Fight Tension Headaches with Facial Stretches

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

28 Feb 2009 07:57 PM

When a tension headache strikes, you may be able to relieve some of the pressure with some facial stretching.

Try this:

• Lift and relax eyebrows. Open both eyes wide and lift both eyebrows, like you're really surprised. Then relax and let your eyes and eyebrows drop down again.
• The one-eyebrow salute. This one might take some practice -- hold one eyebrow in place with your fingers and lift the other. Then switch!
• Squint your eyes, then relax. Repeat a few times, then squint one eye at a time, leaving the other relaxed. Try to squeeze your eyes hard enough that your mouth moves.
• Frown the biggest frown you can muster. You've heard the saying about how it takes more muscles to frown than to smile? Well this is the time to use those frown muscles! As you frown, try to crunch your forehead down, too.
• Yawn wide -- if you can't muster a real yawn, fake it. Slowly open your mouth and lower your jaw, then close.
• Give yourself a cheek massage. Relax your jaw and use your fingertips to rub your cheeks and jaw.
• Crinkle your nose as if something smells really bad.

Last but not least, put it all together. Open your eyes and mouth wide, as if you were REALLY surprised. Then scrunch everything down as if you were pinching your face into a tiny shape.

You can also try some simple neck stretches. Roll your head around to the left a few times, then to the right. Let your head sag to one side, then to the other. Don't jerk your head quickly, or flop your head around. Move slowly and deliberately, but gently.

This won't work for every headache, but when it comes to tension or stress headaches, some facial stretches might help relieve the pressure. A percentage of headaches can be classified as tension headaches, which have their root in muscle contraction. If you can learn to relax the muscles in your face and neck, you may be able to fight off tension headaches without resorting to medication.

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