March 14, 2025

Has a flash headache ever spoiled your working day? We already see a lot of hands rising. It is common to have stress-related or tension headaches often, even once a week. These headaches occur when neck, shoulder, and scalp muscles become tense. They might last for a few hours and might even go away without any medical attention, but they act as mood spoilers and a person is often not able to work or relax for hours thereafter.

If you suffer from frequent tension headaches (more often than once or twice a week), these strategies show you how to get rid of a headache.

1. Basics First: Get the right amount of sleep at the right time. Do not tinker with your retiring time and getting up time too much. Instead of having two or three heavy meals, have several light meals and never skip a meal. Do not pile up work or rush things. Pace yourself to avoid stress and fatigue.

2. Relaxation Techniques: Regular practice of physical and psychological relaxation techniques can prevent tension headaches. You can apply a heating pad to your neck and shoulders to relax the muscles. Stretch and strengthen these muscles through regular exercise.

3. Biofeedback: A therapist attaches electrodes to your skin to detect electrical signals from your neck and shoulder muscles. He can then explain to you when you become tense and explain ways to relax your muscles in time to prevent them from tightening excessively and bring about a headache.

4. Medical Approaches: There are trigger points at the back of the neck or in the shoulders in some people who suffer from tension headaches. Usually, the application of a pain balm is enough to relieve the headache but sometimes a local anesthetic needs to be injected into these areas to kill the pain and prevent the headache from occurring again. There are a number of medications that can keep tension headaches at bay.

But if these headaches refuse to go away, it is best to seek medical attention. Self-medication for a prolonged period is never advisable and can lead to a worsening of the situation. If you have persistent headaches for more than a month, talk to your doctor.