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.