This article is designed to help you learn how to get rid of a headache. A lot of people are dealing with headaches of different intensity. In fact, this can get a bit irritating as it can disrupt your routine and how you live your life. If you are already getting headaches on a daily basis, it could also be a sign of something that is more severe in nature. However, a headache is mostly benign in nature and can be solved using some common remedies from getting more rest to eating on time.
How to Get Rid of a Headache
It is imperative to understand that headaches could actually be a symptom of another problem. Could it be stress or perhaps an allergic reaction that caused this? This is the reason why it is important to describe the type of headache a person is actually experiencing, not to mention the triggers that may have caused the problem.
A headache can be described as crushing, throbbing, constant, or simply intermittent. As for the location of the pain, it is possible that it can be felt in different areas of the head ranging from the sinuses to parts of the face or even the entire skull.
It is also possible that headaches are associated with vomiting and nausea especially migraine headaches. These days, a lot of pain medications are found in the market depending on the intensity of pain that is felt by the person. This is a key element in being able to know how to get rid of a headache.
Understanding Headaches
In order to understand headaches, it is imperative to first know the basic types. It can be a primary headache or a secondary headache.
What exactly is a primary headache? It simply means that a headache is not caused by any other condition. On the other hand, secondary headache presents another condition that triggered the discomfort.
Examples of secondary headache include a sinus headache, spinal headache, post-traumatic headaches, and headaches from conditions to name a few. Cranial neuralgias(1) also fall under the category of secondary headaches. Cranial neuralgias are caused by inflammation found in the nerves of either your head or your neck or even both. It can be pain found in the eyes, or even in the lower portions of the face.
Approaching Treatment
Approaching headache treatment can be different. There are some cases where knowing how to get rid of a headache can be as simple as eating the right food. On the other hand, it is also possible to address the nerves firing such as the case in cranial neuralgias wherein it is common to take anti-convulsant medications in high doses.
There are also some individuals that have tried different non-pharmaceutic methods when it comes to alleviating headaches including acupuncture, massage, and even osteopathy. However, there are instances when it comes to knowing how to get rid of a headache that can also be invasive, such as a neural augmentative surgery, which includes placement of electrodes in the dorsal root.
But of course, before diving into potential solutions, you need to take a closer look at the risks involved for each treatment, and diagnose the condition correctly.
Misconceptions
One misconception about headaches is that it is pain that is found in the brain. In fact, this isn’t true. It is also not true that there is something wrong with your skull. These areas do not have nerve endings that register pain. In fact, blood vessels in your head and neck can signal pain. Your scalp, sinuses, teeth, and muscles around the neck could also signal pain that can be felt towards the head.
It is important to understand headaches in order to know exactly when you should worry and when you shouldn’t worry. As rule of thumb, depending on the type of a headache that you are experiencing, it may require some immediate medical attention to know how to get rid of a headache. For instance, if you are simply experiencing a headache after work, it could be just stress and an aspirin could actually work. It is also possible that you just need rest.
So when should you worry about a headache?
For instance, you want to get your head checked for possible increased intracranial pressure if a headache occurred after a concussion. It is important to go to the emergency room especially in the first six hours after the incident occurred. It is imperative to get the help of a doctor if your headache constantly gets worse.
In addition to this, it is also a good idea to take a closer look at the symptoms that you experience together with the headache. Does it include dizziness and seizures? Perhaps your headaches go with visual disturbances such as tunnel vision? These are instances when you will need to receive immediate medical attention in order to determine the causes, and figure out how to get rid of a headache.
Headache Prevention
It is important to note how to prevent incidences of headaches from happening. One of the most effective strategies on how to prevent headaches is to perform stress reduction techniques. This can be done by having enough rest or having a hobby that you can do in order to divert your attention to stressful things.
Regular exercise not only helps improve blood circulation but also helps improve your mental well-being. Activities such as walking and swimming are among the most common things that you can go for.
In addition to this, it is important to not skip meals. However, there are instances where you also have to take into consideration the food that you eat. Caffeinated drinks and food may trigger a headache to some individuals.
And of course, it is also important for the individual to have a complete number of hours of sleep. The average adult usually lacks sleep, especially during the weekdays. There are many reasons why people end up having difficulty trying to sleep. It could be because of long hours of work or it could also be due to a habit as simple as using gadgets.
Lastly, it is crucial to know the triggers and even the cause of the problem. There are instances wherein headaches can be caused by an allergic reaction or it could also be from an underlying condition that remained untreated.
Headache Treatment
Knowing exactly how to get rid of a headache, and treatment, can be a bit tricky, event though they are experienced by a lot of people on a regular basis. Though it is common for people to see them self-medicate, it is important to know what really causes the headache. There is a chance that it is coming from a much bigger problem. And because of this, it is important to consider getting medical help if the headache is becoming severe or if it has become chronic in nature.
