6 Simple Ways to Treat a Headache
1. Water
Very commonly, the average headache is a result of dehydration! We often walk around dehydrated from lack of fluid intake and from drinking dehydrating beverages. Try drinking about 1 liter (2 plastic water bottles size) of water at the early signs of your headache and see if that melts away your pain. On this same note, drinking water with electrolytes incorporated can really boost overall hydration and in turn improve your headache.
2. Caffeine
Did you forget your morning cup of coffee or tea? It could be because your body is looking for its daily dose of caffeine. A.k.a. a caffeine headache. Caffeine has an effect on our blood vessels causing them to constrict. If we miss our cup of joe, those vessels will dilate a bit and give us a headache. Caffeine can also be used to treat a headache for this same exact reason. See #6 Excedrin. Keep in mind that caffeine can also dehydrate you, so stick to moderation in 1-2 cups of coffee per day. Too much caffeine can actually give you a headache. Wow, caffeine, you’re touchy!
3. Food/Hunger
Did you skip breakfast? Got caught up at work and eating a late lunch? Your body could be asking for food as your brain struggles with decreasing blood sugar. As soon as you eat a real meal, preferably something with complex carbohydrates and protein, you may feel better right away. What does the brain use for its energy? Glucose! Go eat.
4. Tylenol (acetaminophen)
Tried #1, 2, 3 and still have the headache? Don’t have time to figure out your headache? Tylenol. Any brand or generic version of acetaminophen will work. In the hospital, we usually use the generic version. Take as directed on the bottle, usually 1-2 tablets. My favorite Tylenol is the Rapid Release version – it works so fast! Like, relief in 15 minutes! In the hospital, Tylenol is our drug of choice for a headache.
5. Sleep
Are you behind on sleep? Lack of sleep could be giving you a headache. If you add in stress, you’ve got 2 reasons for a headache. Both of these can make your muscles tense, affect your brain, and can result in a headache. If your life allows it, getting to bed earlier, sneaking in a rest or nap will help your headache resolve. Regular sleep patterns, if possible, will surely help reduce headaches.
6. Excedrin
Do you have a particularly severe headache? Excedrin is a wonderful combination medication for a bad headache after you’ve tried everything else. Excedrin usually contains acetaminophen, caffeine, and also aspirin. We already talked about acetaminophen and caffeine. The aspirin helps with blood flow, with a blood thinning effect, and has anti-inflammatory properties that help with pain, too. Excedrin was made to treat those terrible headaches or migraines. I’ll cover migraines more in another post!
