Relaxation Tips To Help You Cope With Headache

It is never easy whenever your headache strikes. When your head pounds, you get stressed and just want it to stop immediately. Stress makes headaches worse and it can also be the cause for you to develop a headache in the first place.

Learning how to relax to reduce stress can be useful when dealing with headaches. Here are several relaxation techniques to help you cope when your head is pounding:

Get a massage to ease head pain

Massage can reduce the frequency of headaches. It’s thought that massage works by relaxing tight muscles that can trigger headaches, and also by reducing sensations of pain and stress.

Breathing exercises

Deep breathing can prevent the pounding of your head.

Imagine a point just below your belly button. Breathe into that spot, filling your stomach with air. Let the air fill you from the stomach up, then let it out like deflating a balloon. With every long, slow breath you breathe out, you should feel more relaxed.

Slowing down your breathing will also help you relax. Do this by taking long, slow breaths. Count slowly to five as you breathe in and then count slowly to five as you breathe out. Your body will naturally relax as your breathing slows.

Listen to music

Combine your relaxation exercises with a nice music in the background and you’ll relax even more.

Go for music that lifts your spirits or that you find soothing and calming.

Guided imagery technique

Conjure up a calm, peaceful image in your mind, such as a tropical beach scene or clouds floating across the sky, and hold that scene in your head as a sort of mental escape. Try doing this as soon as you feel a headache developing and you could find it’s less painful and over more quickly than usual.

Muscle tension-relaxing exercise

Try this simple 10-minute exercise to ease muscle tension.

While lying down, take a few deep breaths, breathing out slowly.

Scan your body in your mind, starting at your toes and moving up to the top of your head. Recognise any areas that feel tense.

Relax these areas, releasing as much tension as you can. Rotate your head in a smooth, circular way once or twice and roll your shoulders forwards and backwards several times. Let all your muscles relax completely.

Recall a pleasant thought for a few seconds. Take another deep breath and breathe out slowly to finish off.

Yoga

Attending a yoga class at your local gym, or doing yoga at home, could help your headaches. Yoga combines stretching, breathing and meditation exercises, and will help you feel more relaxed.

Other exercise techniques, such as tai chi and meditation (a type called mindfulness meditation has been shown to be helpful for stress), there are even new and effective ways using technology to help you meditate like MUSE: The brain-sensing headband, are all good alternatives to yoga.

Regular exercise

Headache researchers have found evidence that, in some people, moderate exercise can reduce the number and severity of headaches, and that regular exercise can even prevent some people from getting headaches.

This is probably because exercise releases endorphins, which are natural substances that help you feel better.

Choose an exercise you enjoy (jogging, swimming, dancing, cycling, aerobics classes, and brisk walking are ideal), and try to exercise for at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) every week.