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Natural Home Remedies for Pressures in the Head

Pressure in the head can be caused in many ways, including tension headaches, migraine headaches, and sinusitis. While over-the-counter and prescription medications exist for each of these conditions, there are also plenty of home remedies that don't involve taking any kind of pills.

  1. Tension Headaches

    • Stretch the cervical spine area along your neck and upper back through slow stretching exercises. Hold each stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. Use a U-shaped neck pillow, especially a pillow filled with ice. Massage your scalp and neck. Massage and apply pressure to the webbed area between your thumb and index finger, or to your feet. Lean forward on your desk at work and rest your head on your folded arms for five to 10 minutes. Try meditating to calm your head, with your thumbs folding your ears shut to block out noise. If you smoke, give it up.

    Migraine Headaches

    • Make an aromatherapy compress of lavender, eucalyptus, sandalwood or peppermint oil, placing it on your head or neck. Get some mild exercise when you feel the pressure of a migraine coming on, perhaps a half-hour walk. Try ice around your neck. Put your hands in hot water and let the soothing heat travel up to your head. Try feverfew, pine bark or butterbur. Take magnesium supplements, since migraines have been associated with lack of sufficient magnesium. Wrap your head in an elastic bandage.

    Sinusitis

    • Stay away from any allergens which may cause your sinuses to flare up. Stand in a hot shower and breathe in the steam, or lean over a pot of boiling water with a towel over your head and inhale the steam to loosen your sinuses. Drink hot soup, coffee or tea at work, and inhale the hot fumes coming off the top of the drink. Run a cold air humidifier in your bedroom to keep the air moist, but make sure you clean the humidifier every week to prevent bacteria from growing. Sniff a saline solution into each nostril, then blow. Drink lots of liquids to get the mucus in your sinuses flowing; hot liquids may help even more. Blow each nostril separately, one at a time to stop pressure buildup in your ears and to keep bacteria from flowing backward into your sinuses. Eat spicy foods such as horseradish, garlic and Cajun spices to help clear your sinuses. Apply pressure to your sinuses, pressing down on either side of your nose for 20 seconds at a time.

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