How to treat headache naturally

Work stress, family demands, skimpy sleep schedules—everyday stresses can give us all a headache every now and then. Headache is among the most common medical complaints. The majority of them are not life threatening and can be treated effectively by natural remedies at home. 

More than 47 million Americans have experienced a severe or debilitating headache in the past three months. Migraines alone affect 9% of the U.S. population and costs $1 billion a year in direct medical expenses.

Whether they're mild annoyances or skull-crushing distractions. The pain of a headache can make your day-to-day life miserable, and can forces you to head straight for the aspirin. When you take over-the-counter pain killers they will just ease your symptoms for time being, but can wreak a havoc on your body by ignoring the real issue of what triggers the headache. 

However, natural remedies for headaches may take a bit more thought than simply popping a pill, but you’re less likely to become so dependent on them that you need them for every little ache like prescription drugs.

Home remedies to get rid of headache

1) Drink Water 

It is a good idea to drink about eight to ten glasses of water throughout the day to keep your body well hydrated. Dehydration can lead to a headache, especially if you've vomited recently or you're hungover. Drink a tall glass of water as soon as your head starts to hurt, and you should gradually feel the pain start to ease. Try to continue drinking small sips throughout the day. 

2) Try Relaxation to Ease Headache Pain

Our lives are fast paced, busy, and filled with stress. Our overworked minds and bodies react to this by tensing and knotting up muscles, usually in the upper back, neck, and shoulders. Thanks to a little something called referred pain-pain felt in an area other than where the actual painful stimulus is-we end up with tension-type headaches. Try some of the following tips to get relief.

For the purposes of headache relief or prevention, you can try progressive relaxation technique by alternately tensing and then releasing the tension in each muscle or muscle group from one end of your body to the other. Focus on the muscles from your forehead to your shoulders. 

Purposely tense the specific muscle or group as tightly as you can, hold the tension for a few seconds, and finally release the tension, allowing the muscle to slowly relax. Then proceed to the next muscle or group and repeat. Try the following steps:

• Scrunch up, then release, your forehead muscles (or furrow your brow).
• Squeeze your eyes tightly closed, then open them slowly.
• Make a wide smile, then allow it to fade.
• Clench your jaw, then relax it.
• Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then let it fall back down.
• Press your lips together tightly, then relax.
• Press your head against the floor or the back of the chair, then relax.
• Shrug your shoulders, bringing your shoulders up as close to your ears as you can, then let them fall. 

If you have additional time, you can proceed all the way down to your toes, for a whole-body relaxation exercise. Be sure to breathe slowly and deeply throughout the exercise

3) Apply peppermint oil

Peppermint oil has a wonderfully soothing effect when you’re suffering from a headache, easing the discomfort and clearing your mind. People who use it find that it works quickly to relieve pain. Peppermint oil helps open and close the vessels that promote blood flow and quickly reduce the pain from a headache.

Massage the peppermint oil onto your temples, the back of your jaw, and forehead. You will feel a cooling sensation upon applying it. Breathe deeply, and if possible, find a quiet place to relax and sip some cool water. If you have sensitive skin and find that it irritates it, try diluting it with a bit of olive oil or water.

4) Ginger

Ginger can help reduce inflammation of the blood vessels in the head, thus providing relief from a headache. Simply sip a nice steaming cup of ginger-root tea and relax while you wait for your headache to ease up. or

• You can boil ginger powder or raw ginger in water, and inhale the vapor.
• Another option is to chew one or two pieces of crystallized ginger candy.
• Mix equal parts of ginger juice and lemon juice. Consume it once or twice.
• Another remedy, apply a paste of one teaspoon dry ginger powder and two tablespoons of water on the forehead.

5) Basil

Basil works as a muscle relaxant, making it a helpful treatment for headaches caused by tension and tight muscles. Put some fresh basil leaves in a cup of boiling water, let it sit for a few minutes and then sip the tea slowly. For mild headaches, you can chew some fresh basil leaves or massage your head with pure basil oil.

6) Apple cider vinegar (ACV)
If you find yourself coming down with a throbbing headache, try getting some quality ACV time into your day in the form of a steam-style treatment. Pour ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar into a large bowl, and then fill the bowl halfway with boiling water. Place a towel over your head so that it drapes over the bowl, trapping the steam, and hold your face over it. 

Keep distance to avoid burns.Do this for 5-10 minutes, or when the water starts to cool down, breathing in and out deeply the whole time. When you’re done, use the towel to pat your face dry, and go drink a glass of cool water.

7) Avoid MSG
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is added to food to enhance its flavor. It is derived from an amino acid, called glutamic acid, which occurs naturally in various foods. Many people who suffer headaches find that foods containing MSG triggers migraines or other types of headaches, possibly due to the fact that it excites our neurons. 

Make sure you read food labels to check if the product has MSG, the FDA is requires companies to list it, however it can also be hidden as a component of other ingredients. Click here for more info on MSG.

8) Improve posture

Many of us spend our days working in an office or sitting down at a computer with little to no movement, and many of us are guilty of poor posture. We slouch, slump, and hunch forward, which strains our muscles and creates nasty headaches.

Improving your posture can make all the difference in the world when it comes to tension-type headaches. Make a conscious effort to sit up tall but relaxed, with your shoulders back, your chest open, and your neck not sticking too far forward. Working on strengthening core muscles helps a lot with posture, since balance and the strength to support ourselves properly comes from mostly from our center.

Be informed, If you get frequent headaches, try to tease out the factors that seem to be responsible. Get a notebook and keep track of your headaches. Record details about potential headache triggers. Did you use medications that contain hormones, such as oral contraceptives? Now look for patterns by connecting days when you had bad headaches with these factors. This information may help you avoid triggers and can also help your physician devise a better treatment plan.

Also, There are a number of natural remedies that might work to treat your headache. As with any natural remedy, always know the side effects and allergy potential of the remedy, as well as the contra-indications, such as not using when pregnant, sick, etc.