5 Remedies Effective In Providing Quick Relief From Headaches

Everyone has suffered from bouts of headaches sometime or the other. It feels like your head is being hammered and about to explode, leaving you irritable and less focused. Certain painkillers can provide quick relief, but these medications also have many side-effects and may affect your kidneys.

Thankfully, some natural remedies are quite effective in providing quick relief from headacheswithout causing any adverse health effects.

# Peppermint

Peppermint’s healing properties and aroma have a calming and soothing effect that helps relieve headaches. Prepare a herbal tea by adding 1 teaspoon of dried peppermint to a cup of boiling water. Cover it and allow it to steep for 10 minutes. Then, strain it, add some honey and drink it.

Peppermint oil can even be used to gently massage your temples, jaw and the back of your neck for instant pain relief. Even inhaling the aroma of peppermint steam can relieve a headache and its accompanying symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.

# Hot Water

Applying heat on the back of your neck can provide relief from headaches caused by stress. Heat relaxes the tensed muscles and alleviates the pain. Just place a hot water bag on your nape or get under a hot shower and direct the water on the back of your neck.

Alternatively, you can fill a tub with slightly hot water and immerse your hands in it for about 15 minutes. This helps in improving blood circulation and relieves the pain caused by a headache. For chronic headaches, try dipping your legs in a bucket filled with hot water for 15 minutes

# Fluid Intake

If a headache is caused because of dehydration, rehydration can provide quick relief. Just drink a couple of glasses of water when you begin to experience a headache and continue the intake in small quantities all through the day. Apart from water, other fluids such as sports drinks or a glass of fresh lime juice can help.

Most sports drinks contain electrolytes that can provide relief from headaches caused due to tension and dehydration. But, avoid alcohol consumption when you have a headache as it can dehydrate your body.

# Simple Stretches

Simple exercises that stretch your head and neck can help reduce the pain caused by headaches. Gently lift your head up and down, move it left and right, and bend your neck sideways towards each shoulder. Also, slowly rotating the neck in clockwise and anticlockwise directions can help in relaxing the shoulder and neck muscles.

# Lemon

Using lemon is another effective way to treat a headache as it is refreshing and relaxing. It also helps maintain the acid-alkaline balance in the body. Add some lemon juice into warm water and drink it to reduce the pain.

This method is particularly beneficial for headaches caused by gas in the stomach. Alternatively, you can also prepare a paste from lemon crusts and apply it on your forehead to quickly relieve pain.