Almost everyone experiences headaches at some point in their lives. Whether it's a daily headache that starts before sunrise and increases throughout the day or a migraine that affects your vision, hearing, or balance, headaches are a common problem.
However, not all headaches are caused by things like stress or anxiety. Many people experience headaches without knowing it because they have other medical problems causing them pain. Here are five foods that can help when you have a headache or migraine.
Tea and coffee can help to relieve headaches because they contain caffeine. Caffeine is a natural pain reliever, and it can also help reduce the severity and frequency of headaches. Tea and coffee can also help reduce the amount of pain you feel from headaches, and they can be helpful for other types of headaches. For example, caffeine can effectively treat nighttime headaches and migraines that occur three to four days after a full moon.
If you are itching for some caffeine, there are even more ways you can get your fix as well. Caffeine-infused chewing gum, pills with less than 200 milligrams of caffeine an hour, nutritionally based vitamins that contain caffeine, and energy drinks all provide the same effects as drinking coffee or tea on an empty stomach. Regularly including these over-the-counter products in your daily routine may help shorten the length of a headache or prevent one altogether.
Tart cherries are a great way to help treat headaches. If you have a headache, eat a tart cherry. Tart cherries are high in antioxidants and vitamin C, which can help reduce the pain from your headache. They are also a good source of potassium and vitamin B6, which help minimize fluid retention. They contain both flavonoids, which have blood-thinning properties and can reduce the swelling in your blood vessels that cause pain, as well as quercetin, another antioxidant that helps fight inflammation. They also contain high amounts of magnesium and iron, two minerals for which magnesium deficiency is a causative factor in migraines. Magnesium is an important nutrient, and deficiency is a common migraine trigger. At the same time, iron may reduce the levels of the inflammatory blood markers that contribute to the dilation of your blood vessels (which, in the case of migraines, may make them more painful.) Other important nutrients they contain include fluoride, which helps fight cavities and gum disease, and zinc, an essential mineral for metabolizing sugar and helping your body have a proper reaction to food.
Dark chocolate contains endorphins, which ease pain, just like morphine and codeine. Endorphins travel into your brain and act on opiate receptors in the central nervous system to reduce the pain associated with your headache. This means that it has almost the same effect as actual painkillers. Dark chocolate has very high phenylethylamine (PEA) levels compared with other foods that lead to feelings of euphoria and reduced anxiety. This is actually why sweet lovers experience a crash from huge amounts of the stuff, and crash diets don't work. Chocolate is digested at very high rates, far higher rates than any other food, which means that even a little bit leads to a spike in blood glucose and insulin that can cause cravings and increased fat storage.
Garlic is a great food to help with a headache or migraine. It's an effective pain reliever and can help decrease the intensity of the headache. It can also reduce the severity of the headache. Garlic is also a good source of garlic oil, which can help reduce the symptoms of a headache. Garlic can also reduce the inflammation of the brain that causes migraines. Garlic has great antiviral properties, helps to improve immune function, and is generally very healthy for your body.
Both fresh ginger and turmeric contain powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce the symptoms of headaches, including pain. This is one of the few natural headache remedies that are also effective for helping with migraines! Ginger can help relieve your headaches and migraine pain by either slowing them down or completely stopping them. Most people have heard that ginger is good for treating nausea, but it's worth noting that a decrease in nausea could also be caused by a decrease in the pain you are experiencing. If your headaches don't involve nausea, then this treatment may be used to treat migraines. It can also be used to treat the throat pain that many people will experience with migraines. When doing just this for the headache, ginger can help restore your immune system and reduce inflammation, too! Turmeric is an amazing anti-inflammatory herb and has powerful effects on tumors. If you know of any other natural way curries have helped you with headaches or migraines (I know I've heard of some), please let me know, and if I find them, I will add them to this section!
Nurtec (rimegepant) is a medication used to treat and prevent migraines in adults. It is a CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) receptor antagonist, which works by blocking the activity of CGRP, a protein involved in migraine attacks. Nurtec can be used both as an acute treatment to relieve migraine symptoms and as a preventive treatment to reduce the frequency of migraines. It is taken orally, usually as a dissolvable tablet.
If you're having trouble sleeping, these five foods may help! Tea and garlic are both known for being headache-relieving, so if you're looking for a natural way to ease your mind, these are a few good options. Fresh ginger and turmeric are also both great remedies for migraines, as they're both able to reduce inflammation and pain.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation or advice related to your health or finances. No reference to an identifiable individual or company is intended as an endorsement thereof. Some or all of this article may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and it may contain certain inaccuracies or unreliable information. Readers should not rely on this article for information and should consult with professionals for personal advice.