Kyran Cates
Reporter
Students and staff alike can agree on one thing: life is a headache just waiting to hap-pen. A headache can start subtly, a mere pinch behind the eyes, but over the span of a few hours it can grow into a debilitating throbbing throughout one’s entire head.Whether mild or severe, nearly everyone has felt the pain and discomfort a headache can cause. While some headache disorders are only manageable through medical diagnosis and assistance, there are numerous methods of prevention and at-home treatment for everyday headaches.
Headaches often have a source, ranging from dehydration all the way to family members with piercingly loud voices, and it’s important to understand that headache triggers vary from person to person. By identifying headache triggers, it becomes easier to avoid them or anticipate when a headache may occur.
Does your neck feel tense after a long night awake? Do your eyes burn after a day of staring at screens? Take the time to note jarring stimuli leading up to a headache. Bright lights, strong smells, loud noises and high stress can all add up to a world of hurt.Unless you work to avoid or lessen exposure to headache triggers, the pain is likely to return repeatedly.
Once a headache has taken root, there is little that can be done to reverse the cause of the pain. For example, a headache induced by dehydration will not be resolved by gulping down 40 ounces of water. While taking care of your body is vital to preventing headaches, once the damage is done,you can’t backpedal the pain away. Headaches are caused by the relaxing of previously constricted blood vessels or the other way around.
This change in blood pressure is felt significantly in muscles and nerve endings of the head, face, and neck, thus explaining the throbbing pain often associated with headaches and migraines. As the pain stems from your blood vessels, there is little you can do to immediately relieve the aching.
Because of their commonality, it’s important to know how to manage a headache at home; if you experience chronic head-aches, which occur 15 days or more per month, you should seek assistance from a medical professional. Before anything else,Mayo Clinic recommends non-prescription pain relief medication, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin. Make sure to take only the recommended dose and fol-low all safety instructions included with the products. If those medications don’t meet your needs, Excedrin Migraine is a stronger alternative. Additionally, sleep is known as a natural pain reliever. In many mild cases,a quick nap or a good night’s rest will alleviate the effects of a headache. That being said, it can be difficult to fall asleep with a throbbing pain in your head. Melatonin sleep supplements are a great way to by-pass this discomfort and fall sound asleep.
In addition to medication, there are several ways to treat and manage the pain of a headache. Most importantly, rest in a dark and quiet room. Removing the triggers that cause headaches from your environment will help ensure the pain isn’t worsened or prolonged. Next, Mayo Clinic recommends hot or cold compress to your neck or head.This will help relieve soreness and numb the area, as well as constrict or dilate the blood vessels.
Headaches are often a sign that some-thing is wrong in your body or your environment. Listen to what your headaches are telling you, and use it to take better care of yourself. Reduce your stress, exercise more, improve your diet and your body will thank you with fewer headaches.
