15+1 ways to get rid of headaches without pills

What can you do if you suddenly have a severe headache? The simplest solution is to take some painkillers and not suffer. But situations are different, and sometimes there is simply no life-saving pill at hand - for example, when vacationing in the country or in a village, where the nearest pharmacy is 10-15 kilometers on foot. There are also those who fundamentally do not take pharmacological drugs unless absolutely necessary.

In these and other situations, proven folk recipes can become a real salvation from suffering. The most effective home remedies for headaches will be discussed further.

Migraine symptoms

The first symptom of migraine is the so-called migraine aura. This is not a mandatory symptom, but according to statistics, it occurs in more than 30% of patients. A migraine aura can manifest itself as:

• Visual disturbances - circles, zigzags, blind spots before the eyes;
• Hearing disorders - tinnitus, slight loss of coordination;
• Olfactory disturbances - a sharp increase in the sense of smell, a feeling of an obsessive smell nearby;
• Tactile disturbances - pain or increased sensitivity of the skin, goosebumps, numbness in the face or limbs.

Some patients feel a migraine in advance - they experience weakness, irritability, tearfulness, increased appetite or complete loss of appetite.

Subsequent symptoms of an already occurring migraine:

• Severe, sometimes simply unbearable headache in one side of the head (usually the right). If you concentrate, you will be able to clearly feel the source of pain. It can last from several hours to 3 days.
• Nausea, abdominal discomfort, sometimes vomiting. Complete lack of appetite.
• Photophobia. Even dim light can increase pain or cause discomfort.
• Sound phobia. During a migraine, even a whisper nearby can be painful.
• Weakness. The stronger the pain increases, the stronger the feeling of weakness. During a severe attack, fainting may occur.

Patients with migraine are advised not to wait for an attack to develop, but to stop it in a timely manner. If possible, at the aura stage or the first signals of a developing migraine.

How to deal with headaches

Almost all of us experience headaches. But for some, this is a short-term condition with mild severity, while for others it is a real nightmare with a complete loss of strength. Headaches appear for many reasons and are localized in different areas of the head.

The main reasons include stressful situations, physical or mental fatigue, arterial hypertension, vascular abnormalities, spasms due to osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. But, whatever the reason, it is necessary to take immediate measures to eliminate the pain.

When you need a doctor's help

Irritants leading to headaches and migraines can be internal and external:

• oxygen starvation of the brain due to changes in the composition of the blood, its increased viscosity;
• damage to spinal tissue;
• vascular spasms;
• cerebrovascular accident due to damage to blood vessels at the base of the skull;
• low- and high-frequency noise;
• lack of sleep and stress;
• infectious processes;
• malignant formations;
• meningitis.

The nature of headaches varies, but in all cases painkillers are taken. However, if they are used too often, addiction may occur and the desired effect may not occur. In what cases is the help of a doctor necessary? People turn to a therapist if they have persistent headaches that cannot be relieved by conventional means, as well as:

• primary pain in a patient over 45 years of age;
• with frequent attacks that last a long time;
• if the pain is constantly accompanied by nausea or vomiting;
• if the pain intensifies when bending or sharply turning the head.

The doctor, after conducting a survey, will prescribe additional examinations, for example, MRI, ultrasound, x-rays, and, if necessary, refer you to a neurologist, dentist, otolaryngologist or other specialist. With constant pain and lack of medical help, the patient may develop depression and a complete loss of strength.

Medical attention is necessary because headaches may be a symptom of cytomegalovirus activity. There is no cure for CMV, but it can be suppressed, otherwise there is a risk of lung disease, central nervous system disorders and even loss of vision. To rule out a dangerous health condition, you need to consult a specialist and donate blood for possible infections.

What medications can you take?

Pain in the head can be characterized as throbbing, pressing, cutting or dull. In case of severe pain and intolerance, antispasmodics and analgesics are needed, but you need to know that over time they may have the opposite effect - they will provoke pain.

Medicines can take the form of tablets, injections, or rectal suppositories. Before use, you should consider contraindications and side effects. Your doctor may prescribe neurotropic antispasmodics or prescription medications that are effective for excruciating pain but are addictive.

Other Pain Remedies

First aid for headaches is to take a comfortable position with a cool compress on the forehead; for hypertension, cold treatment should be avoided. Massaging the collar area and head may help. It is important to give up bad habits - alcohol and smoking, otherwise the treatment will not have an effect. The fact is that smoking causes the blood vessels in the brain to narrow, while alcohol causes them to widen, and this process is uncontrollable.

If you have pain, you can also take a walk in the fresh air, do aromatherapy or do inhalations. It will be good to take a bath with the addition of any of the essential oils: sandalwood, eucalyptus, mint, lavender. Herbal teas with honey, marjoram, ginger, mint, and lemon can help improve the condition. At night it is good to drink tea with chamomile, take motherwort or valerian. If a person suffers from pain due to blood pressure, he should give up coffee and strong tea. What other measures can be taken:

• stop eating salt;
• watch your diet, eat vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins and minerals;
• improve blood circulation with contrasting foot baths;
• do acupressure of the temples;
• Make sure you drink enough water to flush out toxins from your body;
• avoid stress;
• ventilate the room.

