I used to suffer from painful headaches often. These weren’t the typical tension type headaches, where a couple pills would make it go away. These were bad. Every muscle in my head, face, and neck would have tension and pain. The side of the head hurt, as well as the front and back. My eyelids would have muscle spasms. There were many variables that contributed to this muscle tension.
Physical therapy wasn’t going to help. Any work they could do would just be undone the next week I sat at a computer for 40 hours. Regardless if I had good posture or poor posture, repetitive strain would cause me tension type headaches.
What causes tension type headaches?
Dehydration
Dehydration is directly related to our poor posture. The worse my posture was, the worse my headache would be. The old version of me took hydration for granted. I didn’t drink much water. I would drink soda, alcohol, and energy drinks. The water that I did drink wasn’t optimal either. It would either be tap water or purified water. Neither of which contained minerals. For a deeper dive on this topic, check out my article titled Health Benefits of Proper Hydration.
Overused jaw muscles
I used to be a chronic mouth breather. I would rarely breathe through my nose. It was mostly through my mouth, both inhaling and exhaling. Overusing my jaw muscles to breathe through my mouth would cause excessive muscle tension and pain throughout my head, neck, and face.
For example, let’s say I would breathe 15 short, shallow times per minute back then. And that’s being generous. I probably averaged more breaths than that. If I opened my mouth to breathe 15 times per minute, that’s 900 times per hour. Being a chronic mouth breather, I got to the point where I didn’t open my mouth to breathe anymore. It just stayed open all the time. Even when I would close my lips, my teeth were still wide open because my jaw muscles were so used to being in that open position. This meant, not only were my jaw muscles overused, they also weren’t very active.
Sitting at a computer with poor posture
Sitting at a computer with poor posture caused me a lot of neck and shoulder tension and pain. One of the most important variables for good posture is having the top of our monitor screen at eye level. My monitor was too low. I would have to look down at it. Holding my head like this, for long periods of time, caused muscle tension on the front and back of my neck. The muscles on the front of my neck shortened, while the muscles on the back of my neck lengthened.
Nothing on my website is medical advice. It’s for informational purposes only. I share my experience, what has worked for me, and what hasn’t. I talk about the poor posture mistakes I’ve fixed and the good posture habits I’ve learned.
You are your primary caretaker. Not your doctor, surgeon, coach, or physical therapist. They all play a role. But, they also have their own agenda. Their motivation may not always in our best interest, regardless if it’s intentional or not. Do your research and make good decisions. Be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare and good posture.
How can I decrease head and neck tension?
I drink the right amount of quality water
My water drinking habits have improved greatly over the years. I drink a higher quality water than I used to. I stay away from tap water and purified water. For me, the key is to drink water that contains minerals. I drink spring, mountain, or natural artesian water. They have more minerals than tap or purified water. Minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, and silica are important variables to hydration, in addition to the liquid. I also drink more quantity of water than I used to. For a deeper dive on this topic, check out my article How Much Water Do I Need to Drink Per Day?
I breathe through my nose as much as possible, both inhaling and exhaling
Since I’ve started breathing through my nose more, I’ve noticed an improvement in the health of my jaw and face muscles. Their muscle tension is much more relaxed. My headaches have also decreased because I don’t open my mouth thousands of times a day to breathe. This took a lot of patience to get used to. The more I used my nose over time, the better my nose would work. Eventually, I could take slower, deeper breaths through my nose. I can breathe better now through my nose than I ever could through my mouth.
I used to get a couple tension type headaches a month. Now, I will go months without having one. It’s a pretty righteous feeling to be able to say that. Breathing through my nose more often played a large part in that. To learn why breathing is critical to good posture, check out my article titled Improve Your Posture By Breathing More Effectively.
Use a still point inducer
A still point inducer is a great way for me to relieve tension. It’s basically putting 2 tennis balls inside a sock, then using it as a pillow. This technique is relaxing for me. I lay flat on the floor, focus on taking deep breaths, and relaxing my muscles the best I can. I rest the base of the skull on the still point inducer. I make sure my shoulder blades are not digging into the floor. I let gravity gently pull my head down towards the floor over time. After a few minutes, I might move my head slightly to see if I can find any other tight trigger points. I usually do it for about 15 minutes. It’s been a helpful way for me to relieve muscle tension that would trigger headaches.
My neck and jaw were some of the most overused muscles in my body. They were held in poor posture positions for 40 hours a week, for many years. That’s about 2,000 hours each year. My neck muscles were constantly supporting my head while I was sitting at a computer. My head was always too far forward and looking down at an angle. The top of my monitor screen was not eye level. That’s one of the main variables I talk about in having good posture at a computer. Regardless if we are sitting or standing, the top of our monitor screen should be eye level.
My neck muscles used to lack proper blood flow and range of motion. The muscle tension was so tight, it wouldn’t respond to any type of quick stretches or strengthening exercises. In order to get solid results, it took a completely different kind of stretching to get blood circulation through these muscles. I thought of it more as improving the health of these muscles, as opposed to just simply stretching or strengthening them.
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or physical therapist. We’re all responsible for our own health and wellness. Make your own decisions carefully, with the help of a physician when necessary. I simply tell my personal story of how sitting at a desk destroyed my body, how I healed my pain, and how I prevent future injuries. I used an abundance of caution while practicing this technique. The head, neck, and spine are very stubborn, yet delicate parts of our body. Proceed at your own risk. Consult a doctor when necessary.
To decrease head and neck tension, my muscles needed to be stretched in a very slow and subtle process. The process couldn’t be rushed. At the same time, this is the best and quickest way that I know of. It’s also very relaxing.
How to make a still point inducer
- Get 2 tennis balls. Brand new balls are going to be more firm and more of an intense pull. An older tennis ball is going to be softer and less intense. Gravity will gently pull down as it takes over.
- Get a sock. It needs to have some length to it, not an ankle sock.
- Put the 2 tennis balls inside the sock. Make sure they are all the way down to the end where the toes would go. Make sure the tennis balls are touching each other.
- Tie a knot in the sock so the tennis balls won’t move.
- Lie on your back, on the floor. For extra comfort, I put a pillow under my knees to relieve tension in my legs, hips, and lower back.
- Place the still point inducer horizontally on the floor underneath the base of the skull. The tennis balls will be side by side, like your eyes. It’s kind of like using it as a pillow.
- Rest your head on the tennis balls gently. I like to focus on taking long, slow, deep breaths while I’m using it. When practicing this habit, I always breathe through my nose (both inhaling and exhaling). I don’t want to open my mouth because it will activate jaw muscles, which I am also trying to relax.
Some of the benefits I’ve gotten from better hydration, breathing through my nose more, and using a still point inducer are:
- Less muscle tension throughout my head, neck, jaw, and face
- Better range of motion in my neck
- No more tension type headaches
- Less congestion when breathing through my nose
- Increased energy throughout the day
- Improved mental clarity
- Neck pain is gone
- Less tension in my right shoulder
Sitting at a computer desk for a living doesn’t have to be a life sentence of muscle tension and pain. We just need to take the minimum amount of action required, that’ll relieve tension with the maximum amount of good posture results.
Thanks for your interest in sitting posture. If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You’re taking valuable steps to improve your good posture at a computer.
If this article was helpful, check out my book titled “45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture.” It’s available in both digital and paperback versions.
>>> Click here to pick up your copy
This book explains how to improve your posture through different variables of health and wellness. These include sitting posture, standing posture, sleep, hydration, and breathing. Poor posture is not just how we sit at a computer. The health habits we practice, 24 hours a day, are directly related to how good (or bad) our computer posture is.
Go to SittingPosture.com/book to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen
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