Best Tension Headache Relief Pressure Points 2023

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Best Tension Headache Relief Pressure Points

Experiencing the pain and discomfort of a headache is incredibly common. If you’re looking for a more natural way to treat your headache, you may want to think about acupressure and pressure points. Pressure points are parts of the body believed to be extra sensitive, able to stimulate relief in the body. Practitioners of reflexology, a discipline of Chinese medicine, believe that touching pressure points in a certain way can:

improve your health
ease pain
restore balance in the body

Reflexology is the study of how one part of the human body is connected to another. This means you might have to massage a different location — like your hand — to treat a different area, like your head. You’ll reach for the right pressure points to ease your pain.

Acupressure is a form of complementary or alternative medicine. It follows the same fundamental principles as acupuncture. Both acupressure and acupuncture involve stimulating pressure points along energy lines that run through the body. Acupuncturists refer to these as meridian lines.

Unlike acupuncture, which uses thin needles, acupressure involves applying physical pressure to activate pressure points. Many people believe that complementary therapies are an effective treatment for everyday aches and pains. This article outlines the current research on acupressure for headaches. We also provide some simple acupressure techniques to try at home.

There’s not too much science that supports the use of reflexology to treat headaches, and the studies we have are small and need to be expanded. However, there are a few studies that have looked into how massage therapy on the head and shoulders can relieve headaches. This sometimes involves stimulating pressure points on the head. In one small study from 2002, scientists investigated how massage might help four adults that were experiencing chronic tension headaches, two to three times per week for six months.

In the study, the massages reduced the number of headaches in each subject within the first week of treatment. By the end of the treatment period, the average number of headaches each subject received fell from almost seven headaches per week to just two per week. The average length of a subject’s headache also decreased by half during the treatment period from an average of eight hours to an average of four.

In a much older but slightly larger study, scientists looked at how 10 intense one-hour massage treatments spread over two weeks might affect 21 women experiencing chronic headaches. As in the smaller study, subjects in this study received massages from certified massage practitioners. The effects of the massages were then studied in a more long-term time frame.

When a Migraine attack hits all you want is to feel better ASAP. Natural approaches, like pressure points for headaches, can help relieve symptoms while you wait for your meds to kick in. You can practice acupressure for Migraine at home to relieve some of the pain, tightness, and abdominal issues that come with an attack. Pressure points for headaches are a safe, natural way to get rid of migraines, and a free tool worth adding to your toolkit.

No one is immune to the occasional headache, for many, chronic headaches or migraines are unfortunately a lifetime ailment. Key West Wellness Center provides multiple services to assist you with preventing headaches and with alleviating the pain during an attack. You are welcome to contact our office to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

Headaches and migraines can strike at any time and since we are not with you 24/7, we want to share some tips on how to apply pressure to five top pressure points in hopes to relieve head pain, these are great techniques to use in between your Key West Wellness Center appointments. Experiencing the pain and discomfort of a headache is incredibly common. If you’re looking for a more natural way to treat your headache, you may want to think about acupressure and pressure points.

Pressure points are parts of the body believed to be extra sensitive, able to stimulate relief in the body. Practitioners of reflexology, a discipline of Chinese medicine, believe that touching pressure points in a certain way can improve your health, ease pain and restore balance in the body.

Tension And Migraine Headaches

A headache is a sign of an abnormal condition or an injury to the body. You have tension headaches when your body needs more blood and nutrients because it’s working harder than usual. It’s like your muscles are working so hard, they’re screaming for more blood. Your blood vessels are also narrowed, which can block oxygen from reaching your brain.

Tension headaches can happen for several reasons. A tension headache can be caused by:

Excessive pressure or pressure changes in your head. The pressure or flow of blood to your brain may be abnormal.
Stress. If you’re under a lot of stress, your body may release hormones that increase tension in your head. Many people get tension headaches, particularly if they sit for long periods of time.

Many different causes cause tension and migraines. Migraines are more often caused by sinus pressure, allergies, food sensitivities, and hormonal changes. Some headaches are connected with mental health conditions. Some studies have found that migraine is linked with anxiety disorders, depression, and ADHD, but more research is needed.

The National Headache Foundation has more information on headaches. You can also check out the Headache Research Foundation for information on migraines and other types of headaches. To treat tension headaches and migraines at home, you’ll need several different pressure points and a basic acupressure mat.

Since the early 1990s, acupressure for headaches has been one of the most popular types of complementary therapies. Acupressure is especially effective for migraine headaches pain. It may even help relieve other kinds of acute or chronic headaches as well. Although there is no data to support its use, acupressure is used as an adjunct to prescription medication for headache pain.

What Is Acupressure?

There are multiple references to techniques to “stimulate meridians” (called “chi acupuncture” in Chinese medicine) dating back to around 500 B.C. These early techniques focused on stimulating specific points along the body’s energy lines. The ancient Chinese believed that this technique would relieve pain.

The word “acupressure” first appeared in a scientific journal in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, a prominent doctor named Chen Nan-hsin created a program for the American Medical Association called “Acupressure: Science, Practice and Cure.” This program taught millions of patients how to correctly apply acupressure techniques. People quickly caught on to the method.