For instance, there is a chance that the headache is actually coming from an impacted tooth. This means that although you can find relief using aspirin, the proper approach is to have the impacted tooth extracted in order to relieve pressure in your gums.
If you are dealing with a tension headache, ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen are just some of the most common medications that you can use. However, it is imperative that you shouldn’t take too many, since rebound headaches can also occur. It is important that you see a doctor in case you need to take more than what the doctor prescribed.
Migraines
On the other hand, knowing how to get rid of a headache and dealing with migraine headaches can be quite different. Triptans are a mainstay for dealing with headaches that come from a migraine. There are different methods how it can be taken, ranging from nasal spray to oral pills. But of course, it is important to know the common side effects too, which range from dizziness to hot flashes. Whenever you experience any discomfort while taking in triptans for treating your migraine, be sure to talk to your doctor immediately.
The good thing about using triptans is that these are not opioids. It means that there is no chance that you are going to experience dependency on the medication in order to relieve migraine related headaches.
Behavior Therapies
Behavior therapies should also be part of treating headaches. Many doctors would suggest stress reduction techniques ranging from massage to meditation as common things that you should implement to help reduce occurrences.
An effective treatment is relaxation and giving your body enough time to rest. If the headache is severe, it is best to rest in a dark room in order to prevent any stimulation and to let the body relax. In addition to this, you can also apply hot or cold compress to your head.
It is also important to know the triggers that could cause or worsen the headache. For instance, there are instances when food containing tyramine and a lack of sleep are just some of the most common causes.
However, when it comes to dealing with headaches that are chronic in nature, it is important to talk to a medical professional in order to determine the origin of the headache. It is possible, for instance, that there could be a problem with your hormones. In this kind of situation, you would want to first have your hormonal level fixed along with taking medications that address headaches.
Rehabilitation
A lot of people are not aware that headaches may actually require some rehabilitation. Because of the broad nature of the origin of headaches, there are instances wherein rehab is the best option that should be done in order to find long-term relief, and figure out exactly how to get rid of a headache.
According to a study(2), 15% of the US population suffers from debilitating migraine headaches. However, headaches that are chronic in nature may require special attention and not just the typical pharmacologic approach.
Headaches that fall under migraine and cervicogenic categories are usually the ones that may require rehabilitation. Rehabilitation methods can do wonders, ranging from resolving the problem completelyto decreasing the intensity of the headache. In addition to this, rehabilitation is aimed towards the improvement of a person’s functionality and quality of life.
Strengthening Muscles
There are instances wherein strengthening muscles surrounding the neck and shoulders could actually make a difference.This could help not only with cervical stabilization, but could also reduce tenderness in the neck muscles that could be the cause of the headache.
Rehabilitation techniques also focus mainly on fitness in order to increase blood perfusion on muscles groups that are surrounding the neck upper back and shoulders that could be causing chronic headaches. Rehab also focuses on pain-relief modalities in order for the person to be able to know how to stop a headache, even on his/her own.
Concussion Rehabilitation
Headache rehabilitation may also go hand in hand with concussion rehabilitation especially when dealing with headaches that occurred after an accident. The goal of concussion rehabilitation is to not only to figure out how to get rid of a headache, but to also improve cognitive load as well as the improvement of coordination.
Determining the Origins of a Headache
Taking the history of the patient and a careful assessment are usually done in order to determine the origins of the headache. It is possible that spinal nerve compressions and herniated discs are involved which causes a headache to happen every now and then. There are also situations wherein malformations and even tumors are present.
The good thing about taking headache rehabilitation approach is the fact that it is a non-invasive program that can be designed in order to help know how to get rid of a headache, especially those headaches that are musculoskeletal in origin.
Conclusion
Headaches can be simple or tricky to deal with depending on the scenario. In fact, knowing how to get rid of a headache can be far more complicated, especially if it is not just a primary headache. There are instances wherein it requires thorough assessment and history-taking before determining the root cause of the problem.
It is possible as well that a simple assessment of your habits and activities can already help solve headaches. Maybe it’s as simple as the fact that you are not getting enough sleep. Or, the headache is coming from stress that you experience from work. In fact, it has been found in a lot of scenarios that to combine not just one method of solving a headache is effective. Therefore, it is possible to learn how to get rid of a headache by using both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic modalities.
Unfortunately, there are cases wherein an invasive option is required. This is true especially for compressed nerves and even for headaches that come from tumors.
Article resources:
(1) https://headachemd.net/types-of-headaches/cranial-neuralgia/
(2) http://migraineresearchfoundation.org/about-migraine/migraine-facts/