Caffeine Withdrawal and Headaches

– 7 Tips for Relief and More –

Why do headaches happen?

What causes them? And, what can we possibly do to prevent them?

This article shares everything you need to know about headaches. And, how to reduce them.

In addition, we will also highlight the vital connection between caffeine withdrawal and headaches.

Generally, coffee comes with a lot of great health benefits. Many coffee lovers even say that it makes us happier and live longer.

Many of us rely on our daily cup of coffee. It not only tastes delicious in all of its varieties. But the empowering dark liquid always gives the energizing boost many of us are looking for.

This is especially due to the effects of one of coffee’s main ingredients, namely caffeine. The stimulant helps us to get through our days more efficiently.

However, if we consume too much caffeine. It may lead to several caffeine side effects. One of these side effects may be caffeine withdrawal.

As much as caffeine is supporting us in our daily tasks. Some people rely too much on it. A few cups of coffee and caffeine may be fine. But too many can quickly become harmful.

Once we try to cut back, we may suffer from caffeine withdrawal. Many people often associate caffeine withdrawal with high levels of coffee consumption.

But some people may already react very sensitively after just drinking one small cup of coffee.

To sum up, caffeine withdrawal and headaches often go hand in hand.

Here are 7 useful tips to find some relief and more.

Why do Headaches Happen?

A headache is a very common condition. Typically, it causes pain and discomfort in our head, scalp or neck.

Health experts estimate that 7 out of 10 people have at least one severe headache each year.

Sometimes, headaches can be mild only. But in many other cases, they can cause serious pain. As a result, you may find it difficult to fully focus and concentrate to properly perform daily activities.

In the US alone, approximately 45 million citizens frequently have headaches. These can quickly become disabling. And eventually, it may hinder us to be more productive.

Fortunately, it’s quite easy to manage and handle most headaches. Often times, minor medication and some lifestyle changes are helping already.

So, what can be the causes for headaches?

Overall, doctors speak of either primary or secondary causes of headaches.

Primary causes of headaches are mostly related to separate medical conditions. Commonly, these kinds of headaches are the result of an underlying process in the brain.

For example, typical primary headaches include migraine, cluster, and tension headaches.

On the other hand, common secondary headaches have different causes. They are due to an underlying medical condition.

Examples for secondary headache causes include brain tumor, cervicogenic headaches or also medication overuse headaches.

Others would be Meningitis -related headache, post-traumatic headache, sinus and spinal headaches.

And What About Caffeine Withdrawal and Headaches?

In general, caffeine is narrowing our blood vessels in the brain.

Without this happening, your blood vessels would widen instead. Due to more space in your vessels, more blood can flow faster.

The resulting boost in blood flow could potentially trigger a headache then. Or, it may result in other symptoms of caffeine withdrawal.

That is why the effects of caffeine withdrawal and headaches are often directly linked.

Here are 7 useful tips to find some relief.

What Can I Do?

1. Always Stay Hydrated

Our first advice or point is probably the most obvious one.

Yet, many people tend to ignore it. This may be on intention. Or, they just don’t take the entire aspect of proper body hydration too seriously.

You would be surprised to learn how many headaches could already be cured. Just by always staying properly hydrated.

Furthermore, if you regularly drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages. This is of course increasing your overall water intake.

With more sorts of liquids filling your body. It can help you to reduce the risk for any related headaches.

Moreover, especially caffeine can make you urinate more. Consequently, you are automatically losing the amount of fluid quicker again.

Commonly, too little fluid in your body leads to dehydration. And, this can simply make your brain shrink in volume.

In case your brain is shrinking. It will eventually pull away from your skull.

This will set off pain receptors in the protective membrane surrounding your brain. A severe headache is most likely the end result then.

So, how much do I have to drink to stay hydrated?

Unfortunately, there is no universal set of rules or answer for all of us. In fact, the amount of fluid each person needs can vary.

