A dull and oppressive skull, again and again? To get tension headaches under control, you should avoid three common mistakes, says the German Brain Foundation.
Almost everyone knows it, and some people experience it again and again in their everyday lives: tension headache. If you want to get rid of regular headaches, it’s better not to do these three things.
Mistake 1: Just ignore the pain
Doing nothing – that is not a solution. This puts you at risk of tension headaches becoming more and more common and even becoming chronic, as the German Brain Foundation warns. Over time, it can happen that the pain centers in the brain become permanently irritated. The pain then takes on a life of its own.
Ignoring it has another disadvantage: the pain can spread and cause tension in the neck and shoulders.
Mistake 2 for headaches: Not dealing with the trigger
Sure, a tablet can make the headache go away. In order to get them under control in the long term, it is necessary to identify and tackle the triggers – as far as possible.
Maybe you don’t drink enough. Or it’s everyday life with too many demands and too few breaks, to which the body regularly reacts with a squeezing skull.
If you want to prevent headaches, you can, for example, incorporate relaxation exercises into your everyday life, as the Brain Foundation advises. And regular endurance exercise can also help – ideally at least 30 to 45 minutes three days a week.
Also read: Headaches after exercise: causes and what helps against them
Mistake 3: Taking painkillers too often when you have a headache
Painkillers such as ASS, ibuprofen or paracetamol are welcome helpers against headaches. However, you should keep track of how often you swallow them.
According to the German Brain Foundation, you should take headache medication on a maximum of ten days a month. If you take them more often, the side effect is a headache – and with it a spiral of pain that is difficult to get out of. You should also not take paracetamol if you have a hangover with a headache.
What can be an alternative to headache tablets: apply some peppermint oil to the temples or place a cold compress on the back of the neck.
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