You can resort to such methods if the exact cause of the pain is established and you can alleviate the condition yourself. They can also help with mild and intermittent pain. Otherwise, you should first see a doctor for a diagnosis. Knowing the cause, you can quickly take the necessary measures to eliminate it and control the occurrence of pain.

Causes of migraine

75% of all patients with migraine reported having migraine in their immediate family. The hereditary factor plays an important role here. The likelihood that a child of one of the parents with migraines will also develop migraines is also 75%.

To date, a connection between migraine and the neuropeptide CGRP, which is involved in the development of a migraine attack, has been discovered. During a migraine, the patient's level of only this protein increases, and after artificial administration of CGRP, the subjects began to experience a headache attack.

The reason why the level of this neuropeptide increases is still unknown.

Herbal medicine and foot baths

Those who suffer from pressure changes usually know how to recognize headaches that begin against this background. Naturally, it is advisable to check your guesses with the readings of a tonometer. With low blood pressure, people take tonics, for example, ginseng tincture, etc., to normalize the condition. In addition, you can correct the situation with caffeine - just drink a small amount of coffee to feel better.

If the pressure is high, other options are usually used at home. Foot baths, herbal warm teas - all this helps to improve the situation. It is clear that we are talking about a slight increase in pressure. If the numbers are very high, you have to fight with official methods.

When headaches develop, a variety of herbal and plant teas are often recommended. One effective method is ginger tea. It is enough to grind a little ginger root and brew it with boiling water.

Neurologist Lyudmila Prozorova agrees with these recommendations.

In bed with a nightmare. Is it possible to overcome insomnia without medication? More details

What causes migraines?

There are a number of potential triggers that can trigger a migraine:

• Wine, dark chocolate, cheese, honey, coffee;
• Bright or flashing lights are a common migraine trigger;
• The sound is too harsh or loud;
• Menstruation. In women with this type of migraine, attacks occur in the first days of the cycle;
• Too much or too little sleep. For migraine patients, it is important to know your sleep norm and try to stick to it;
• Stress.

But in this matter everything is individual. Migraines can occur suddenly even after waking up and being well rested.

What if your head hurts in your temples?

Temporal headache is the most common type of headache.

Experts attribute the following to the primary reasons:

• neuralgia
• cluster pain
• overvoltage
• migraine

Secondary causes include:

• cerebral vascular damage
• taking medications
• head or neck injury
• non-vascular intracranial lesions
• HIV infection and AIDS
• hemostasis disorder
• pathology of the skull
• psychological illnesses

What to do if you have a headache in your temples? – If this happens for the first time, then you need to take an analgesic. If the pain persists after taking painkillers, you should consult a specialist. If you experience intense and frequently recurring pain in your temples, it is better to consult a therapist or neurologist. If the pain is a consequence of an injury, then you should make an appointment with a surgeon or traumatologist.

What to do if you have a migraine?

• Take a drug that stops the attack as soon as possible. NSAIDs may help in the early stages, but triptans are the best treatment today;
• Lie down comfortably in a dark and cool place, provide access to fresh air;
• If necessary, place a towel moistened with cool water on your forehead;
• Avoid exposure to light and sounds;
• Try to sleep;
• If medications and sleep do not help, and the attack becomes more and more painful, you need to call an ambulance.

Fresh air

It is believed that headaches can occur from hypoxia, i.e.
lack of oxygen in the body, which occurs, for example, due to a stuffy room, lack of sleep, etc. In this case, it is recommended to get up and walk down the street. It is worth understanding that in such a situation the headache will not be severe; in fact, it will not be pain at all, but a slight malaise that will go away with an influx of fresh air. If the condition is not very active and you want to sleep, this may also indicate a lack of oxygen. In such a situation, it is recommended to rest in a room where it is fresh, slightly humid (the optimal level of air humidity can be achieved using humidifiers) and ventilated.

- Yes, indeed, it is so. Often, headaches arise from hypoxia in apartments and office spaces, especially during the heating season, when heaters burn out the oxygen we need so much. The best way is to walk in the fresh air for half an hour or go out onto the balcony, breathe slowly and deeply for 10 minutes, says a neurologist of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences, head of the neurological department of Medincenter (branch of GlavUpDK under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ) Lyudmila Prozorova .

Question answer

Types and possible causes of headaches. Infographics

Drink plenty of fluids

Another reason why headaches and pills do not help may be due to dehydration caused by heat, increased sweating during exercise or at high temperatures, and other factors. Drink more clean water (not tea, sweet soda or mineral water), and to be sure of its quality, use only filtered water.

Medicines from the refrigerator

Traditional medicine knows many ways to help a sore head. Some recipes contain quite exotic ingredients, such as bear fat. But still, most of the recommendations are quite feasible.

