How to prevent headaches

90 percent of the entire population worldwide is having headaches. The most common type is a tension headache, a mild, constricting feeling around your head that's often caused by holding your neck in a tight position. Migraines, on the other hand, tend to be both intense and recurring. There are plenty of natural ways—like the tricks listed here—that can help you head off the ache, Fox News reports.

Rest

 Headaches are often a sign that your body needs a break, says Dr. Elizabeth Loder, chief of the headache and pain division at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and President of the American Headache Society. "Many people are very busy and are reluctant to take the time, but if you consider the tradeoff of spending 10 minutes to close the blinds, lie down, and relax when you feel a headache forming, that might be better use of your time than being incapacitated later on after it gets worse," she says.  

Eat small, frequent meals

 If you haven't eaten anything in a while, that aching or fuzzy feeling may be a result of low blood sugar. In this case, eating something right away could nip the nagging sensation in the bud. Some research suggests that foods rich in magnesium, such as spinach, tofu, olive oil, or sunflower or pumpkin seeds, may be especially helpful.

Ice your forehead

 Lying down with a chilly wet washcloth or cold compress over your forehead or eyes may provide temporary relief from a nagging headache, and may even help it disappear completely.

Take a hot shower

Sometimes a steamy shower may be just what you need. If your headache is related to a cold or sinus pressure, the moist, warm air can clear your nasal passages as well.

Get a massage

 One of the most low-tech and old-fashioned ways to treat a headache is still one of the most effective, Loder saidIn fact, any type of rubdown may help relieve or prevent headaches. 

Try acupressure

 According to Traditional Chinese Medicine practices, applying pressure to a point on the hand between the thumb and index finger can help relieve headache pain. Simply squeeze the indentation between the two digits with the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand and massage in a circular motion for five minutes, then switch hands.

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