For many, this time of the year is filled with stress as holiday activities (shopping, decorating, cooking, and cleaning) are added to normal day-to day responsibilities. With this extra stress, many experience headaches. However, headaches do not have to be part of your holiday festivities. There are many natural ways to relieve headaches so that you can enjoy the holidays.
- If you find yourself spending a long amount of time in one position – wrapping gifts, addressing cards, reading, cooking, working on the computer – take a break every 30 minutes to move around and stretch. Click here for some recommended neck and low back stretches.
- Exercise. Low impact exercise such as walking, low impact aerobics, and stationary bike riding is often helpful with headaches. If you tend to get throbbing, pulsing headaches, avoid strenuous exercise.
- Avoid teeth clenching. This causes tension in the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) – the joints that connect your jaw and skull. This commonly leads to tension headaches.
- Drink a lot of water. The general recommendation Drs. Quintin and Katie Sleigh give is to take your body weight, divide by 2, and that’s how many ounces of water you should drink daily. Dehydration is a common cause of headaches. Since we are so busy during the holidays, many people forget to drink water.
- Use proper posture. Upper body posture in particular is important. Sitting or standing with the shoulders and upper back rounded and the head out in front of the body puts a lot of strain on the upper back and neck. This strain often leads to headaches. Sitting upright, with the shoulders relaxed down and back, and the head directly over the shoulders will minimize the strain and decrease the likelihood of headaches.
- When at the computer, keep the monitor at eye level and at a distance that allows you to see text without straining your eyes.
- See a chiropractor. Research shows that chiropractic adjustments can be an effective treatment for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.
Drs. Quintin and Katie Sleigh of Sleigh Family Chiropractic in Arlington Heights, IL are experts at helping many people get rid of their headaches naturally. They use many gentle techniques to get rid of the pain. Call them today to schedule your FREE consultation to determine if chiropractic is the right choice for you: 847-788-0880.
Source: The American Chiropractic Association www.acatoday.org/HealthTips
Photo credit to: spectrumwellness.net