Step 1: Put down your smartphone.
A recent study found that people hold their mobiles way too close to their faces when texting or surfing online, which can strain the eyes. That, in turn, may lead to a headache. If that doesn't work. . .
Step 2: Chug water.
Just being mildly dehydrated can cause severe headaches, per a 2012 study in The Journal of Nutrition. Drinking down a full eight ounces of H2O may quell throbbing in minutes. If that doesn't work. . .
Take a time-out.
Tightness across your temple could signal a tension headache caused by stress, says WH advisor Keri Peterson, M.D., a physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Retreat to a quiet corner—even a bathroom stall will do!—and use your fingertips to massage your forehead in a circular motion. As you knead, take five slow, deep breaths; inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Pause, then repeat. If that doesn't work. . .
Head for the herbals.
Research in the journal Headache revealed that holding anti-inflammatory ginger-feverfew gel under your tongue for 60 seconds—then swallowing—can curb early headache pain. Feverfew capsules or ginger tea may also work. Still not better? Pop a couple of ibuprofen.