Nonetheless, the general advice is to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.

2. Use an Ice Pack – Caffeine Withdrawal and Headaches

Also our second advice is actually a very simple one.

Many people use ice to cool down their heads out of many reasons. But, ice is also a very effective go-to remedy when it especially comes to migraines.

The actual process is pretty easy and straight forward. Anyone can do it. Simply apply an ice pack to your head.

This will quickly help to ease any headache pain. Essentially, the effect is happening by altering your blood flow. Or, you will be simply numbing the concerning headache area.

In addition, there is also another very effective way.

For this, you are putting the ice pack on the back of your neck instead. You will quickly find headache relief this way as well.

So, what should you do next?

If you don’t have any yet. Go and buy a relaxing ice pack. And, just try it yourself.

3. Stimulate Your Pressure Points

Massage is a very popular and well-known remedy for centuries already.

Our home is in Thailand. Therefore, we know a great deal about massages. In fact, we like to enjoy them very frequently.

Any part of the body can be treated and find relief with a good massage.

Hence, why not try the same to reduce our headaches?

Did you know? Various points around our body correlate to our health. Technically speaking, health experts call these pressure points or acupoints.

It is common knowledge that pressing on certain pressure points may help relieve headaches. This is mostly due to easing any concerned muscle tension then.

In this regard, there is a quite interesting study. Only one month of acupressure treatment will relieve chronic headaches better than usual muscle relaxants.

The treatment of acupressure is pretty easy to learn. You can even try it at home yourself.

For a starter, there is especially one point that is tied to headaches. And quite surprisingly, this one is located between the base of your thumb and your index finger.

So, whenever you may experience a headache. Go ahead and firmly press on this exact point for about five minutes.

Also, please make sure to repeat the same technique on your other hand as well then.

This may give you some relief as well.

For any more severe cases, you may also visit a professional massage or acupuncture therapist nearby you. Many of them also like to give lessons.

4. Take Pain Reliever – Caffeine Withdrawal and Headaches

Now, this may sound more drastic. But in some cases, it might be necessary.

Overall, there are several OTC pain relievers widely available. They have been designed to help relieving headache pain.

Very common and popular examples of OTC pain relievers are following.

• Ibuprofen (Advil, Midol)
• Acetaminophen or Paracetamol(Tylenol)
• Aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin)

Typically, you are taking any of these above medications every 4 to 6 hours. This is until your headache or general pain significantly decreases again.

Furthermore, your exact dosage will depend on two things. Namely, the specific type and strength of the pain reliever you would eventually be using.

In addition, there is an even more advanced way to ease caffeine withdrawal and headaches. But not just that. People can actually try it for other types of headaches as well.

Alternatively, you will take a pain reliever that includes caffeine as an ingredient as well.

Caffeine can help in two ways. Firstly, it helps your body to absorb the medication more quickly. And secondly, studies show that it makes these drugs 40 percent more effective.

Generally speaking, here is a quite important advice for us.

If we do take a pain reliever. We should try to limit our use of it to twice per week. Because, if we are taking these medications too often. This can also lead to rebound headaches.

5. Try Tropical Peppermint Oil

This next point may sound a bit surprising or peculiar at first.

But results show that it is working quite well. Especially for many people having caffeine withdrawal and headaches from it.

In fact, several research studies support the benefits of menthol. It is the peppermint’s main active and crucial ingredient.

Typically, menthol helps to ease headaches. This happens by reducing inflammation and relaxing tight muscles.

Indeed, a recent study claims that peppermint oil may be as effective as acetaminophen at relieving tension headaches.

You can easily give it a try yourself.

Just get some peppermint oil from a nearby pharmacist or store. Then, gently massage 2 or 3 drops of it into your forehead and temples.

The oil can be safely applied with any big risks. You don’t necessarily need to combine it with any other liquid.

However, some people like to mix it with a so-called carrier oil. For example, regular coconut oil is a popular option.

