Headache, migraine and acupressure

We all know that one nasty pain. It either starts gradually, gets stronger and stronger, presses or hammers your head out of the blue. Depending on the severity, most people only know three solutions: The "eyes to the head" method, numbing with medication or crawling into bed and preferably never getting up again.
Acupressure is a wonderful method to support you with headaches or migraines, strengthen your immune system and give you important moments of relaxation, which are so urgently needed in precisely these phases. With the right acupressure points, you can relieve your pain, at least temporarily.
In this blog article, we would like to inform you about headaches of all kinds and provide you with alternative methods that can support you in addition to conventional medical treatment.

Content

1. did you know that headaches are one of the most common reasons why we go to the doctor?

2. the good news: you can take your headache into your own hands!

3. what yin & yang have to do with nasty headaches

4 Let's move on to the DIY part: The most important acupressure points for headaches

5. declare war on headaches and migraines with your Shakti Mat acupressure mat

6. connection between headaches and stress: treat yourself to a Shakti moment

7. how the Shakti acupressure headband can help you specifically

Did you know that headaches are one of the most common reasons we go to the doctor?

Around 54 million people in Germany suffer from temporary or persistent headaches. That's around 70 percent of Germany's population.
There are thought to be over 200 different types of headache in total. It is worth taking a closer look here:

Tension headache

The headache register is headed by tension headaches. 53.6 percent of headache patients state that they are confronted with this type of headache. It seems that this headache is mainly triggered by stress and frustration.
No wonder, when there is tension inside, it tends to spread to the head. This type of headache is often caused by tension in the neck, which in turn presses on nerves or arteries, making blood circulation in the head more difficult.
Acupressure primarily provides relief here by reducing muscle tension and counteracting tension at nerve endings. It can also stimulate blood circulation and thus provide relief, but more on this later in the article.

Migraine

Migraines affect 38.4 percent of all headache sufferers in Germany. An often really nasty companion that can make it almost impossible to function in everyday life. People who experience migraines often feel dizzy and feel the pain on one or both sides of their head. Sensitivity to light and sound are also known symptoms. Stress can also be the culprit here. However, hormonal imbalances, pulsating light, diet, caffeine, alcohol, allergies and much more can also contribute. The reason given is that either too little or too much blood is flowing through the vessels.

Acupressure can help balance blood circulation, balance hormone production, and relieve stress and muscular tension.

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Sinusitis headache

This type of headache usually results from a sinus infection, allergies or similar complaints. The pain is mainly felt near the nose, cheeks or forehead. It can lead to toothache, frontal headache or eye pain.
In the long term, acupressure can help to support the immune system so that it can fight the infection. In the short term, it can help relieve pain and open up the sinuses by releasing endorphins.

Cluster headache

Unfortunately, that's not all, because there are also rare types of headache, such as cluster headaches. This is actually the most insidious and nastiest form of headache. They come in clusters and often at intervals.
The sufferer feels a succession of hammering pains in the head that can come on and off within a day or two. It often involves severe pain behind one eye and - just like migraines - light sensitivity and nausea.
No one yet knows what triggers this type of headache, but it seems likely that it is linked to the sufferer's biological clock, as it always occurs on the same days or times.
Headaches may be ubiquitous and widespread, but that doesn't mean they should be taken lightly. After all, they are a signal from the body that something is not right. If you are experiencing any of these types of headaches, you should definitely see a doctor and get checked out.

The good news: You can take control of your headache!

Headaches are nasty and convey one feeling above all: powerlessness. We feel at our mercy and know what to do with ourselves. As with any illness, it helps to look for the cause and to understand how our body works in its entirety.

All points that run along the head and neck are Yang points. It is therefore worth making a small digression at this point on the subject of vital energy - also known as Qi.

What Yin & Yang has to do with nasty headaches

Each of you has probably seen the Yin & Yang symbol before. It symbolizes the two opposing forces of the universe that are interdependent. One only exists with the help of the other. Day can only exist because night comes and vice versa.
Yin is ascribed feminine qualities, while yang is associated with masculine qualities. Nothing in this world is either exclusively yin or yang, everything is a mixture of both - just like us humans.
Physical health is seen as a unified balance of the two yin and yang forces in the body. Every one of us needs more of one part than the other from time to time.

For example, if we have to work through the night, we need to activate the Yang energy to help us through this task. So everyone needs to feel for themselves what energy they need and take it. This will make your body feel healthier. Unfortunately, this is not so easy nowadays, many people go beyond their individual limits every day and regularly force themselves to do things that they feel are not good for them.
Acupressure can help you to harmonize your yin and yang with the help of the respective acupressure points and let your qi, your life energy, flow again. This could also have a positive effect on your headaches and give you a greater sense of well-being.

Let's get to the DIY part: the most important acupressure points for headaches

Now enough writing, let's get to the main acupressure points that can make your life easier when you have a headache.

LI4 aka best anti pain point

Our large intestine meridian consists of a total of 20 acupressure points, including LI4. This point is known for its pain-relieving effect and is located in the hollow of our hand, exactly where the index finger and thumb meet. In addition to its pain-relieving effect, this point also has an anti-inflammatory effect.

