Home Remedies For Headache During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey in a woman's life. However, this beautiful journey of creating a new life and bringing it into this world has its own sets of challenges. The biggest challenge of this journey, however, is that a pregnant woman can simply not take and consume anything she wants to (especially medicines) since the same would likely have an adverse effect on the unborn child in the womb. Among all the challenges faced by pregnant women during the entire journey, headaches (often frequent) are a common yet irritating cause of discomfort. Such headaches mostly occur during the first and the third trimester of pregnancy. Though there are ample medicines available, such medicines might not be advisable during pregnancy. Various home remedies for a headache during pregnancy, however, can be adopted in order

Causes Of Headaches During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time when the body of the female undergoes severe changes such as a surge in hormones and increase of blood volume during the first trimester. Such changes often trigger headaches which can further be aggravated due to factors such as:

• Stress
• Poor Posture
• Changes in Vision or Eyesight (Power)
• Lack of sleep
• Low blood sugar
• Dehydration
• Limiting the intake of Caffeine leading to Caffeine withdrawal
• A migraine
• Poor Posture
• Preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy)

While these can be some of the reasons causing headaches, some of the triggering elements of such headaches include:

• Aged cheese
• Foul Smell
• Chocolate
• Strong Odor
• Alcohol
• Yogurt
• Peanuts
• Bread with fresh yeast
• Preserved meats
• Sour cream

Most of these triggers can cause acidity which can lead to a headache during pregnancy apart from causing other health issues. Such triggers work more in case the pregnant women have a problem of migraine attacks.

Treating Headaches During Pregnancy

While pregnancy is beautiful towards motherhood, problems such as headaches can surely make the journey stressful and unhappy. However, such problems can surely be treated with proper care and support. While the best way to deal with such headaches is avoiding the reasons causing such headaches, most of the times it is not that easy. Some of the methods which can help the individual avoid such above mentioned causes include:

• Practising right and good posture (especially during the third trimester of the pregnancy)
• Relaxing well and getting plenty of rest
• Exercising well as prescribed by the gynaecologist. Walking is a good way to exercise during this period.
• Eating well-balanced meals and avoiding long gaps between meals. Try taking small meals with short gaps.
• Applying cold or hot packs, as required, on the head in order to keep one relaxed.

10 Home Remedies For A Headache During Pregnancy

Though medicines for such medications need to be taken carefully and only after consultation with the gynecologist, natural remedies for a headache during pregnancy comes in handy. Some of the home remedies for managing headache during pregnancy include:

• In case of a headache due to sinus, try applying a warm compress around the eyes and nose
• In case of a headache due to tension, try applying a cold compress or ice pack at the base of the neck
• Maintain appropriate levels of blood sugar by eating smaller but frequent meals all through the day
• Pampering the mind and body with a gentle and feel good massage, especially around the neck and shoulder region, to not only relieve the stress and pain but also to feel rejuvenated all over again. Applying hot or cold packs around these areas and in the head and around the eyes might also give an instant relief.
• Taking frequent risk whenever possible and practising deep breathing techniques at the slightest of stress.
• Taking a hot shower to feel fresh and relieved, if possible

Apart from these, some of the natural home remedies for curing headaches during pregnancy include:

1. Drinking Water

While it is already known that water has miraculous properties of curing and preventing various diseases, water becomes even more significant for a pregnant women since her body has to be kept hydrated in order to maintain a healthy balance in her body along with providing a healthy medium for circulating essential enzymes and proteins for the healthy development of her baby. This is how the consumption of water would also prevent and cure headaches during pregnancy. A minimum of eight glasses of water should be consumed by any pregnant woman.

2. Staying Healthy By Practising Yoga

While the pregnant woman is advised to consume healthy food for the healthy development of the baby, she should also practice light yoga (as advised by the gynaecologist) during the entire term of pregnancy. This would ensure proper circulation of essential nutrients and reducing stress which would automatically prevent/cure headaches during pregnancy.

3.Quick Naps

Just like food and exercise, the pregnant woman is also expected to take adequate rests. She should indulge in frequent quick naps to prevent over exhaustion and reduce her stress levels thus avoiding headaches during pregnancy.

4. Consumption Of Healthy Food

The term ‘Healthy food’ at times can be misleading and confusing for anyone. What needs to be understood is that the food should have a balanced composition of the basic ingredients, especially in the right quantity. The body of the pregnant women also requires certain minerals more than others which include:

• Magnesium: At least 400 milligrams of magnesium should be included in the diet in order to relax the muscles of the body of the pregnant woman and preventing the premature contractions of her uterus. Spinach is a good source of magnesium.
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Including Omega 3 Fatty Acids in the diet helps in the healthy development of the baby and his/her brain while helping in reducing inflammation in the mother’s body. Oils such as Canola, Olive, and Salmon are rich sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

Some other natural food elements which help in providing relief from headaches include:

• Consumption of Lemon Juice
• Biting pieces of Ginger or consuming Ginger Tea (because of its natural property of blocking prostaglandins and helping in stimulating muscle contraction)

5. Using Cold And Hot Compress

Cold and Hot Compresses, especially Cold compress is an accepted home remedy without side effects for providing migraine relief in pregnant women. While Cold compress helps in alleviating pain by tightening the blood vessels which results in shrinking the cells, Hot compress alleviates pain by expanding the blood vessel, thus resulting in increasing the flow of blood to the brain (thus acting wonders in treating headaches due to tension).

6. Using Essential Oils

such as Peppermint and Lavender which helps in reducing tension and providing a relaxing effect on the nerves of the pregnant woman. These oils also help in reducing headache or other pain apart from working wonders on skin.

These home remedies for a headache during pregnancy come in handy, even when the pregnant woman is alone as they are easy and convenient to apply.