For centuries, people have found relief from headache pain through acupuncture and acupressure. Acupressure doesn’t involve needles. Instead, it uses certain pressure points to trigger a response from the body. For instance, tapping the top of your head with your fingertip would trigger the same reflex action as touching your earlobe. You can read more about the benefits of acupuncture.

The conventional wisdom is that acupressure is more effective than acupuncture because the more pressure you apply, the better the result. But if this is the case, why don’t we see more research on acupressure? That’s what we want to know. To date, acupressure hasn’t been scientifically studied in healthy adults. So if you think that acupressure could help you with your headache pain, you may not be alone.

Not all headache pain is a headache caused by tension. Some headaches are associated with low blood sugar or dehydration. You can treat both of these conditions with the same pressure points. For this reason, it is also called the nutritionist’s headache spot.

Acupressure For Headaches

Some sources recommend that you use traditional acupuncture on your headache before moving on to acupressure. Others warn against using both at the same time. The main benefit of acupressure compared to acupuncture is that the majority of research is focusing on the effectiveness of acupressure rather than how the two can be combined.

Some research shows that acupressure can relieve headache pain in patients suffering from migraine headaches. However, it’s not clear if that’s true for all patients or just those with migraines. Safekinosuchus A, et al., found that applying pressure on the meridian line for the inner thigh for an average of five minutes, twice a day, relieving migraine pain. To try acupressure, you first need to learn the technique.

Exercise is one of the best ways to ease tension headaches. Exercising can reduce muscle tension and increase blood flow to the head, shoulders and back muscles. Here’s how you can use acupressure to massage your head.

Place both hands on your forehead and press down, firmly but comfortably.
Press down on the area between the shoulders and upper back (periofacial point) and on the middle of your head (arcus aculicus).
Press down on your upper chest (cervicalis major)
A combination of hot and cold compresses may also be useful for headaches.
Close your eyes and imagine that you are lying on a mat. Press down on this mat with your palms.
Press down on your spine (lumbar region), the part of your body that has the most impact on tension headaches.

How Does Acupressure Work?

Stimulating the acupressure points along meridians, similar to acupuncture, helps to promote your body’s natural healing response. Acupressure may provide instant relief from tension headaches. However, a number of studies are underway to determine the long-term efficacy of this treatment for headaches.

For example, a recent study published in the British Journal of Pain investigated the effectiveness of acupressure for treating severe acute daily headaches (DADAHs) — headaches that last for a couple of days or longer, and are not caused by an infection. The participants in the study were evaluated at baseline and one month after the first treatment session. The results were significant for acute DADAHs.

According to acupressure researcher Pauline Autier, who conducted a review of the latest studies, “The principle is simple: Inflaming pain points causes less pain and, at the same time, lessens its intensity.” The theory goes like this: Your head has 10 pressure points or points of the “ischial spines.”

The first one is located at the base of the skull. While the rest of the body has 23 points, the head only has 10. Dr. Autier cites studies showing that applying pressure to these 10 points provides relief from headaches. The 10 points are pressure points for a different reason, and they all take your pain to a new level.

What Can You Do To Relieve Tension Headaches At Home?

Most people manage tension headaches with a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. As always, talk to your doctor before you try any new treatment methods. Heat can be useful for tension headaches. A warm shower, tea or a hot water bottle can all soothe the head and ease the pain.

The soothing effects of heat can reduce pain and limit swelling, but some people report that the pain comes back after the warm water or steam ends. The following heat techniques may help reduce tension headaches pain. Vigorous massage — One study found that just 20 minutes of gentle massage made a difference for over half of the study participants. Therapists sometimes recommend a 20-minute massage once a week.

Add these helpful pressure points to your daily routine. You’ll find them listed at the end of the article, along with the muscles on your hand or foot that correspond with the pressure points. Ask your pharmacist or doctor to prescribe you over-the-counter pain relief for tension headaches.

You can get non-narcotic over-the-counter drugs like Motrin (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen sodium). These over-the-counter drugs can help reduce headaches by temporarily relieving the pain and inflammation in your head. The pain relief typically lasts one to two hours. Eye drops can be helpful for relieving tension headaches.

Exercise. An active and youthful lifestyle can help prevent tension headaches. If you find your headache frequency increasing, cut back on exercise and see your doctor. An active and youthful lifestyle can help prevent tension headaches. If you find your headache frequency increasing, cut back on exercise and see your doctor.

Eating a healthy diet. A diet low in saturated fat and high in fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains can help ease headaches. Certain foods have a reputation as headache triggers, so pay attention to how you’re feeling. A diet low in saturated fat and high in fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains can help ease headaches. Certain foods have a reputation as headache triggers, so pay attention to how you’re feeling.

What Causes Headaches?

When pain spikes, your brain tells your body to react with every impulse your body has. All those reactions come with a lot of tension. If that tension is not relieved, you might end up with a headache. Certain health conditions and life stresses can increase your risk for headaches. Changes in hormones, like during menopause, are common headache trigger. These fluctuations can wreak havoc on your moods and make you more prone to headaches.

