Finding the underlying cause of your headaches is the key to choosing the right treatment. Prescriptions for daily drugs can ease the pain, but they only treat the symptom. Your headache may retreat temporarily, but it will come back with a vengeance unless the real underlying triggers are addressed. And not just the food triggers and caffeine everybody knows about. Many chronic headaches are a result of sleep disorders, stress, pinched nerves in the back or neck, or sinus issues. Fortunately, there are several effective methods that relieve headaches without drugs.
If your headaches are triggered by problems with sleep, there are several remedies to try that relieve headaches without drugs. Some are simple in theory but can difficult to implement, especially if you have a demanding job with irregular hours. Strive for a regular sleep schedule in which you wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day—even on the weekends. Be sure that you try to get enough sleep each night by investing in a quality mattress and a supportive pillow. If you have difficulty sleeping, cut back on caffeine in the afternoon. You can take magnesium supplements—or an Epsom salt bath—before bed. (Magnesium is a natural, safe sleep aid.) Limiting your exposure to computer and mobile phone screens in the late hours may also help you fall asleep.
Some headaches are triggered by stress. You’ll always have stressors in your life, but there are ways to manage stress so it doesn’t impact your health. Biofeedback and relaxation training can be extremely effective at treating stress headaches. Many headache sufferers have great results with cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches you how to control your physical response to stress. If your headaches are less severe, you can try DIY methods such as exercise, deep breathing, and massage.
Headaches caused by pinched nerves in the upper spine are very painful but can be easier to pinpoint. Pinched nerve headaches are frequently caused by poor sleeping position, bad posture, and professions that require staying in one position for long periods of time (such as sitting at an office desk). Retraining your body isn’t easy and usually requires physical therapy. Changing the sleeping position you’ve become accustomed to may even require a sleep evaluation, especially if you always have to sleep on your side or your tummy.
You can also look into adjusting your work routine so you can change positions throughout the day. This might include taking short breaks to stand up and stretch or adding a standing desk. Acupuncture can also be an effective treatment, although its efficacy depends on the practitioner. Surgery to remove muscles in the forehead and back of the head is extremely controversial, and has a long way to go before most headache physicians will be convinced that this surgery works at all.
At Rowe Neurology Institute, we have the most current diagnostic tools, and a staff of neurologists and integrated caregivers who specialize in diagnosing and treating headaches and migraines. We’ve treated literally tens of thousands of headache patients in the Kansas City region at our Headache Center and help them relieve headaches without drugs. Take your life back from migraines. We’ll show you how.