“Gbum! gbum!” Tasha kept feeling in her head. It was like someone was hitting her with a hammer. It was a headache that had started in the night before she slept.
She had thought that in the morning everything would be different.
But the banging has sustained momentum, with her eyes threatening to fall off their sockets.
Sadly, it is not the first time she is waking up with such heavy headache.
She has made it a habit to always buy paracetamol on her way back from work.
But that pain killer only addresses the pain and not the cause of the pain.
It also has its own side effect(s) that should be of concern to everyone who uses them regularly.
Types Of Headache
Headache is among the most common disorders of the nervous system.
Really, headache can be upsetting, especially when it becomes very regular. Sometimes, it just sneaks in like a thief and then it begins to grow in tempo.
There are different kinds of headache. Migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache.
Headache can also be caused by or occur secondarily to a long list of other conditions, the most common of which is medication-overuse headache.
Even excessive intake of alcohol can cause headache.
In our part of the world, stress is another major cause of this condition.
People get less sleep, spend long hours in traffic and hear very loud sound of music and promotional messages on the street. These things upsets the nervous system.
Unfortunately, we are not able to take away these external forces, as we must go out to earn a living.
However, there are some things you could do to reduce how often you have headache.
You can even take the pain away totally from your life if you do the under-listed.
These are natural remedies that will save you from throwing tablets in your mouth all the time.
1. Sleep
Inadequate sleep is one of the causes of this condition. If you would get adequate sleep each day, it will ensure that your nerves are well rested.
According to a 2005 study, there is a substantial relationship between sleep and migraine (1).
Researchers observed that sleep complaints were common and associated with headache in a sizeable proportion of patients.
Over half of migraineurs reported difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep at least occasionally.
Don’t just lay in bed and allow the thoughts in your mind deprive you of sleep.
If you are having regular headache, the first thing you should check is your sleep pattern. Not getting enough sleep will require that you begin to factor sleep into your journey to your workplace in the morning and back home.
Also, make out time to sleep in the weekend.
2. Drink Water
A 2004 study found that dehydration is another cause of headache (2).
Basically, the study postulates that the pain arises from the meninges.
“That the brain is also involved is indicated by impaired concentration and irritability”.
Meninges refer to the membranous coverings of the brain and spinal cord.
If you are not sure of the amount of water that you should take per day, read our earlier article on How Drinking Water Benefits Your Skin.
3. Mild Massage With A Balm
A 2002 study suggests that a massage therapy is effective in reducing the number of headaches per week in chronic tension headache sufferers.
According to the research, compared with baseline levels, headache frequency was reduced within 1 week of massage treatment (3).
Indeed, this massage therapy has worked for some of the persons who have tried it with our Gilead Balm.
4. Use A Cold Pack To Relief Headache
In a study, researchers examined the effectiveness of cold pack on migraine and they made interesting revelations.
The study examined 28 migraine patients were, administering cold therapy by gel cap.
At the end, they concluded that cold application alone may be effective in some patients suffering from migraine attacks (4).
According to the study, patients used the cold therapy for 25 minutes, twice each day.
5. Take Magnesium For Headache
In another study, researchers found that a deficiency in magnesium plays a role in migraine.
Indeed, deficiencies in this mineral promote cortical spreading depression, alter nociceptive processing and neurotransmitter release, and encourage the hyper aggregation of platelets, all major elements of migraine development (5).
If you constantly experience migraine, you should consider increasing your intake of magnesium.
Some foods that are high in magnesium that you should add to your diet are; avocado, dark chocolate, flax, pumpkin (richest source) and chia seeds.
Others are legumes, leafy greens and banana.
6. Take Tea Containing Caffeine
This is another remedy for headache. A 2020 study reinforced earlier findings that caffeine is safe and effective in acute migraine treatment, mostly in combination with other analgesics (6).
However, the researchers warned that that caffeine overuse may lead to migraine chronification, and sudden caffeine withdrawal may trigger migraine attacks.
7. Take Ginger
Again, here is another natural remedy for headache.
Ginger is known for its ability to soothe pain. fortunately, this is a natural remedy and its side effect is less when compared to drugs.
A 2014 study found ginger to be effective against the treatment of migraine.
According to the study, clinical adverse effects of ginger powder were less than those of sumatriptan.
“Patients’ satisfaction and willingness to continue did not differ.
“The effectiveness of ginger powder in the treatment of common migraine attacks is statistically comparable to sumatriptan. Ginger also poses a better side effect profile than sumatriptan.”(7)
8. Take Alcohol In Moderation
Most importantly, people who take lots of alcohol know the effect it has on them in the morning after.
Hangover comes with headache and this highlights the need to moderate the intake of alcohol.
Basically, to overcome constant headache, one must first find out why the headache is there in the first place.
Knowing the cause and tackling it helps ensure that the root cause is taken out.
If you found this article helpful, please, share with your friends and loved ones that complain of headache. It will be of great help to them.