Maybe you give it a go and let us know your thoughts.

6. Take Some Rest – Caffeine Withdrawal and Headaches

Taking some rest may appear very simple. Nonetheless, it is certainly very effective for the great majority of people.

Yes, taking a nap is a great idea. Same as it is good going to bed early. At least, this is what many people say. It helps them to relieve their headache pain.

In fact, an interesting study showed that 81 percent of its participants with regular headache symptoms found good sleep to be the most effective way to find relief.

Overall, there is a clear beneficial connection between sleep and migraine reduction.

However, every person may eventually react differently. If you sleep too much or take naps, it can also become a ‘headache trigger’.

And yet, for others, it’s the perfect treatment to handle caffeine withdrawal and headaches.

You know your body best. Whatever gives you the best overall feeling. You should try to make it part of your daily routine and create sleeping patterns.

7. Satisfy Your Caffeine Craving

Yes, you have heard right.

This may sound strange. But sometimes, giving in is the only way forward. At least, if it is happening temporarily and in a moderate way.

It may be that some of the other advices and measures are not working for you.

If this is the case, you may consider giving in to your caffeine craving after all.

Although, this is surely an effective way to reduce your headache symptoms. At the same time, it will also contribute to your caffeine dependence.

Eventually, you should try to break this cycle. The only way is to gradually cut back. Some people even decide giving up on caffeine entirely then.

For those, decaf coffee might be a great option and alternative.

What Are Other Symptoms of Caffeine Withdrawal?

In general, health experts say that any caffeine withdrawal symptoms may start within the first 24 hours of your last consumption.

Some people eventually decide to abruptly quit from one day to the other. So, if you quit ‘cold turkey’, your symptoms may last up to a week.

Moreover, symptoms of caffeine withdrawal may not only be headaches. Here are a few other potential withdrawal symptoms you may experience.

• Fatigue
• Sleepiness
• Low energy
• Low mood
• Trouble concentrating

How Can I Better Reduce my Dependence on Caffeine?

Maybe quitting abruptly and going ‘cold turkey’ is not the best way.

Surely, one way to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms such as headaches is to reduce our dependence on caffeine.

But doing it too drastic may even end up in having more headaches.

Therefore, the best way is to cut back gradually and slowly.

In general, you can try to aim at reducing your overall caffeine intake by about 25 percent each week.

Here is an easy example. Maybe you usually drink 4 cups of coffee per day. So, for next week, you can just cut it down to 3 cups per day then.

Eventually, you can always continue until you feel more comfortable. Finally, you could go all the way down to only one or even no cups a day.

Again, if you still crave the taste of coffee. Just switch to decaf coffee and give it a try.

But please remember one thing. Many other food sources may contain quite significant caffeine amounts as well. Popular examples are black tea, soda and chocolate.

Alternatively, you can switch to non-caffeinated products here as well. These include herbal tea, seltzer with fruit juice. And, carob may help as well.

Final Thoughts – Caffeine Withdrawal and Headaches

Of course, coffee generally comes with a lot of great health benefits. This also includes caffeine and its effects.

In fact, some people even say that coffee makes us happier and live longer.

Furthermore, most people can manage their caffeine dependence without any issues. Or, they are able to effectively reduce their reliance on it without medical intervention.

However, other people may experience symptoms of caffeine withdrawal and headaches related to it.

If you are one of these people. I would like to recommend you to make an appointment with your doctor. Especially, if your headaches are also accompanied by the following health issues.

• Nausea
• Weakness
• Fever
• Double vision
• Confusion

Additionally, you should also see a doctor if your headaches occur more frequently. Or, they are even continuously increasing in severity.

So, how about you?

What are your thoughts on caffeine withdrawal and headaches? Do you maybe have any of these symptoms? If yes, how do you find relief?

Feel free to share your experiences with us.

Until then, stay safe and healthy.

Cheers!