We all know that throbbing feeling when a headache starts to come on. From time to time, we all experience headaches. However, there are lots of people out there who experience intense, painful headaches on a frequent basis.
Whether a person suffers from chronic migraines, sinus headaches due to severe congestion or frequent headaches caused by an injury, it’s possible that CBD is the answer. This natural alternative to popular pain medications may have the ability to treat severe headaches with minimal side effects.
The Different Types of Headaches
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- Migraine Headaches: A migraine is a severe type of headache that causes your head to throb with pain. Typically, a person who experiences migraines gets them around a couple of times each month. The pain associated with a migraine headache often triggers other symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, light sensitivity and low blood pressure. While migraine headaches usually last for a few hours, they can sometimes last for several days.
- Migraine Headaches: A migraine is a severe type of headache that causes your head to throb with pain. Typically, a person who experiences migraines gets them around a couple of times each month. The pain associated with a migraine headache often triggers other symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, light sensitivity and low blood pressure. While migraine headaches usually last for a few hours, they can sometimes last for several days.
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- Cluster Headaches: A cluster headache is known to be the most severe type of headache. The pain is often felt behind your eye, causing a stabbing or piercing sensation. Those who get cluster headaches tend to experience them on and off for a period of a few weeks. Typically, cluster headaches recur every few years.
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- Tension Headaches: The most common type of headache is the tension headache. Many people experience tension headaches regularly throughout their life. Usually, these headaches come and go over the course of a few hours. Pain ranges from mild to moderate.
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- Hormone Headaches: Many women experience headaches during their menstrual period or during pregnancy. This is the result of hormone levels changing dramatically. This type of headache often radiates around the entire head and ranges from mild to moderate.
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- Sinus Headaches: A sinus headache is caused by congestion of the sinus cavities. When these sinus cavities get inflamed, they swell up, causing you to experience a headache that tends to be felt most intensely around the eyes and bridge of the nose. A person who suffers from allergies or has a cold will often experience a sinus headache.
- Injury-Related Headaches: If you have recently experienced a head injury, you may have a headache for a short period of time while you recover. This type of headache tends to be felt most intensely in the area of impact. Often, ice can alleviate much of the pain.
What Causes Headaches
The exact cause of a headache is unknown. However, researchers have stated that a headache is the result of blood vessels and nerves that surround the skull sending signals to the pain receptors in the brain.
- Environmental Factors: There are certain environmental factors that can contribute to a headache.
- Common allergens like pollen and dust can trigger a sinus headache as they cause the sinus cavities to swell up.
- Powerful smells like cigarette smoke and heavy perfumes can also cause the sinus cavities to swell.
- Loud music
- Bright lights
- Certain types of weather can also cause a headache. In fact, many people experience headaches when the humidity spikes before it rains.
- Impact: If you’ve experienced a recent blow to the head, a headache is very likely. This is because the muscle surrounding the skull becomes inflamed.
- Stress: Although scientists aren’t quite sure why, stress is a major headache trigger. A person who experiences chronic stress may even have headache pain daily.
- Dehydration: When your body is dehydrated, a headache is often the first sign that the person needs to consume fluids. The brain requires a certain amount of hydration to function properly.
- Posture: Poor posture can cause chronic headaches as the neck is under a great deal of strain.
Genetic Factors
Some doctors believe that chronic headaches can be genetic.
Popular Headache Treatments
Typically, a mild to moderate headache is treated with an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug. These drugs tend to work quickly and provide much relief.
However, these drugs are not meant to be taken in high doses or daily.
Taking these medications too frequently or in extremely high doses can result in damage to your liver, kidneys and stomach.
CBD for Headaches
More people are turning to CBD for headache relief. This natural, plant-based compound comes from the hemp plant, a cousin of the marijuana plant. Unlike marijuana, CBD doesn’t get a user high.
Hemp, the source of CBD, is also rich in other cannabinoids. Your body’s endocannabinoid system uses CBD and these other cannabinoids to restore your body to homeostasis. CBD is also known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that may reduce pain quickly.
CBD for Pain Relief
While research is still being conducted to determine whether CBD can treat headaches, many sufferers experience relief with this natural compound. Because CBD works with the endocannabinoid system within your body, a small amount can give your body what it needs to fight pain effectively.
Those who suffer from chronic headaches may have an elevated inflammatory response, causing pain to become unusually severe. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, CBD can reduce inflammation, block pain receptors from receiving signals and restore the cells within your body to achieve homeostasis.
CBD for Stress and Anxiety
Countless studies have suggested that CBD may have a profound effect on stress and anxiety. Because headaches are commonly triggered by stress, CBD can stop a headache from occurring by calming your nervous system.
Many people take CBD daily in order to keep their nervous system functioning properly, preventing headaches in addition to other stress-related symptoms.
CBD for Sleep
A migraine can interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night. Many researchers believe that CBD can help you fall asleep by simultaneously alleviating the pain and promoting the secretion of sleep-inducing hormones.
How to Obtain the Best CBD for Treating Headaches
The Different Methods
When it comes to treating your headaches with CBD, there are several options. These days, CBD is a popular natural product, meaning that you can find a wide range of CBD-infused products that may be able to treat your headache pain quickly and effectively.
- CBD Tinctures: One popular method for headache relief is a CBD tincture. This type of product consists of potent CBD that is blended with a high-quality oil. A drop or two is placed under the tongue and absorbed into the tissue. This can provide quick relief.
- CBD E-Liquid: Vaping CBD is another popular way of reaping its potential pain-relieving benefits. For this method, a CBD-infused oil is poured into a vaporizer and inhaled. This method allows the CBD to reach the brain quickly, giving it the ability to provide fast and full relief from headache pain. There are also disposable hemp e-cigarettes that are already pre-filled and ready for use.
- CBD Edibles: Consuming an edible CBD product can help those who experience long-lasting headaches. Because the product must be ingested, it takes a longer time to reach the brain. However, its effects last longer.
- CBD Topicals: Another option is using a topical CBD cream. If your headache pain is affecting a small part of your head, you can massage a CBD cream into the area. The CBD absorbs into the affected tissue through the skin.
Finding the Right CBD Product for You
If you’re going to try to treat your headache pain with CBD, it’s crucial that you know how to select the right product. Today, there are many low-quality products on the market due to the recent spike in CBD’s popularity.
When selecting a CBD product for your headache pain, look for a brand that provides third party lab results. These results verify that the CBD that you’re about to purchase is pure and of a high quality.
Typically, high-quality CBD is going to be more expensive than low-quality CBD. However, high-quality CBD is much more potent, meaning that only a little bit is needed by comparison. It’s good to look for a CBD product that’s derived from an organic hemp farm. Organic CBD retains more of its potential healing properties since it’s not exposed to harsh chemicals used by conventional farmers.
Full spectrum CBD is more likely to be effective. For CBD to be considered full spectrum, it must contain every compound that exists within the hemp plant. Many CBD experts believe that full spectrum CBD has a wider range of health benefits and pain-relieving properties.
Always choose a CBD product that doesn’t contain cheap filler ingredients. Besides watering down the potency of the CBD, many of these filler ingredients can counteract the potentially positive effects of CBD.
Find What Works Best for You
If you’re a headache sufferer, you’re certainly not alone. Fortunately, there’s a good chance that CBD has what it takes to provide incredible relief. This natural product has transformed the lives of countless headache sufferers around the world. At Wellicy, you can find different types of CBD that can meet what you’re looking for.
