Headache Tips You Haven’t Heard One Thousand Times

Headaches are the worst, and it extra sucks if they’re a regular part of your life. I’ve been getting frequent headaches and migraines since my teens (maybe tweens?), and it can really grind your day to a halt. But because I’ve been having them for so long, I’ve also assembled a bit of a “Before” and “During” protocol that helps me.

I want to offer some off-the-beaten-path advice — you probably already know that staying hydrated and getting enough sleep are good for you.

I’m really just giving you my experience, PLEASE understand I’m not a doctor and I’m not telling you to do anything. This article is so not medical advice that it isn’t even funny. Pretend an actual monkey wrote it.

Preventative

Exercise

Looking at exercise differently, as preventative medicine, helps me actually do it. Taking walks and, at a minimum, doing even light, really-not-exercise-y yoga help me feel good physically, so I do one or both just about every day.

I feel like moving my body keeps things from building up and eventually creating storms in my brain, which is in line with the theories a lot of different cultures have about energy flow in the body.

One you might be kind of familiar with is chi — it’s thought to be our life force, and you want it flowing freely through the bod, rather than letting it get stuck and cause stagnation that leads to pain. It just sounds right to me, and it actually motivates me to move.

Exercising to make my body look a certain way just isn’t a motivation for me (anymore, mostly, thank god) — but not feeling like garbage is.

Apps

You might find it useful to try and track down the source of your headaches, or at least start to notice some patterns using an app that lets you input potential triggers and tracks other factors that might be affecting you.

I use the free version of Migraine Buddy to track all my headaches, not just strictly migraines. It helped me realize that among other things, fluctuations in the weather and air pressure are headache triggers for me.

I tend to look for the cause of discomfort — what I messed up that made this happen — and on days where it’s super humid or stormy, I’m able to let myself off the hook because it’s out of my hands. I intellectually know that you don’t need proof that any kind of pain isn’t your fault in order to not victim-blame yourself, but I’m on a journey toward emotionally getting that, man. This app has helped.

Drawing direct correlations between the weather and my tracked headaches helps me begrudgingly accept those headaches to a degree — since I can’t control the weather, there’s just not a damn thing I can do about them.

Except the following.

During

Oh god. IT’S HERE.

First of all — I know I’ve been talking about chi, but I’m also very about medicine. Take what you know works for you. For me, it’s ibuprofen or, if it’s a big one, acetaminophen/caffeine migraine formula.

Just be aware of the possibility of the rebound effect…basically, taking pain medication so consistently that when you’re not on it, it causes a withdrawal headache.

But also…

Drink a Ton of Water

This is both prevention and cure. I know I eye-rolled this advice off the bat, but there’s a reason it’s so prevalent.

I’ve noticed I drink more quickly when I use a straw, and a recent epiphany for me was using straws at home — they felt like an out-on-the-town utensil? Am I nuts? Anyway, use a straw.

I like the reusable ones from Rain because they pull apart for easy cleaning where you don’t have to worry about disgusting gunk hiding in the middle.

Use Peppermint Oil/Tap into the Placebo Effect

Don’t worry, I’m not trying to get you to join my exciting new company. But peppermint oil fully rules.

When a headache is starting to creep up or it’s already full-blown, I apply it to my temples and the base of my skull. It’s cooling and has a slight numbing effect, both of which I’m looking for when my head is throbbing. It also smells bracing and clean, which is welcome when things feel hot and foggy.

I also think it’s not impossible that I’ve created an association between peppermint oil and relief so it can work as a placebo, but that’s completely fine with me. I know it’s usually used as a put-down, but I think the placebo effect is awesome.

Maybe peppermint oil isn’t scientifically proven to help with headaches, but scientific testing has found that the placebo effect itself can have profound, real effects on physical symptoms controlled by the brain. (This is amazing to me. Our minds are wild.)

Ergo, if peppermint oil triggers the placebo effect for me, and the placebo effect is found to help manage pain, then for me specifically, peppermint oil can help manage my pain. It’s totally customizable. If you create a helpful association for yourself with something safe, you can use the placebo effect to your advantage.

My thoughts on the placebo effect aren’t a comment on all health conditions. I trust you to make smart decisions for yourself, which may include things other than the placebo effect, and that rules too — I love modern science and medicine; I take a prescription antidepressant every day.

I feel obligated to add this disclaimer to the essential oils and placebos talk lest anyone think I’m saying oils cure headaches or I’m anti-science and bla bla bl- oh look, I’ve given myself a headache, how appropriate.

Extras

The next two tips are in the hopes that you’re at home and free to take care of yourself when the headache happens.

Lie Down and Block the Light

This can be surprisingly hard because it’s boring — it’s natural to want distraction from feeling awful, but looking at screens, our boredom knee-jerk reaction, can work against you.

Put on a podcast, an audiobook or a YouTube guided visualization, something that will occupy your mind a little, and close your eyes. If you have an eye pillow to use, that feels great — it both blocks out light and offers a little soothing pressure. If you’re extra like your friend Kristen, and you have 2 eye pillows, put an additional one on your forehead.

And if it’s really bad, time for what I call…

Shower-Bath

This is just simply sitting down in the shower and letting the water beat on you. Sometimes I just want to physically feel something else other than the pain, and the heat and sensation of the shower is encompassing enough to help. But when you have a major headache you’re also kind of drained and exhausted, so sit your ass down, either on the floor or get a shower seat.

I was inclined to joke about enjoying the drama of sitting in a shower, because it feels like Lifetime movie behavior, but I realized I think I actually do enjoy the drama of it. Maybe it’s kind of an acknowledgement of the pain rather than trucking through it, to let myself have a little bit of a wallow before caaarefully getting back up and lying down.

The shower-bath may distract from the physical pain but also soothe some of the hissy fit of feeling like crap.

Besides the pain, I don’t know that we fully acknowledge just how annoying headaches are. If you can relate to their regularity in your life, please know I’m with you in eye-rolling, head-pounding solidarity. From my seated-shower to yours, I salute you.