September 6, 2011

Headache Remedies

Last night was rough.
Not sure if it was the mid-day nap, or the Thai curry dinner (unlikely; far too tasty to be the culprit), or just random, but I had a terrible headache.
The kind where having lights on makes your frontal lobe feel like it's about to burst out of your skull.
Not fun.

I tried just relaxing and not thinking about it.
That worked for about 15 seconds each time I'd toss and turn, roll over, bury my head in the pillow, etc.
After what felt like an hour, I knew I couldn't keep this up all night.

Time for 400 mg of Ibuprofen.
That didn't work. My head felt like it was on fire.
Like Pedro from "Napoleon Dynamite".
Fortunately, I only briefly contemplated shaving my head to cool off.
(Note: I really did think about it.)

Though I'm sure Pedro's wig would look great on me, I instead hopped in the shower and let the water massage my head, neck, and shoulders.
About 45 mins later, my headache was gone and I was able to get some sleep.

Bedtime: ~3 am. Yes, today I was quite sleepy at work.

So for me, the recipe for getting rid of a headache was ibuprofen and a shower.
I've also used head/neck massage and a warm hand towel on the forehead before.
What remedies have you used and found effective?

4 comments:

  1. That stinks (and glad you didn't shave your head, though I'm sure you could pull it off). I never drink soda/caffeine so if I get a headache, I can usually knock it out with either regular aspirin or by drinking a small can of Coke. And sometimes it's just from being dehydrated - so I make sure to drink lots of water, too. If that doesn't work, I usually try the shower/bath route with lots of lavender. Thankfully, I don't get headaches that often.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you don't get too many headaches. I don't either, but they sure suck when they do hit!

      Delete
  2. Oddly enough, great minds think alike - my post scheduled for publishing later this afternoon is about massages and headaches.
    I don't get headaches and if I do it means one thing: stress.
    I find pressure points in the skull/neck work brilliantly but are much more effective when someone else is doing them.
    Contrary to logic, I also find running (maybe pacing along to the beat of the throbbing) eases the ache if I can bring myself to exert energy.
    Then again, I don't get migraines and the like. I'm sorry your skull rebelled. Maybe the roots of your hair are growing so deeply that they are attacking your brain and wrapping their tentacles around it? Or you are getting so brilliant that your brain is expanding at a rate faster than your noggin can grow? You are going to be like "Head" on "So I married and axe murderer!"
    Okay, not really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's pretty funny we both posted about headaches in such close proximity. I'm with ya on the pressure points; I can't get my own well enough, but that's an excellent technique when someone else can take care of me. And good stuff with the Axe Murderer reference haha

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.