Getting a headache can feel like somebody's taken your head and put an invisible clamp around it. But you don't always have to pop a pill to make the pain abate. There are many alternatives to taking a pain killer, and they're worth a shot. Here are some tricks you can try to get your head feeling like your head again.
Try taking electrolytes
A headache can mean that your body is running low on electrolytes. So, when your body turns on the pain, it's basically trying to tell you to drink some water and eat a banana. Your body loses fluids and electrolytes, especially when you sweat. You're going to want to make sure you stay hydrated when you've been working out. Otherwise, your body will let you know.
Try acupressure
There are certain pressure points around your head and body, and you can help your headache go away just by massaging these points for 30 seconds to a minute. There are six main points that you can hit:
The Yintang point (where your third eye is)
The Zan Zhu points (the inner point where your eyebrows start)
The Yingxiang points (on either side of the nostril, in line with the eyes)
The Tian Zhu points (in the back of your head near your harline, at the beginning of the spine)
The Shuai Gu points (near your temple, just a few centimeters back from your hairline)
And the He Gu points (the fleshy point of your hand between your thumb and pointer finger)
Try hot or cold
Cold compresses have been known to help with migraine headaches. People have been using ice to treat migraines for 150 years. Additionally, a study conducted in 2013 revealed that applying cold to your neck at the onset of a migraine can reduce pain. Conversely, applying heat has been known to help with tension and sinus headaches.
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Try some caffeine
If you're a coffee drinker and you've skipped your daily dose of joe, your body might start screaming at you by developing a headache. You might have to give your body some caffeine in order to make the headache go away. Unless you're trying to give up coffee. In that case, you'll just have to grin and bear it until the headaches subside.
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Try eating some ginger
A study found that taking ginger can actually help ease migraine headaches. You can take it in the form of a tea, or in a pill. As an added bonus, it'll soothe your tummy, too.
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The next time your head hurts and you question why we even need to have heads if they're just going to feel bad, why not try some of these remedies?
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- What I've learned as a 26-year-old living with chronic pain. ›
- See what researchers found when they tested a bottle of Fiji Water ... ›
- Explaining migraines can be tricky. This comic helps. - Upworthy ›
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
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Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."