Your stress levels also increase the frequency of headaches. Your body has no choice but to respond to the increased levels of stress, especially in stressful situations. Excessive stress can lead to headaches. It’s called a stress reaction. Your body, through your stress hormones, prepares itself to deal with the increased stress.

Most headaches — about 80% — are non-traumatic. When a headache is caused by a traumatic event, such as getting a concussion, it’s called post-concussion syndrome. The brain may be dislodged and you could experience headaches and nausea. If you suffer from a hangover, you can also get a headache from dehydration.

Headaches are almost always felt in the forehead, behind the eyes, behind the ears, or in the temples. They tend to be less intense if they occur on one side of the head than on the other. In rare cases, migraines can cause symptoms on both sides of the head. A headache is just one symptom of a whole host of possible health problems. The two most common causes of headaches are tension and sinus infections.

When the nerves in your head run low on blood, your brain feels pain, usually on one side. This type of headache usually occurs when the veins carrying blood to the brain run low. You may have migraine headaches. Migraines can be set off by stress, hormone changes or a lack of sleep.

Headaches caused by tension, trauma or migraines often share some of the same symptoms. A headache caused by an underlying condition — like a sinus infection — is usually more intense and more likely to last longer. If you do get migraines, you’ll often notice sudden changes in the severity of your headaches. “This could be followed by loss of consciousness or even convulsions,” says Dr. F. Dean Tickell, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Tension Headache Relief Pressure Points

Hands are used for most acupressure techniques. They stimulate specific pressure points along meridians to relieve tension, mild headaches, and inflammation. Try these massage techniques at home to get relief from a tension headache.

Headache pressure point rubbing
Rub your forehead for several seconds with one hand. Repeat on each side of your head, using pressure around the forehead.
Hands on the head for a couple of minutes.
Rubbing pressure points on the forehead for two minutes.
Hands on the head for a couple of minutes.
Mucus and turgidity points
Using your thumbs and index fingers, apply pressure to the inner surfaces of your ears. Keep your hands close to your face.
Mucus and turgidity points can be found on each side of your neck as well.

Acupressure Points For Headaches

The Buddha points: These points are located along the scalp at different points on the head and face. The Buddha points refer to the four cardinal points on the body: the head, shoulders, abdomen and knees.
Tai chi points: These are located along the shins, knees and ankles.
Neck points: These are located along the neck on the right side and left side.
Mayi points: These are located on the right and left temple.
Right-hand point: This is a point along with the thumb.

Acupressure Techniques

There are several different techniques used to activate acupressure points. Each one is either manual or electronic.

Electronic – It’s similar to the medical version, but it allows you to locate pressure points with your smartphone or a pressure pad. It’s similar to the medical version, but it allows you to locate pressure points with your smartphone or a pressure pad.

Manual – A very old form of acupuncture, where the acupuncturist physically places the needles on the skin. A very old form of acupuncture, where the acupuncturist physically places the needles on the skin.

Wristbands – You can apply electrical stimulation to pressure points using a few simple wristbands. There are also some acupressure pressure pads that you can wear on the skin.

You can target specific pressure points using AcuControl, a foam roller. Ask your acupuncturist if you can use this device to target specific points. Electroacupuncture Pain relief acupuncture stimulates nerves. Stimulating the body’s nerve supply causes the body to release natural pain relievers, which relieve pain by stimulating nerves. According to multiple studies, electroacupuncture may relieve headache pain by stimulating the vagus nerve.

Apply Pressure To The Temples

Acupressure for headaches can help relieve pressure in the temples, but if your headaches come on without an identifiable cause, they may be another cause of tension. Look for triggers that affect your pain patterns. In Chinese mythology, the ancient dragon (heavenly creature) has the head of a bird and the tail of a snake.

When the bird and snake become separate, they are both devoured by the dragon. The human head symbolizes the mind. When you feel pain in your head, it means you're not on the right track with your meditation and your spiritual practice.

Apply pressure to the back of your head as you press your thumb between your eyebrows and then point your thumb at your temple. Press your finger onto the tip of your nose and use the points on your head to help increase blood flow to the head. You may not feel a headache pain at this point, but you’ll know you’re providing the right amount of pressure.

Apply pressure to your forehead. Press the sides of your forehead between your eyebrows and press the tips of your thumbs on the side of your head, as if you’re going to slam your head into a door. Lift your head and the headache will move away. Use the tips of your fingers to press on the back of your head or the sides of your head. Slowly raise your head. Your headache should go away immediately.

Conclusion

Headaches are very common. Headaches can occur at any time of the day or night, but they usually worsen when one is stressed. If you have a headache right now, try these simple remedies. They may help you feel better, and some may even be cost-effective. Take care of yourself by listening to your body. If you’re not feeling better after a few minutes of rest, go to the doctor. If you have severe pain and you’re worried it might be a brain tumour, consult your doctor immediately.

I trust you enjoyed this article about the Tension Headache Relief Pressure Points. Please stay tuned for more blog posts to come shortly.

JeannetteZ

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