I have been plagued with headaches my whole life. I’m not talking a bit of pain behind the eyes, didn’t get enough sleep, might be a bit dehydrated headaches here. I’m talking Zeus’s head splitting apart to give birth to the god Hephaistus kind of pain. Skull shattering, head in a vice, affects normal working life pain. And it ain’t pretty!
I can remember when I first started getting these headaches. I think I was about 10-years-old. And I convinced myself I was dying of a brain tumour, clearly there was no other answer, and I didn’t want to worry anyone by telling them. Over the years as the headaches came and went (and I wised up to hypochondria) Ma Yogini and I thought they must be migraines. We tried to look for a trigger – cheese, chocolate, red wine, MSG, garlic – they were all eliminated over the years but still the headaches continued.
It wasn’t until I was nearly 30, and the upper thoracic scoliosis that I’d had for years was finally diagnosed by the Greatest Chiropractor on Earth (TM), that I realised what I had always called migraines were actually far, far more likely to be tension headaches. I’d never had light sensitivity, I’d never seen auras or felt particularly nauseous and the pain was rarely one sided but more like a vice right around my head about hatband level with pain down into the back of my neck and upper back.
You see, the curvature of my spine means there’s one hell of a lot of tension in my trapezius muscle just to hold me up straight, not to mention all the tiny little muscles working desperately to stop my neck from flopping to one side. And sometimes, when I’ve been working hard, when I’m super-stressed, when I’ve put my body through too much, when I’m tired, just before my period (hormonal changes during monthly cycles can create tension in the muscles), it culminates into a humdinger of a headache.
On average I have spent about 7 days of every month for the last 20 years with a tension headache of some degree or other. These days, due to the right sort of care and attention, I have them under control enough so that I don’t have to cancel clients or spend whole days in bed. Giving up smoking helped a ton, as does trying not to drink more than about half a glass of wine (I know, I’m a cheap date!). Getting enough sleep is also crucial (although not always possible) but here are five other things I have found helpful over the years.
(But don’t think for a moment that I deal with my headaches solely through positive thinking and a lot of ice. Oh no. We’re all up for full disclosure on this little blog and as you know if you read this post, I do take painkillers too. I just don’t take quite as many as I used to. 
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1. Ice. Ice packs work really well for both tension headaches and migraines by reducing the blood flow into the head. Try putting an ice pack (or cold cloth or bag of frozen peas) on the forehead and on the back of the neck to reduce blood flow and release muscular tension. You could also try out one of these ice helmets (I’m thinking of getting one after hearing about them via Anna – a fellow sufferer).
2. Massage. Well I would say that wouldn’t I?! Regular massage has proved, to me at least, to be one of the most useful ways of preventing both the frequency and the intensity of my headaches. I’m lucky enough to be able to do massage swaps with a colleague and therefore get a weekly or at least fortnightly treatment. If you can’t afford a full hour’s massage every week how about booking half an hour once a fortnight and ask your therapist to work solely on back neck and shoulders? Or try out your local massage school, they will always be looking for bodies to practice on! Indian head massage is also helpful and is often a little less expensive than a full-body massage.
3. TENs Machine. You’ve probably heard about using TENs machines for labour pains but did you know they are great for tension as well? Transcutateous Electrical Nerve Stimulation is the use of a an electric current to stimulate the nervous system for therapeutic purposes. The unit is connected to the skin by little sticky electrodes in the relevant places (in my case the upper back and shoulders) and the pulse can be controlled by the handheld unit. A lot of controversy exists as to whether TENs is effective for pain relief but this little machine has changed my life! If I can get to my TENs when I first feel that tell-tale tension in my neck I can really make a difference to the intensity of my headache. At only around £30 a pop these guys are worth a try at least. Just make sure you get one that IS NOT for labour pain!
4. Staying Hydrated. It goes without saying really but making sure you stay hydrated can really help keep tension headaches and migraines at bay. Drink plenty of room temperature or warm water throughout the day and remember that the body absorbs water better when it is sipped slowly over time rather than being gulped down in great quantities. If like me, you have days when you feel more dehydrated than others (massage therapy is thirsty work let me tell you!) then you might like to try coconut water for an extra boost. It has the same PH as blood plasma and tastes a lot better than those electrolyte powders or Lucuzade Sport (yuk!).
5. Remember that This Too Shall Pass. And this is where the yoga comes in. Accepting where I am right now has helped me enormously with my health issues. Knowing that tomorrow or the next day all will be well again has allowed me to sit with my headaches on those days when they will not be stopped. And beginning to learn to accept myself as I am in the present moment has been one of the most powerful healing tools I have ever come across. Not sure where to start with this? Try joining a meditation class or group, a Yin or VERY GENTLE yoga class, check out my post on how to start meditating or read Eckhart Tolle’s “Power of Now” or Louise Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life”.
Do you suffer from chronic headaches or other types of chronic pain? How do you look after yourself?
I hear you about tension headaches!
Yoga has helped me also in starting to train all the muscles that cramp up, so they are stronger and less crampy. But if I forget to do my daily neck/shoulder stretches then my head will feel like exploding.
Usually I use hot millet pillow to relax the tense muscles, but I shall have to try the cold. It makes sense as a walk out in cool weather will usually alleviate some of the pain.
Yay for you figuring out all these things that work and sharing them.
headaches are the worst! i used to get them frequently when i was on birth control. now only occasionally, thankfully!
i treat a LOT of headache and migraine suffers with bowenwork (called bowtech in the uk). i have broken people’s migraine cycles and even helped a 10 year old who suffers from migraines with aura. just another reason to look into bowen. 
love you!
I’ve recently started to get headaches that are so bad I want to throw up, and the last one I had made me cry it was so unbearable. I’m yet to work out what exactly they are (I’ve been tested for iron deficiency amongst other things to no real conclusion), but I’m quite sure they pop up when life gets a bit too much – I haven’t had one since I stopped commuting!
I remember waking one morning with a chisel hammering my forehead and I just *needed* to get my head upside down – it was so wierd how intensely that feeling was. I burned some eucalyptus oil and got onto my yoga mat, and moved between child’s pose and down dog for about half an hour. The relief was incredible. I haven’t had the need to try this again but I’ll certainly listen to any such odd impulses in future!
I’ve never had headaches on this scale, but the ones I get around my period are bad enough! Usually I can knock them out with an ice pack, overdosing on water consumption, sleep, a hot shower or for a last ditch effort – a shot of coffee.
Thanks so much for this post! You know I’m always up for checking out new headache helps. I’m going to look into the TENs machine, for sure! That’s a new one for me.