Relieve your headaches at home with these 5 simple tips

Headaches are common, but they can be worrying.⁣ Particularly when they’re persistent or very painful.⁣ If left untreated, they can make managing your day-to-day life a struggle.⁣

Chiropractors are trained to differentiate between the many types of headaches, and can help those which have a mechanical cause.⁣ If a non-mechanical cause is suspected, we will refer you back to your doctor.

However, if you need some quick relief and can’t get to your chiro as soon as you’d like. Here are some simple at-home tips to help you out.

1) self massage

A lot of headaches stem from tension in the neck, shoulder or jaw. You can try massaging your upper traps, temples, jaw and the suboccipitals (the muscles below the base of your skull). Use gentle, rotating pressure where you’re feeling pain.

2) Stay hydrated

It’s easy to forget, especially when you’re not a fan of drinking water. But getting enough water in the tank is essential for the body to function well. Drinking enough water can also prevent headaches. Aim to drink at least 6-8 glasses each day. More if you’re in a hot country, or if you do a lot of exercise.⁣

3) Relax that jaw

Teeth clenching puts a lot of stress on the temporomandibular joints (the two joints that attach your jaw to your skull).⁣ This can lead to tight jaw muscles and some pretty unpleasant headaches. Jaw or teeth clenching can be something we do absentmindedly (sometimes even in our sleep). Or sometimes it can happen when feeling stressed, over worked or frustrated. Remember to check in with yourself where possible. And relax your jaw.

4) watch your screen time

Screen time overload is a headache waiting to happen. If your job involves you looking at a screen for most of the day, makes sure you take regular breaks to give your eyes a rest. Try your best not to continue looking at your phone or at the TV when you’ve finished work. Give those poor eyes (and your head) a rest.

For people that work all day on a computer, you can find that poor posture habit will creep in. Which often leads to headaches. To help prevent this and keep your posture in check- make sure your screen is at eye level and your chair offers you decent support.⁣

5) lights out

Bright lights or even flickering lights from your computer can cause you head pain. If light is a trigger for you, turn off all bright lights and draw the curtains. Rest in a dark room until you feel better. If you need to go outside for whatever reason wear sunglasses.⁣ You can get anti glare screen protectors for your laptop and computer monitors, if headaches when looking at a screen is a regular occurrence for you.

Feeling headachey?

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