Next time your head starts pounding, think twice before you pick up the packet of painkillers for a cure.
The latest research claims that drinking a glass of water could be as effective a cure as a small pill.
Scientists say that regularly sipping water can reduce the severity of headaches and migraines, and thus reduce the need for tablets.
The researchers found that drinking about seven glasses of water a day was enough to ease pain and improve the quality of life in patients who regularly suffer from headaches.
The scientists, based in the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, noticed a patient’s recovery from migraines when he was told to drink more water for his bladder problem.
The head researcher Dr Mark Spigt decided to recruit more than 100 patients who frequently suffered from severe or mild headaches to take part in the research project.
The scientists advised the patients on how to ease their discomfort, including reducing stress, how to improve their sleeping patterns and how to avoid caffeine.
But half of the patients were also told to drink 1.5 litres of water a day for three months, on top of their normal liquid intake.
At the end of the few months, the patients filled out a questionnaire on how they felt and the results were evident.
Published in the journal ‘Family Practice’, the results showed those who drank the extra water scored far higher in the questionnaire, and had experienced a noticeable decrease in their headaches and their headaches’ severity.
The researchers said; “We suspect that some headache patients may benefit from drinking more water and it seems reasonable to recommend they try drinking more for a short period of time to see if they experience an improvement.”
