Lifestyle and home remedies (3)
- Headaches: Reduce stress to prevent the pain
- Headaches: Self-care measures for headache relief
- Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are
Symptoms (2)
- Symptom Checker
- Common headache types
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Headaches: Treatment depends on your symptoms
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Headaches: Self-care measures for headache relief
Ease muscle tension
Muscle tension can trigger tension headaches. If you're feeling tense, apply heat or ice to soothe sore neck and shoulder muscles. Use a heating pad set on low, a hot-water bottle, a warm compress or a hot towel. A hot bath or shower may help, too. If you'd rather use ice, wrap the ice pack in a cloth to protect your skin.
Massage also can relieve muscle tension — and sometimes headache pain. Gently massage your temples, scalp, neck and shoulders with your fingertips. Or ask someone else to do the honors.
Relax
Take time to unwind every day. Try this deep-breathing exercise:
- Lie down on your back or sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor.
- Rest one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest. This will help you feel the natural movements of your breathing.
- Inhale through your nose or mouth while pushing out your abdominal muscles.
- Slowly exhale while gently relaxing your abdomen.
- Repeat the cycle several times.
It may also help to consciously relax your muscles, one group at a time. When you're done, sit quietly for a minute or two.
Keep a headache diary
A diary may help you determine what triggers your tension headaches. Note when your headaches start, what you were doing at the time, how long they last and what, if anything, provides relief. With the help of a headache diary, you may begin to notice patterns in your daily life that may contribute to your tension headaches. You may also note the benefits of healthy lifestyle changes.
Previous page(2 of 2)
