How to Cure Your Headache Using a Pencil

There are many natural ways to cure a headache and one of them is by using a pencil. By simply putting it between your teeth, you can relieve the throbbing pain on your head without popping a pill.

Considered as the most common type of headache, tension headaches are often triggered by anxiety, stress, emotional upset and tiredness. Spasms of the muscles in the face, neck, scalp as well as the jaw typically cause tension headaches.

pencil

According to aesthetic specialist Dr. Jane Leonard, holding a pencil between your teeth but not biting it can help relax the jaw muscle often causing spasms that lead to tension headaches. The jaw muscle spasms, which are often caused by jaw clenching or teeth grinding during slip,  can be a sign of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction.

Dr. Leonard explained: “This is an exercise to try to relax the chewing muscles, which are in spasm in TMJ dysfunction.”

Aside from using a pencil, the expert says simple relaxation techniques such as massaging the forehead and the jaw and doing gentle jaw stretching exercises can treat tension headaches as well as TMJ dysfunction. Eating softer foods can also help.

The Unusual Causes of Headaches

While not having enough sleep, being stressed and drinking too much alcohol are the usual culprits for your headache, there are some surprising reasons why your head is hurting.

Here are some of the strange causes of headache and the natural cures to prevent them, according to prevention.com.

  1. Smoked, pickled, dried or aged food such as salami, aged cheeses and smoked salmon- Try eliminating or minimizing foods like these in your diet as their sulfite content dilates your blood vessels and triggers a headache.
  2. Staring at the computer screen all day- This puts an enormous strain on your eyes which may lead to head pain. Try to take a break from staring at the screen for 10 minutes every hour.
  3. Smell of tobacco, perfume and gasoline- Combat your sensitivity to these smell by always carrying a small vial of essential oils such as peppermint to prevent stress and tension headaches.
  4. Too-tight hairstyle- A loose hairstyle or simply letting your hair down can relieve you from the unnecessary pain brought about by your tight up-do.
  5. Bright glare from the sunshine-Use sunglasses with polarized lenses with 100% UVA and UVB protection before stepping outside.
Share this: