Getting Rid of Tension Headaches

By April Reinhardt - Health.Tips.Net

The most common type of headache, tension headaches tend to happen over and over again, especially during times of stress. Also called stress headaches, tension headaches are not usually symptomatic of something serious, but they can be extremely painful.

People who suffer with tension headaches usually report having some or all of the following symptoms:

•Insomnia.
•Headache starting in midday.
•Irritability.
•Muscle aches.
•Pain affecting the sides, top, and front of the head.
Tension headaches can last thirty minutes, to several days, vary in intensity, and appear daily or sporadically.

The goal of treating any headache is to relieve pain and prevent further headaches. Most often, people try to relieve tension headache pain with over-the-counter pain relievers, such as those containing aspirin or acetaminophen. Some other things you can do to get rid of a tension headache are:

•Take a hot bath or shower to help relax.
•Do not skip meals.
•Exercise regularly to relieve stress, and get plenty of rest.
•If you ingest a great quantity of caffeine or sugar and decide to stop, wean yourself instead of stopping all at once. Sudden changes in diet can cause headaches from withdrawal.
•Learn to not worry about things beyond your control.
•Learn to massage your neck, head, and face. Visit a day spa periodically for total body massages to help relax.

If you can discover the cause of your tension headaches, you may be able to circumvent future attacks. Learn to reduce or manage stressors in your life. Eat, sleep, and exercise on a schedule. Do not spend hours each day at the computer. Take short frequent breaks if you use a computer as a source of income. Seek help for depression.

If over-the-counter pain relievers do not help, make an appointment to see your doctor. Sometimes doctors may prescribe muscle relaxants, antidepressants, or powerful pain relievers such as Fioricet or Vicodin. Doctors closely monitor the use of products containing codeine, since they have proven to be addictive.

If your doctor prescribes tension headache medication, make sure that you take it on a schedule, without skipping does, since it is intended to prevent further headache attacks. Those prescriptions may include antiseizure drugs, blood pressure medications, and antidepressants. Used daily, even in absence of a headache, those prescriptions will help treat future tension headache attacks.

Whether you manage your tension headaches with stress reduction, massage therapy, over-the-counter-medications, or doctor prescriptions, make sure to treat your symptoms at the onset when pain is mild, and before your headaches become more painful and frequent.

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Dealing with a Migraine

By April Reinhardt - Health.Tips.Net

It's morning. Showered, dressed, full of breakfast and out the door, you begin your day. As the morning slips into afternoon, you notice that you're becoming unusually irritable and tired. You're thirsty, drowsy, and are craving something sweet. Just before dinner, while watching TV, you become slightly lightheaded, see a few sparkling flashes of light in your vision, and develop a slight headache. Twenty minutes later, you abruptly excuse yourself from the table, holding your pounding head in your shaking hands, and get sick in the bathroom.

You're experiencing the headache of all headaches—a migraine.

While there are many forms of migraine headaches, the two most common are classic and common. The main difference between the two is onset of headache with an aura; dazzling zigzag lines, sparkling lights, and colorful flashes of fireworks in your field of vision. Classic migraines begin with pain and an aura. With common migraines, the sufferer develops a pounding headache, usually on one side of the head, spreading sometimes to the eye and jaw areas.

Health professionals agree that there may be certain circumstances that trigger migraines. Some of those triggers could be:

•Infrequent eating and fasting
•Sleep pattern changes
•Loud noises, unusual odors, or bright lights
•Hormonal changes
•Food triggers such as nuts, strong cheese, processed meats, artificial sweeteners, and citrus foods
While in the throes of a migraine, it doesn't matter to you which kind of migraine you have, or what triggers it. What matters is getting fast relief. If you've had a migraine episode before, you know what precedes it, so you know what to expect. If you know a migraine is coming, following these tips may help ease the pain and shorten the length of the headache:

•Use an over-the-counter medicine such as Excedrin Migraine, Extra Strength Tylenol, or Aleve.
•Lie down in a quiet, dark room.

•Apply a cold washcloth to your head.

•Drink a soda containing caffeine, or a cup of strong caffeinated coffee.

•Use relaxing massage techniques and gently massage your head, neck, face, and shoulders.

•If your doctor has prescribed drug therapy, take the recommended dosage at the onset of your migraine.
Determining what triggers your migraines, and avoiding those triggers, can lessen their frequency. If you know a migraine is developing, take immediate action to stop the migraine or shorten the duration of it. If you have continued and frequent migraines, see your doctor for more ways to manage your migraines.

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Breathe Deep - Drive Headaches Away

By Health Tips & Technics

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.

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