It can help you to get rid of excess heat, which we sometimes have to deal with during flu-like infections. It can also help with migraines. Psst, good side effect: it also helps with digestive problems.
Important: Pregnant women should never use this point! Because the point is known for its strong draining effect, it is also used in obstetrics to induce labor and strengthen contractions.

GB20 aka "Wind Pond

This point is located at the lower back of the head, where the skull ends. If you run your fingers from the middle of the neck towards the ear, the point is in the hollow. It is the first hollow you find when you move from the ear towards the back of the neck.
The point is one of the most important points of the gallbladder meridian and can be your secret weapon for headaches and migraines. Once you have found it, you can press it for one to three minutes, preferably on both sides at the same time. So whenever it gets too much for you - in the office, at home or anywhere else - you can stimulate this point and thus provide some relief.

You can also press this point to relieve pain if you have eye, nose or ear pain. It can also help with difficult mental states and a stiff neck.

LU9 aka "Lique

If you spread your thumb away from your hand and move the finger of your other hand from your thumb towards your wrist, you will eventually come across a depression. From exactly this indentation, move one thumb's width further along the side of the arm and you should then come across a protruding bone. Then you have found LU9.
Pressing this point will also help you with headaches and neck pain. It is also beneficial for coughs. Asthma, sore throat and colds.
LU9 is a true all-round talent, because pressing the point helps to alleviate sadness due to loss and grief or inner emptiness.

Yang Bai aka GB14

Finally, we would like to give you GB14, another gallbladder point. What does this gallbladder actually have to do with all of this, you may be asking yourself. Well, the gallbladder seems to be a common cause of headaches.

You will find this point about a thumb's width above the center of your eyebrows. You can press both points above the eyebrows simultaneously for one to three minutes.

You will notice how your muscles around the eyes and also the skin of the forehead relax when you apply this acupressure point. It helps with frontal headaches, migraines and can balance your eye energy, which is particularly helpful for tired eyes at the office. It also has a supportive effect on visual disturbances, twitching eyelids or nausea.

Declare war on headaches and migraines with your Shakti Mat acupressure mat

Surely you already know the concept of acupressure mats, otherwise you wouldn't have landed on our website. So if you are the owner of one of these gems, the mat will help you to relieve your headaches or migraines.

All people are different and therefore each person needs individual treatment when it comes to their very own type of headache. Below we would like to give you a few examples of how you can use your Shakti Mat or our acupressure cushion for headaches or migraines.

1. relaxation for the neck

Many people complain of headaches radiating from the neck. Here you can roll up your Shakti Mat with the tips facing outwards (you may need to use a towel to help). If you have one of our acupressure cushions, you can lie on it. This works just as well lying down - for example in bed or on the carpet - as it does sitting down, e.g. on the couch. You can then either relax, read a book or watch TV. This usually stimulates GB20 at the same time.

2. carefully place your forehead or face on the Shakti Mat

Yes, it sounds damn prickly and it really is. But some people dare to do it. Especially if your headache or migraine is in the forehead area, this could be a way to loosen up your forehead muscles. You can stimulate the GB14 point at the same time. At this point, it is important to emphasize that you should perform this exercise very consciously and carefully, as the tips of the Shakti Mat are very sharp and should therefore never come close to your eyes!

3. the power combination of Shakti Mat and Pillow

If you want to give yourself the full program, you can use the Shakti Mat for the back and the Pillow for the neck at the same time. Some of our Shakti Mat colleagues from the team swear by it and are happy to fall asleep this way. Don't worry if you nod off and stay on the mat and Pillow for longer than you want, there are no side effects. Simply pull the mat and/or the Pillow out from under you at some point and go back to sleep.

Connection between headaches and stress: treat yourself to a Shakti moment

Many surveys show that headaches often occur in connection with stress and that those affected often find themselves in life situations that they classify as stressful or challenging. It's understandable in a way, because our world is becoming increasingly fast-paced, technology means we are suddenly doing 100 things a day instead of just 10 and everything is moving faster and faster anyway.
This is precisely when it is important to take moments for yourself and simply switch down a gear. Many Shakti users agree on one thing in particular: the Shakti moment is a moment in which you let go and just be. You have to concentrate on your breathing so that you don't get caught up in the hustle and bustle, which in turn has a meditative aspect.
Many of our customers lie down on the mat, especially in the evening, and associate this ritual with "coming to rest" or using it as a prelude to going to bed. We have even put together a playlist for you with meditative sounds that will make it easier to fall asleep and transport you deep into the land of dreams. Listen to it here.

How the Shakti acupressure headband can help you specifically

You are probably familiar with the feeling that your headache is coming from a certain corner of your head or rising from the back of your neck. It is not uncommon for people with regular headaches to describe how they can sense when the storm is coming. Everyone develops their own routines for these moments. For some, the only thing that helps is darkness and going to bed, while others can actively do something about it. Our headband with its 264 tips can be a real help here, as you can use the flexible Velcro fastener to tie it as tightly to the part of your head as you need it. Whether in the jaw area, classically around the forehead or with the acupressure tips in the neck - you can use it however you like.