The most common headache is a tension or stress headache. This type of headache tends to be cervicogenic in nature, meaning it originates from the neck. Tension to the neck muscles often develops from mental stress and/or poor posture which pulls on the spine creating misalignments and nerve pressure.
If you think about when you are angry, for example, what happens to your posture? Your muscles tighten, your head goes down and forward, and your shoulders go up. Try it. Get mad, or pretend to; what happens to your muscles? On the same token, if you smile and are happy you tend to sit up straight and muscles relax, and you feel a little better. This, by the way, is a great trick when stressed or depressed- put a big smile on your face and see how you feel.
The next type of headache is a migraine. Migraines tend to be a little more disruptive, causing severe pain and sometimes even dizziness, visual disturbances, or nausea. Migraines can also originate from the neck, but I find they often originate or are caused by the diet. Some kind of allergy or chemical factor that is disrupting the nervous system.
The third headache is a sinus headache. It tends to occur around the eyes and nose, where the sinuses are. They often are caused by allergies, infection, or cold. How do we get rid of or prevent each of these?
Solutions for Pain Relief From Headaches
The first headache I described – tension or stress headaches- the best thing to do is be aware of your posture. Try to stay relaxed, use a couple tricks I mentioned earlier. Next, take regular breaks when doing a lot of head-down work or computer work. Neck stretches and postural exercises will help also.
With migraines I also recommend the things I’ve mentioned, but you may often have to address diet. I’ve ran into too many migraine sufferers that have eliminated their headaches by simply changing their diet to discount it. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy; process of elimination to find out what may be a trigger. I can tell you that a lot of people have allergies to dairy or gluten, and sometimes caffeine or alcohol can be a trigger.
For a sinus headache it’s very important to keep your sinuses clear. Use my salt water trick or a Neti pot to help this. A humidifier can help if it is very dry in your house this time of year.
Something I saved for last because it works well in preventing all headaches is a good neck pillow. Do you have a friend or relative who has improved their headaches by going to a chiropractor? Why does this treatment work so well- because it aligns the spine, eliminating nerve pressure. A good neck pillow does this too. If you have a major misalignment or have had a major trauma to the neck, you will probably need to see the chiropractor, but a neck pillow will help most cases.