cold compress

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?