Discover Top Tips To Start Easing Your Headache Today!

We all get them from time to time but for some headaches are a regular occurrence! I’ve certainly noticed that as I am working more at a computer I get a shedload more headaches than I used to and to the point where they have woken me up at 2am. Sound like you? Well I can empathise.

At the clinic we see headache sufferers weekly, they range from people who have got to the stage where they had begun to accept headaches were just part of their life forever to people who have become severely depressed due to constant severe headaches. I can sympathise with them as two weeks ago I had a headache going in to both eyes and eyebrows and it felt like someone was driving a rod in to the top of my head above my right eye. I sat there and thought…. oh my god what would I do if I had to live with this day in day out? It would be hell!

As such I went and got some physio and hey presto my headache and eye pain has gone! Thank you to my physio is all I can say.

So, with that I thought what better than to write an article on headaches and what can be done to help.

Please know this you don’t have to succumb to a life of popping painkillers, Neurofen and anti-depressants. There is help out there so please don’t be fobbed off with a prescription and being told there is nothing that can be done to help. Of course most of us reach for the painkillers when we are in pain as let’s face it some are so cheap these days (30p for 16 Paracetamol!) but drugs are only going to mask the problem by blocking the messages to the brain that you are getting pain. They won’t fix WHY you are getting them and if you are serious about getting your headaches gone finding the cause is the only way you will do this.

So now I hear you say "what then could be the cause of my headaches?"

Well after years of treating headache sufferers myself I can tell you this, many are caused by TENSION in the shoulders, jaw and or neck. Many people are not aware that tension in their jaw muscles could be the cause of their headache as a lot of medical professional do not know to look there.

Some foods could be triggering headaches – regular offenders are cheese, chocolate, red wine but if you have been screened for food intolerances as a possible cause then you need to think more laterally. Did you know hormone changes, irregular meals, dehydration and poor sleep patterns can also be causes of headaches.

Looked at all of these for your headache as possible causes? Your headache is relentless and just won’t leave you alone?....Then the next demon we need to take a look at is STRESS! We all know in today’s society stress is huge and we know it can cause a multitude of health issues but ask yourself if you are stressed, anxious, worried or nervous what happens? We hunch our shoulders and we often clench our jaws! Do this a few times too many and don’t relax then bam!.....headache strikes!

Let’s face it most of us run around like headless chickens of a morning hoping we make the train on time, praying the traffic is kind to us to get to work, appointments or getting the kids to school or nursery. Yep I’m victim of this too! No wonder we are all stressed out!

And this is just the start of it. We get to where we are going and things don’t go as planned and the stress just builds up and up as the day goes on. We get home in the evening and then wonder why our neck and shoulders are killing us, aching like mad and the headache has hit an all time high!

Yep you guessed it your muscles are likely to be as highly strung as you feel right now. All knotted up, will not let you turn your head properly, making you grab your neck area to try and get some relief and that headache is pounding like a workman’s drill hitting the road! Painful! I get it….And I sympathise!

So, what can we do about it? The doctor just gives drugs or tells you to live with it but hooray you are not happy to accept that as an answer. Read below to try some easy self help tips to get you going.

Make time to destress!

If you don’t do this you are your own worst enemy and nothing will change. My top tips to destress are, listen to music, read a book, get out in the fresh air and go for a walk.

In addition take time to sit and take deep breaths! Yes you will be surprised to hear most of us do not breathe properly. Don’t get the oxygen flowing around our bodies well enough then how do you expect your body to look after you. Pilates, Yoga and Tai Chi are great for teaching you how to breathe well and help relaxation. If you don’t fancy any of these then try listening to a meditation calm app in the comfort of your own home.

A relaxing Massage is fab for releasing tension in all those knotted neck, jaw and shoulder muscles and allows you to just stop for 30 minutes to an hour and do nothing! Sound like heaven??? It is!!!!

Get checked out

If the basic advice above doesn’t get to the bottom of your headaches please please please go to an expert physiotherapist and get checked out. They will be able to tell you if your headache is related to tension in muscles and if your neck joints are not moving as they should. If you go and they give you the all clear then you know to look elsewhere for what is causing your headaches.

As I say I went and got assessed and with hands on treatment, exercises and Pilates my headaches are under control allowing me to enjoy living life again.

IF you need more tips to ease neck pain and headaches, you can download my free report here and get instant access to expert advice: www.wdcphysio.wpenginepowered.com/neck-pain

This report will help you ease neck pain and headaches naturally without needing to take gut rotting pills.