If you always suffer from headaches for being cooped up in the office all day long, you are not alone. Such headache is often accompanied by fatigue and tired eyes which is due more to the office environment than anything else. It makes you lose concentration and interest and you end up feeling irritable and unproductive.
But wait, before you start reaching for that painkiller tablet, try these 5 tips first and see if they help.
1. Get More Fresh Air
Most office buildings are air-conditioned where supply of fresh air is poor. The air quality worsens with the chemicals released from the air-conditioning system, air fresheners, insecticides, pesticides and the pollutants already exist in the building. Breathing in these harmful substances can trigger headaches.
What you can do is open the office windows regularly to let in fresh air. If this is impossible in your work environment, then get out of the buildings at times for a breather. Or, get your boss or employer to install air purifiers or/and filters and ensure regular cleaning and servicing of the aircon system in the office.
2. Your Eyes Need to Breathe Too
Overworking our eyes can cause headaches too. This is because the muscles around our eyes get cramps which will stress the optic nerves connecting to our brain.
Ideally, after every hour of focusing on the computer or documents, we should try to look into a distance from a high place for 5 minutes to give our eyes a break.
If the problem persists, go check up with your eye specialist.
3. Mind Your Sitting Posture
A poor sitting posture may hinder blood circulation, thereby causing headaches. As a rule of thumb, always keep the head aligned with the spine, and the wrists straight and aligned with the forearms. That’s why our chairs are very important in giving us a good support for our back to avoid slouching.
Avoid habits that could strain your muscles thereby causing headaches. E.g. we love to grip the phone between our shoulder and ear to talk on the phone while our hands are still on the keyboard. In the long run, we can develop headaches due to prolonged straining of the muscles.
4. Stress is the Killer
Stress, coupled with exhaustion and anxiety, could easily lead to headaches or tension in the neck muscles. Though this is mostly unavoidable in our fast-paced environment, we should somehow learn to “spread out” our stress.
We can stop work a while to crack a joke or two with colleagues, or to enjoy a ten-minute tea break at the pantry. Sometimes, a little distraction does us good.
5. DIY Massages
Rest your hands on top of your head at each side and spread your fingers. Using your fingertips, start knocking lightly from the top and to the sides, for at least 10 times on each area. When you reach the sides of your head, slowly massage the areas with your fingers to ease the pressure. Do this for at least 10 minutes or till you feel relaxed.
You can also massage the acupoints on your head to help you feel relaxed, like this: Place your palms on top of your head and start massaging from top and to the sides. You can adjust the pressure applied according to your needs. After that, use your fingers to comb through your head like you’re combing your hair but the pressure exerted should be greater than just combing your hair.
