Many of us experience one form of headache or the other in a week. If you’ve got a job like mine or worse, there is no way you won’t end up with a headache at a point. Some headaches are so bad – so… so bad – you can’t even raise an eyebrow.

There may be several reasons for your headache – it could be stress from your job as I stated earlier, physiologic changes in the head, constriction of blood vessels, genetic causes, excessive smoking, excessive drinking habit, lack of water in the body and several others.

Most people who have headaches run to painkillers for relief but we all know excessive intake of these pain killers have numerous side effects. However, no matter the type of headache you have (be it tension headaches, migraine headaches or cluster headaches) there are some simple things you can do to soothe your pain.

Here are some of them:

1. Chew on some ginger

You won’t or maybe can’t always have ginger on you in the office (it sounds weird to have that on you in the office, I know). But you’ll have the full effects of these recommendations when you’re home and relaxed.

Ginger reduces the inflammation of the blood vessels in the head during headaches…thus giving you immediate relieve. During a headache, you can sip a cup of ginger tea made with tea leaves, add some milk and sugar to your taste or chew it raw once it’s well washed. Otherwise, you can also boil the ginger in water and inhale its vapour to get rid of the ache.

2. Apple

Yeah, apples (bet you didn’t think of that) can help ease headaches. Chewing apple with some salt always works the magic. Both apple and its extract apple cider vinegar (which we spoke about some time ago) have attributes that balances body’s alkaline and acid levels thus giving you relief from headaches. You can also add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass full of water and drink for immediate relief.

3. Improve your posture

Improving your posture will make all the difference especially for migraines. Many of us spend the most part of our days sitting at a computer in the office with little or no movement. Many of us are also guilty of poor posture. We either slouch, slump, or hunch forward and this strains our muscles creating terrible headaches. If you can or your company can afford it, request for an ergonomic chair if you sit a lot. Try and make a conscious effort to sit up while at your desk. Don’t slouch or stick too far forward.

4. Water

We don’t have time to get up from our desks, how then will we drink water. Most of us don’t even think about water when we’re busily tying the day away or running around looking for that big fat check. We prefer coffee, sugary drinks, fizzy drinks which dehydrate us really fast. This causes the pounding headache. Just when you notice your head is beginning to ache, take a glass of water and sip gently throughout the day, (not just one glass though). You’ll notice soon after that the pain is beginning to ease. This works don’t take it for granted, its less complicated than taking a pill.

5. Apply peppermint oil

Peppermint oil has a wonderfully soothing effect when you’re suffering from a headache, easing the discomfort and clearing your mind. It can be applied to various places, and people who use it find that it works quickly to relieve pain. If you have sensitive skin and find that it irritates it, try diluting it with a bit of olive oil or water.