Headaches and Migraines are likely the most common complaint we see in our practice. They can be caused by a number of different factors, but the most common causes we see are stress, food triggers and hormones. Some of these triggers are hard to avoid, however we have come up with a few simple tips that can help manage migraine and headache pain.
1. Sleep with no pillow. People usually hate us for this tip! However it really does help. Using too many and/or thick pillows puts a major strain on the muscles of our upper back and neck. Particularly in the current day and age we are living in, where we are usually hunched over driving, in our phones, or on our computers, which really hurts our posture. Adding pillows under our neck and head during the night really takes our spine even more out of alignment for the extra 6-8 hours that we sleep. Without pillows, our neck and head can fall back naturally into alignment and we can get head start on our day. If you are a side sleeper, then we recommend just one, ultra thin pillow. The muscles of our back and neck could use a little break, particularly when we are sleeping. We recommend trying it out for a few nights to give it a fair shot. It's easy, free and literally done while you sleep!
2. Cold to the head, heat to the feet. If you are a chronic headache/migraine sufferer, then your focus is likely to try to get as much congestion and tension away from the head as possible. Energy is attracted to heat - When we put heat to our feet (wrapping our feet in a heating pad, putting our feet in hot water), blood flow and circulation travel down towards it, which means moving congestion and hyper activity away from our upper body. Energy slows down when there is cold - Putting a cold cloth to the head slows down circulation and hyperactivity, discouraging circulation and build of tension to the already over-stimulated area of the head.
3. Intra-oral Massage. Most headache/migraine sufferers are also known to clench their Jaw. This is a physical manifestation of the increased stress to the areas of the head, neck and shoulders (or mental/emotional stress in general). Clenching our Jaw, whether we are awake or asleep, really affects the internal muscles of our mouth as well as the small muscles of our face and neck. This in turns leads to more tension in the face and head, leading to even more Migraines and headaches. Receiving an intra-oral massage allows the tense internal muscles of the Jaw to release, which provides almost immediate relief to the head and face. These sessions may feel uncomfortable or invasive at first, however we make sure to make you as comfortable as possible. We provide lots of breaks, tissues, and check-ins, and these sessions only last about 5 to 10 minutes.
To book your next massage or reiki service at Blue Nile Massage & Wellness located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, visit our online booking page here.