteries for the day. Half way round you could also exercise your joints by gently moving them around in different directions. If you are in your 30s, you could also jog for a brief while. People with arthritis must avoid jogging or too brisk walk. Avoid polluted areas for a walk. A couple of rounds in a nearby park will pump your spirits up. If you are game for company, motivate your neighbours to join. Some like walking alone. Such people can try taking a walkman along and listen to some good morning ragas.

A good walk in the evenings too is beneficial for health. When exercising outdoors in the winter time, choose all weather, well cusioned flat-soled shoes and thick cotton socks.

Breathe Well
Be aware of your breathing. Cold air may irritate the respiratory tract and bring on angina (chest pain) or asthma in certain people so make sure your breathing does'nt feel restricted while exercising. If it does, stop immediately and go indoors.
Tips and Technics to Treat your eyes:
Most computer users suffer from the problem of tired eyes, dark circles and headaches. Follow the ten tips to avoid them
Studies have shown that stress, active nightlife and above all, the fact that most of us spend maximum time in front of the computer lead to dark circles, puffed and tired eyes. Timely treatment is essential for such difficulties.
Specifically with computer users, physical and visual discomfort is experienced by many after just a few hours in front of computers. It appears that PC users suffer from repetitive stress of their eyes and want an immediate solution to revive the tired eyes.





Studies show that most computer users start to feel eye-muscle stress after two or more hours at the computer. This usually starts with tired eyes. With more time at the computer, discomfort frequently spreads to the head resulting in headaches, burning of the eyes, blurred vision, loss of focus, double vision, and neck and shoulder pains. Before it is too late, your stressed out eyes need to be relaxed and revitalised so that you feel fresh later in the day.
Tips to reduce eyestrain

• Modify your workstation. Adjust your workstation and chair to the correct height.
  Use proper lighting.
• Match the computer screen to the brightness of the environment. The contrast between the background and on-screen characters should be high.
• Minimise the glare. Use window shades, blinds or drapes to block excessive sunlight or install an anti-glare screen to minimise reflections.
• Take frequent breaks. Full-time computer users should take a 10 minute break every hour.
• Blink more often. Tears in the eye evaporate more rapidly during long non-blinking phases and cause dry eyes.
• Get an eye examination done.
• Re-focus your eyes. Look away from your computer screen every 10-15 minutes and focus for 5-10 seconds on a distant object.
• Exercise even when sitting. Move about or exercise frequently.
• Get sufficient sleep. Fatigue promotes eyestrain.

Healthy food for Stress Free Life
Try out juices of grapes, watermelon, banana, jack fruit, lemon and pineapple during summer.

STRESS cannot be done away unless the cause itself is removed. Good health and stress free life is all that one craves for. According to the American Dietary Association, the main hazard of stress is not that we need more nutrients, but that anxiety or pressure can cause us to neglect proper dietary habits. Prolonged periods of stress lead to depletion of Vitamin C, B and D. Food changes our brain chemistry in a way that it influences our moods.

The key to our emotion lies in certain chemicals in the blood stream. These are called neuro-transmitters. These are produced from the nutrients in the food. Hence, the need for nutritious and balanced diet is a must to free ourself from the physical and mental diseases and relieve stress. A balanced diet should be defined from the nutritional point of view. As one which contains different types of food in such qualities and proportions; the micro-nutrients like minerals and vitamins and macro nutrients like proteins, fats and carbohydrates is adequately met. And a small provision is made for extra nutrient to withstand short duration of leanness (infections in the body).

Tips to overcome sleeplessness
There are many ways on how you can get better sleep. You can try any of the below methods to get some good sleep. Treatment for sleepless ness or insomnia can be made by following the below tips. Sleeplessness leads you to tiredness, confusion and restlessness. A good sound sleep is essential to keep you active in your daily routine. A few tips to gain good sleep.