Headache Relief Tips

I was recently asked by a reporter to share my top tips for headache relief for her story. Since I have over 30 years experience working with chronic headaches and have taught an online course for over 10 years training headache sufferers how to stop their headaches I was eager to share my experience. Here is what I shared with her:

First tip, when you notice a headache starting. This is a pressure point method where one pushes over the midline of the head starting with the forehead and ending at the occiput/cervical junction (just under the bump at the back of the head where it meets the top of the neck). Take a finger and push hard, holding for one minute at each point starting in the middle of the forehead. Then move over the top of the head one inch at a time until arriving at the last point on the back of the head then relax. You can repeat every hour or so.

Second tip, for prevention and also useful for stopping a beginning headache. The teeth should not touch together unless a person is chewing or swallowing. If the teeth touch or even clench during the day this is bruxing which puts extra pressure on the teeth (dentists often prescribe splints to protect the teeth from this when they notice extra tooth wear), the jaw joint and the chewing muscles of the head (Temporalis, Masseter). The remedy is to change the habit and stop touching. Since the habit is to do this unconsciously, a person needs to train themselves to be aware and stop doing the bruxing when they feel their teeth touch. It can take several months to change this habit.

Third tip, for prevention and useful for stopping a beginning headache. Often people hold a significant amount of tension in their shoulders and this is manifested by the shoulders being held up when the shoulder muscles are working. The remedy is to drop the shoulders so the muscles relax. Again, it can take several months to change this habit.

Fourth tip, also helps with the shoulder muscles. This is a stretching exercise where a person allows their head to fall to the side while not looking down. Let it hang on each side with the ear toward the shoulder for the count of 30. Don't push, just let it hang. Then one can let the head rotate around and fall to the front (let hand in front stretching the muscles at the back of the neck) for a count of 30 and then roll up to the other side.

Fifth tip, apply when noticing a headache starting. Massage the forehead. Massage between the eyes. Gently rub the eyes and the ridge of bone above the eyes and where it meets the nose.

Sixth tip for use when you notice a headache starting. Slow deep abdominal respiration. Lay down with the eyes closed after doing the above exercises. Breathe slowly into the abdomen (not moving the chest) for 20 minutes. This stimulates a powerful relaxation response and is very helpful in stopping headaches.

We teach an online course that focuses specifically on how to retrain the habit patterns that lock tension into the muscles of the head, jaw and neck. Tension in any one of these muscles often starts a headache and creates a chronic pattern of frequent headaches.

When you first visited this page, a window poped up asking if you wanted to sign up for an email series to see why you still have headaches. If you have headaches more than once a month you most likely have a tension component that makes your headaches worse. The email series asks you to perform a series of exercises over a 4 day period to help you discover if you have tension in these muscles. If you do you are a candidate for this training that can end your headaches forever. To receive these emails just refresh the page and signup, we will send the first one to you immediately.

Several of our training participants have offered some non-medicine ways to help relieve a headache AFTER it has started.

• I make a concerted effort to identify out loud to myself all of the things I am worried about. I find that once I openly acknowledge those things my headache will begin to abate if the headache was stress related. --Nancy

• I find that since my pain is centered on the left side of my head - specifically at my left temple, left side of my nose & the left side of the base of my head - if someone can put pressure on these point through massage and rubbing, I can stop a migraine in it's tracks. Unfortunately, it requires a great deal of pressure applied and can take about 1/2 an hour and most people don't have the time or ability to offer that kind of help. Use an electronic massager (intended for backs) on your head and it will help. --H

• Lie flat on your back with your arms extended above your head and stretch your legs with toe pointed. Pretend you are on an imaginary pole and are trying to cover as much of this pole as possible. Imagine the pole through the ends of your fingertips, through the top of your head, down the spine, and through the tips of your toes. Then pull each leg to your chest(one at a time - then together) and release them back to the pole position.--Sheri

• This only works if you have a semi-quiet place to sit or lie down. I close my eyes and visualize that the whole inside of my head is a blackboard, just like in school. I see chalk everywhere I have pain, and black everywhere else. Then I imagine myself there by the blackboard with a very large erasure. I begin erasing the chalk on the blackboard. When the erasure gets full of chalk I hit it on the floor and erase some more, until ALL of the chalk is gone, and so is my headache.--Chris

• Ice on the back of your neck & shoulder blades. If you have someone to massage your feet all over & thumb pressure on the bottoms of your feet in different points. Also, have them massage your hands the same way if you still need some relief.--Kelly

• I have someone squeeze the muscle in my hand, below, and between my index finger, and thumb. One hand is usually more sensitive than the other, and this is the one that gets the deep massage. 10-20 second squeezes will help alleviate the headache gradually.

• We call it being 'thumbed' On each side of your shoulders have someone apply pressure and hold for a few seconds and then rub your neck & shoulders. It will release some pressure and will help you to relax. ––Lynn

• Personally the way I do it, is sit/lie calmly and imagine my hands touching the sun and my head in a snowbank. I find when my hands are warmer than my face, my headache is usually ready to abate.––Frances

• As soon as you become aware that a headache is starting, sit down and allow your body to calm down. Take your index and middle fingers of one hand and press a point on your forehead, between your eyebrows where you feel an slight indention. Press as hard as you can tolerate for 20 to 30 seconds. Move up your forehead and over the top of your scalp and press every two inches, holding each point for 20-30 seconds.––Tom

For more articles about how getting rid of muscle tension gets rid of headaches, visit our blog: Freedom From Headaches Blog