Since ancient times, our savvy ancestors have used various natural substances to treat headaches. Moreover, most of them were edible: cabbage leaves, apple cider vinegar, honey, potatoes and other products. Well, why are we any worse? Let's open the refrigerator and see what we have there that is delicious and can also become healing?

1. Take a cabbage leaf, dip it in boiling water for a short time, cool it and apply it to your forehead, temple or back of the head - where it hurts. You can also boil potatoes in their jackets and apply mashed warm potatoes directly in the skin to your forehead and temples. Another excellent remedy is lemon peel, peeled from the white pulp. 2. Drink freshly brewed black or green tea with a few mint leaves, generously adding sugar or, even better, honey. Honey contains potassium and magnesium, which relax arteries, allowing it to improve blood flow to the brain. Apple cider vinegar is rich in these same elements. Dilute a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of boiled water and drink – you should feel better. 3. Look in the kitchen and look for rosemary among the seasonings. This herb is good not only as an addition to fish or meat, but also as a cure for migraines. It prevents some stress-related headaches. Rosemary helps to resist spasms of blood vessels. The best way to use it is to brew it as a tea. Pour one teaspoon of dried rosemary leaves into a glass of boiling water, cover, let steep for 10 minutes, strain and drink. 4. Many medicinal herbs effectively relieve headaches. For example, tea made from lavender leaves and flowers is useful for this scourge. Regular chamomile has excellent pain-relieving properties. You can also prepare a mixture of equal amounts of peppermint, oregano and fireweed. For 1 tbsp. a spoonful of the mixture - half a liter of boiling water. Leave, covered for 30 minutes, strain. Take 0.5–1 glass. But it is dangerous for pregnant women to take herbs. 5. If you have frequent migraines, you need to change your diet and eat foods rich in vitamin B2 (riboflavin).

Most often, brain cells in people who suffer from headaches do not receive enough necessary components, and therefore energy. Therefore, you need to periodically “feed” your brain cells with vitamin B2. It is found in liver, yeast, rose hips, eggs, milk, pulses, spinach, apricots, dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and cabbage. A good “cure” for migraines is a fresh apple.

Aromatherapy

What should you do to make your headache go away if you don’t want to perform a massage? Use a method that was popular in the 18th century and remember the benefits of certain essential oils. For example, mint was used to eliminate a runny nose, while lavender and chamomile relaxed and gave long, restful sleep. How to quickly relieve a headache? Use the following fragrance oils:

• lavender,
• mint,
• eucalyptus,
• linden,
• sandalwood,
• nutmeg,
• rosemary.

No matter how much you want to get rid of pain without pills, remember the safety and side effects. When using essential oils in concentrated form, skin irritation may occur, so before use they must be mixed with neutral oils or cosmetics.

You can choose any of the six main ways to quickly get rid of a headache at home using various pleasant aromas (which will help you best, you need to check experimentally):

• bath.
  When taking a bath, add eight drops of essential oil mixed with a tablespoon of neutral oil;
• diffuser
  (sprays fragrant steam due to the action of ultrasound). To fill a standard 15-meter room with a pleasant relaxing aroma, add three drops of aroma oil to the container;
• oil burner.
  Light it 2-3 times a day;
• warm compress.
  Add a drop of aromatic oil to the water, soak a towel in it and place it on your forehead;
• massage.
  When massaging your face or body, add two drops of essential oil to your regular massage oil;
• inhalation.
  It is enough to breathe in hot steam for five minutes with the addition of three drops of aromatic oils for your well-being to noticeably improve. Keep in mind that this method of treating headaches at home is contraindicated for asthmatics, allergy sufferers and patients with problems with the respiratory system.

Water treatments

A hot shower or bath is another effective option that can quickly relieve headaches for both men and women. Heat helps to dilate blood vessels, relieving spasm and supplying beneficial nutrients to cells that usually lack nutrition when a nerve is pinched in one of the parts of the spine or other pathologies. If there is no time or opportunity for full water procedures, use a heating pad.

When looking for an answer to the question “How can I quickly get rid of a headache at home” on forums, you often find information that a cold compress helps. This method does work in many cases, but be extremely careful, as cold not only brings relief, but also constricts blood vessels. If a headache in an adult or child is associated with a spasm, home treatment without pills should avoid cold compresses and any non-medicinal products that cause constriction of blood vessels.

Why does my head hurt after sleep?

A morning headache brings discomfort throughout the day. Night sleep is the time when, after a hard day, our body restores strength. But from time to time awakening is overshadowed by unpleasant sensations.

The reason for such an uncomfortable awakening may be:

• Uncomfortable sleeping position.
• Incorrectly chosen pillow or mattress. Ignoring this moment leads to morning pain throughout the body, including the head.
• When the condition of blood vessels deteriorates, blood pressure is disturbed, which affects the quality of our sleep. Then feeling unwell becomes frequent.
• Head injuries can also contribute to headaches in the morning. It can occur a week or a month after the injury.
• Sinusitis makes breathing difficult, which causes a headache when waking up.
• Cervical osteochondrosis is a displacement of the spine in the cervical region. With this disease, the supply of oxygen to the brain is disrupted.