Managing Migraines: Do Showers Help Headaches?
Category: Healthy Living
Author Vanessa
Posted on September 11, 2020
Vanessa is a health writer and blogging expert. Her specialities are medicine, health and wellness. She is proud to call Vancouver, BC her home where she enjoys the ocean and mountains with her dog Mr. ChowChow.
If you don't sleep enough, you may get a headache. If you forget to eat, you may get a headache. If you're stressed or annoyed, you may get a headache.
Migraines and headaches are some of the most common disorders people develop and nearly everyone experiences. It's believed that 50% of adults have an actual headache disorder while 30% of people report migraines.
People who have them often seek methods to ease or get rid of them. For example, do showers help headaches? If you want to find out if the daily ritual works, keep reading.
Do Showers Help Headaches?
Showers are soothing and the combination of warm water may help you find headache relief. Heat therapy application works for headaches because it helps relax the surrounding muscles. Those who suffer from tension headaches may find it the most helpful among the types of headaches.
However, it may be a better idea to use cold water if you are dealing with additional side effects such as nausea or dizziness. The heat may make you feel worse. You can alternate between hot and cold water, known as hydrotherapy, too to alleviate pressure.
Once you determine which temperature works best for you, add essential oils. Among the variety of essential oils you can choose from, peppermint oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, Chamomile oil, and Eucalyptus for the most common. You should never apply essential oils on the skin directly.
Diluting it in carrier oils, like coconut or almond oil, or inhaling it is the proper way to use it. For example, you can use a shower disk and combine the essential oil(s) of your choice with water.
Adding Epsom salt helps provide stronger headache relief, but you can also use it on its own. Epsom baths help relax the muscle and contain magnesium, which helps lower inflammation. Place the shower disk on the floor of your shower, and the mixture will disperse in the air so you can breathe it in as you shower.
If you plan on washing your hair, you can add the essential oils in your shampoo instead, while focusing on the target area. If you want to be low-maintenance, you could roll on your essential oil mixture at the back of your neck or chest before hopping in the shower.
The warm water will create steam and carry the invigorating aroma throughout the shower.
Trying Other Tips to Relieve Headaches
There are other ways to combat headaches when they come or prevent it. Headaches and migraines may be painful enough to prevent you from completing even the simplest task. By adopting several methods, you have better chances of success and preventing recurrences.
Massage Therapy
Massages aren't only therapeutic for relaxation. They can do wonders for a headache or a migraine. If you notice you seem to get headaches as a result of tension, massage therapy can treat it.
Chronic headaches, such as those that arise after an intense workout or due to poor posture can go away if you apply pressure to the area you experience pain. Massaging at home is perfect enough for most, but you should also go to a professional to get the job done, potentially, with a better outcome. Add essential oils or caffeine to enhance results.
Medication
Pharmaceutical drugs offer proven results when it comes to relieving headaches and migraines. If you experience a mild headache, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Advil, Naprosyn, or Tylenol are the best medications to take.
People who experience more severe forms or may require opioid analgesics instead. These opioids include Vicodin, Tramadol, Codeine, and Oxycodone. These drugs ease pain by either dilating the blood vessels or blocking the pathway in the brain that senses pain.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is another proven method one could use to relieve headaches. Sharp, fine needles are applied to certain areas on the body as a way to promote energy flow.
Another reason acupuncture may also work so well could be because the needles help stimulate the body's pain-relieving compounds in a natural way. Following proper breathing exercises with acupuncture offers an excellent outcome.
Simple Diet Changes
Don't overlook the benefits of adding or changing a few things to your diet has on a headache. Drinking more water and staying hydrated is of particular importance. You're more likely to suffer from headaches when dehydrated. Reducing your alcohol intake can help prevent dehydration.
You may also want to avoid overconsuming caffeinated beverages such as coffee, chocolate, or soft drinks. Caffeine in moderation is fine, but the good it does will turn bad when taken in excess.
Other things to avoid in your diet include MSG, Nitrate, and Tyramine-containing foods. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a preservative that may cause headaches as a side-effect of consumption. Nitrates (as found in deli and processed meats) and Tyramine (a byproduct of the amino acid, tyrosine) may also do the same.
Faster Headache Relief with Medicine
Most people seek alternative ways to relieve their headaches or migraine. If they deal with it often, people try to use different things to see what works best for them. Do showers help headaches? What about the other methods?
It all lies in the individual, and these methods either will or won't work for you. While it isn't a good idea to rely on medicine, it's the best weapon in your arsenal in having fast headache relief.
We provide affordable brand name medication to help. Rather than make a trip to the Pharmacy you can create an order online to get treatment at a fraction of the cost.
If you are a first-time customer, we invite you to take advantage of our coupons to help you save even more.
Works Cited
https://www.healthline.com/health/headache-hacks#diet
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-epsom-salt/#:~:text=Epsom%20salt%20helps%20relax%20muscles,reducing%20inflammation%20in%20internal%20organs.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/in-depth/migraines/art-20047242
https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/shower-for-headache-relief/
https://www.healthline.com/health/essential-oils-for-headaches
https://www.healthline.com/health/acupuncture-how-does-it-work-scientifically
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders#:~:text=Globally%2C%20it%20has%20been%20estimated,or%20more%20have%20reported%20migraine.
https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/understanding-headache-basics
