Waking up with a headache or acquiring one throughout a busy day can really put a dampen on your mood. Headaches force us into losing focus, while also leading us to be more irritable and potentially even damaging our precious sleep schedule. If your quality of sleep is damaged as a result of a bad headache, it can often lead to a vicious cycle of regular pain that is tough to break out of. Lion Sourced have scavenged the web and even got into contact with some healthcare professionals to bring you this list of simple ways to cure a headache.
1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Most people know the drinking water is incredibly important – but we thought dedicating a spot on this list to hydrating is only fair. When you aren’t drinking enough liquids, your brain is deprived of water which causes your brain to shrink, which is exactly what causes the pain of most headaches. Healthcare experts recommend that males drinking 3.7 litres of water a day, with woman needing to consume 2.7 litres in order for their body to perform optimally.
2. Limit The Light
Preventing the amount of light entering your retinas can ease the pain of your headache. Pull the curtains, turn off the lights and refrain from regularly checking your phone. If you have one to hand, place an ice pack on your head – If you don’t own an ice pack, a cold, damp flannel will do the job just as well.
3. Find The Right Medicines
People are different, and so are the tolerances we have towards certain over the counter medication. Try out different medicines (Not at the same time… Obviously) whenever you face a headache and pay close attention to the reaction you get from each one. Sadly this method involves a lot of trial and error, but will definitely be worth it in the long run. Remember, headache treatments aren’t limited to pills, there are many herbal alternatives as well as various strips that can be placed across your forehead.
4. Reach For The Caffeine
Regardless of whether you use caffeine pills or simply love a strong coffee, caffeine has been proven to be an effective combatant against most headaches. Like medication, different people will find different amounts beneficial – Some find that a double espresso does the job, while others may receive greater relief from a milky coffee or a weak caffeine capsule.
5. Sleep If You Can
As with many things in life, sleep is the answer. Use the above methods we have listed to ease the pain of the headache as much as possible, then head to bed for an early night. Opening a window to cool down your room is a good idea, so is wearing a blackout eye mask and keeping an ice-cold glass of water on your bedside table.
We hope some of the methods in this article help you to get a bit of relief from a troublesome headache, at least enough to allow you to sleep. If you are consistently getting headaches, we would urge you to reach out and seek medical help from your local doctors’ clinic. Alternatively, if you are struggling after a night of drinks, check out our article titled the best foods for curing a hangover.
