A Headache’s Best Cure…Sex
Your head is throbbing. You can feel pain and pressure starting to form around your temples–you reach for a painkiller. While you don’t like the idea of depending on pharmaceutical drugs, this headache gives you no choice. Or does it?
What if the best cure for a throbbing migraine or insufferable headache was sex?
A team of neurologists at the University of Munster in Germany found that sexual activity can lead to either the partial or complete relief of headaches and migraines, according to a new study. The study, published in Cephalagia, found that during a migraine those that had sex found relief. One in five patients, especially male sufferers, had reduced symptoms, likely a result of an endorphin release, according to The Telegraph.
Immediate Headache Relief
“Our results show that sexual activity during a migraine attack might relieve or even stop an attack in some cases, and that sexual activity in the presence of headache is not an unusual behavior,” as reported by The Telegraph.
An anonymous questionnaire asked 800 migraine respondents and 200 headache sufferers to answer questionnaires relating to their sexual activity and whether it relieved their migraines. Of the respondents, one third reported sexual activity and of those, 37 percent reported an improvement in their symptoms. Ninety percent reported moderate to complete relief, while 50 percent reported a worsening headache.
While the causes of migraines are not completely understood, a number of factors seem to contribute including hormones, genetics, certain foods, alcohol, stress, weather changes, and medications. This is the first time doctors have tied migraines to sexual activity, but dietary changes and cutting alcohol consumption have shown promise.
