Relieving Your Headaches Through Exercise And Other Treatments
If you are plagued with daily headaches for an unknown reason
, there are many paths to relief that you can choose from. Stress headaches are not as debilitating as migraine or cluster headaches, but that does not mean that they do not make your life completely miserable.
When you have a stress headache and you want relief, you want it fast. Tension headache relief may involve over the counter analgesics, prescription medications, stress reduction, and home remedies.
Not getting a stress headache in the first place is, of course, the best tension headache relief strategy. Maintaining good posture prevents muscle tension and tension-type pain.
Pay attention to how you stand, sit, drive, and sleep. Take regular breaks throughout the day to gently stretch your neck and shoulder muscles.
This is especially important if work demands that you spend long hours typing or performing computer work. During long drives, schedule roadside stops to stretch muscles and relieve tension.
Regular exercise provides great relief, as exercise reduces stress hormone levels and relaxes tense muscles. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise plan to combat this pain.
Some people find physical exertion can actually trigger tension pain. Pain caused by emotional stress and muscle tension can be treated by learning stress reduction techniques.
Relaxation therapy, yoga, massage, medication, and breathing exercises can all reduce stress and provide effective relief. Identifying the events that trigger these can help you take charge of your own relief.
Once your triggers are identified, they can be avoided or modified to lessen the chance of this occurring over and over again. One way to identify triggers is to keep a pain diary.
In the diary, note when headaches occur, how long they last, and any circumstances that lead up to them. Also note which treatment options work, what you ate, and any stress or unusual events that may have triggered them.
If the same triggers consistently set them off, your tension diary will help you to identify patterns. If simple exercise is not working, you may have to try some medications.
Medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen are readily available, and commonly used to provide help. However, they should be used sparingly.
Over-use of most analgesics can lower the efficiency of the medication over time, and cause painful chronic rebound headaches. In addition, long-term use of over the counter medications, such as aspirin, can cause serious side effects, such as abdominal pain, intestinal bleeding, and stomach ulcers.
The best rule is to use painkillers only when necessary, and then only take the minimum dose required to treat them. Never take over the counter medication as preventive medicine without first consulting your doctor.
Many medications, both prescription and non-prescription, are not safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding. Chronic or severe stress pain may not respond to over the counter medications.
If so, doctors may prescribe tricyclic antidepressants for tension headache relief. Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline and nortriptyline have an analgesic effect that can relieve symptoms.
If your pain is caused by depression, tricyclic antidepressants provide both depression and tension treatment. In addition to antidepressants, other antidepressant drugs are sometimes prescribed, but none have proven as effective as the tricyclics.
Seizure medication may also be prescribed in treatment, including the anticonvulsants divalproex and gabapentin. They sometimes provide the help you are looking for.
If chronic treatment is required, prescriptions must be chosen carefully to avoid habit-forming medications. However, often simple at-home remedies provide the best results.
Hot compresses can relax tense neck and shoulder muscles helping to relieve pain. An ice pack wrapped in a towel and applied to the forehead often provides fast relief.
Hot showers and baths also relax tense muscles and relieve stress. If they are triggered by restless sleep, your relief may be as simple as switching to a different type of pillow.
Sleeping in a better position may also relieve the problem for you. Sleep itself is often one of the most successful treatments, as many people do not get enough rest.
There is no reason why you should have to suffer through unnecessary and debilitating pain. Try as many at home remedies as you can find, including exercise, sleep, and relaxation, before you try medications.
by: Jack Landry
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