Headaches
Can tight muscles cause headaches?
We’ve all been there, stressed, tired, done too much activity and up creeps a little tension headache. But did you know this could be caused by tight muscles & you can minimise the pain at home?
Tight muscles causing headaches
When your muscle contracts, it gets tight. This then cuts off the circulation of blood and produces ATP (adenosine triphosphate, this stores and transports energy cells & is the energy source for muscle contractions) through chemical reactions. The chemical reactions leave us with waste products such as, water, lactic acid and carbon dioxide. When a muscle relaxes again, circulation of blood resumes - which flushes the accumulation of waste products.
If a muscle is constantly tight, waste products can’t be flushed out. The build up
of waste products in the muscle irritates nerve fibres & then causes pain.
How can you manage them at home?
1. Heat, Heat, Heat. Warming your muscles not only relaxes them, but it also brings circulation to the area. This will help flush the waste products
2. Movement and stretches. Pop me a message, there’s some self massage you can do & some great neck and upper trapezius work you can do! This will get the muscles moving and increase the circulation 3. Relax & de-stress. Mindfulness exercises or self-care habits will help keep your stress levels down. If you start to feel stressed do something that makes you more relaxed - for me it’s a bubbly bath, a walk, or turn all social media / phones off and snuggle on the sofa with Marcelo 🐶
4. Book a treatment. If all else fails, book a massage - we can use hot stones to relax the area to begin with. By using the hot stones it’ll be less painful as the area has already started to relax
Don‘t forget to always keep hydrated!