How to Treat a Headache or Migraine While on the Road

Your head is pounding, but you still have miles to go before you can rest.  Having a pounding headache or migraine while on the road is miserable.

Here are a few ways to treat your headache or migraine.

If your headache is in your sinuses, try a Netti Pot.  A Netti Pot is used to help drain your sinuses and clear out any congestion.  Netti Pots are easy to use and can provide you instant relief.

Saline nasal sprays can also help clear your sinuses, but make sure to use an all-natural saline solution.

Apply cold or hot compresses to your head or neck.  If you don’t have a hot compress, simply use two sandwich baggies and fill the inner bag with hot or cold water.

Drink a caffeinated beverage, but if you’ve already had a significant amount of caffeine during the day, grab some water.  Dehydration can cause severe headaches.

Apply essential oils.   Lavender and peppermint oil has been used for years to treat headaches.  Simply apply a small amount of lavender or peppermint oil to your temple and massage it in.

“This fresh-smelling oil has vaso-constricting and vaso-dilating properties, which help control blood flow in the body. Headaches and migraine pain are often due to poor blood flow, and peppermint oil helps to open and close the vessels that promote flow. Peppermint home remedies also open up the sinuses so that more oxygen can get into the bloodstream,” Everyday Health reports.

Avoid triggers.  Certain foods can trigger a headache or migraine.  Avoid foods with MSGs.  Dairy products, chocolate, peanut butter, avocado, citrus, bananas, onions, lunch meats, hotdogs, bacon have been found to be trigger foods.  Eat them in moderation.

Take steps to prevent headaches.  Take Vitamin B2.  “A Belgian study found that 60% of people who took 400 milligrams of this vitamin everyday had half their usual number of migraines,” Prevention Magazine states.

Switch up your over-the-counter medication routine.  Don’t stick with one type of OTC pain reliever.  Your body can build up a tolerance to medication, so if you’ve always taken Advil for your headaches, try Tylenol, Asprin or Excedrin, etc., but make sure these medications don’t interfere with any other medications you might be taking.

Stretch.  Your headache might be the result of tension or stress.  Try doing some head, neck and back stretches.

From WebMD- When to seek help: 

If you or a loved one has any of the following headache symptoms seek medical care immediately:

• A sudden, new severe headache
• A headache that is associated with neurological (nerve) symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, sudden loss of balance or falling, numbness or tingling, paralysis, speech difficulties, mental confusion, seizures, personality changes/inappropriate behavior, or vision changes (blurry vision, double vision, or blind spots)
• Headache with a fever, shortness of breath, stiff neck, or rash
• Headache pain that awakens you at night
• Headaches with severe nausea and vomiting
• Headaches that occur after a head injury or accident
• Getting a new type of headache after age 55