Feet in hot water for headaches: discover this natural remedy

Of course, it’s not advisable to rely on medical advice from TikTok (especially if it’s not from a doctor or other healthcare provider). However, some home remedies for migraines do help (more on that later). And while some people turn to traditional migraine treatments like medications, others may prefer options. That’s why we’ve also written about ice water for migraines , meditations for headaches , and eyebrow massage for headaches .

So before you dismiss the feet-in-the-heat trick, we asked the experts if there’s any science to back it up. Read on to find out.

Does soaking your feet in warm water help with migraines?

Hydrotherapy (i.e., the use of hot or cold water to treat a health condition) has been around for centuries. “There’s a long history of using ice or hot baths to help treat migraines,” says Noah Rosen, MD, a neurologist at Northwell Health. That said, “there’s little evidence to support it,” Dr. Rosen adds.

The common belief, especially on social media, is that warm water draws blood flow to the feet (i.e., away from the head), and that this helps relieve headaches. But Dr. Rosen says this explanation is incorrect: “The idea that warming the feet draws blood away from the brain is not correct.”

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That’s because it’s based on older theories of migraine, which hypothesized that changes in blood flow to the brain caused migraines. Although blood vessels constrict and dilate somewhat during an attack, that’s not the cause, says Anna Pace, MD, a neurologist and assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The main causes of migraine attacks are electrical activation in the brain and neuroinflammation, she says.

That being said, How warm water helps migraines is still “unknown and unclear,” Dr. Rosen says. He theorizes that it may have something to do with the way warm (or cold) temperatures stimulate nerve cells, particularly peripheral pain and light touch receptors. They may modify pain signals somehow, “with a secondary effect on the central nervous system,” he says. The effect may be similar to “peripheral electrical stimulation devices” that help stop and prevent migraines.

Although we still don’t know Why Hydrotherapy helps with migraines, and some preliminary research suggests that it does. “Almost 10 years ago, there was a small study of hydrotherapy where participants soaked their feet and arms in hot water for 45 days (and then got an ice massage of the head),” says Dr. Rosen, citing a 2016 study in the Journal of Neuroscience in Rural Practice, This showed that hydrotherapy reduced the frequency and intensity of headaches in people with migraine.

While promising, the results should be viewed with some caution. The treatment used in the study was quite rigorous: a much “more intense experience than just soaking your feet in hot water,” says Dr. Rosen. What’s more, it involved a combination of hot And cold therapies, not just hot tubs. All this to say, you may not have the same success if you just soak your feet in a hot tub (but hey, it can’t hurt to try).

How Long Should You Soak Your Feet in Hot Water for a Headache?

As long as you take a few precautions, a warm foot bath is generally safe for most people. “The[main]concern here is using water that is too hot, which can cause burns,” says Dr. Pace. (As if a headache isn’t bad enough, you definitely don’t want to add sunburn to your list of concerns.) You can prevent burns by making sure the water temperature isn’t too hot and limiting your bath to 20 minutes, says Dr. Rosen.

That said, some groups may want to skip the footbath altogether. “People who are older or have other health conditions (who may be more vulnerable to overheating or dehydration) may be at risk for more concerning side effects,” says Dr. Pace.

This also applies to people with heart problems. That’s because sudden or prolonged immersion in hot water can raise your body temperature, overheating your body and putting strain on your heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This can create a domino effect, leading to a dangerous rise (or fall) in blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms or, in severe cases, even a heart attack.

“Anyone with heart disease should consider getting the OK from their doctor” before trying this, Dr. Rosen says. If your doctor gives you the OK, give it a try. Just stay hydrated (keep a cold bottle of water handy) and watch for symptoms like dizziness, fainting, or nausea.

The same goes for anyone with neuropathy (nerve damage) in their feet. If neuropathy has caused numbness in your feet, you may not be able to accurately sense how hot the water is, putting you at greater risk for burns.

Does soaking your feet in cold water help with migraines?

Cold therapy has long been a popular home remedy for migraines. It makes sense: Ice packs have a numbing effect, so they can help relieve headaches.

Compared to warm foot baths, scientists have also done more studies on cold therapy for migraines. “There’s a little bit more data on ice packs or ice caps helping to relieve pain and reduce inflammation when used on the head” or neck, Dr. Pace says.

An example of this is a July 2013 study in the Hawaii Journal of Medicine and Public Health² found that applying a frozen neck bandage at the onset of a migraine attack significantly reduced headache pain.

That said, there’s still “no validated data on ice baths or soaking your feet in cold water for treating migraines,” Dr. Pace says. So if you’re going to give cold therapy a try, you’re better off sticking with the science-backed strategies and applying an ice pack to your head or neck.

Other treatments for migraine

While it’s always great to have options for migraine relief, warm foot baths can be a surefire way to stop migraine attacks. That said, you may want to stick with therapies that have a proven track record. Fortunately, “there are numerous medical treatments and other nonpharmacological treatments for migraines that have been shown to help stop and prevent migraine attacks,” says Dr. Pace.

Keep in mind: “What works for one person may not work for another,” she says. And often, it’s not just one approach, but a combination of things that helps. That’s why it’s important to always “discuss all your options with your doctor to find the right one for you,” Dr. Pace says.

From home remedies to medications and migraine-specific devices, these migraine treatments are tried and true, according to the Cleveland Clinic and Drs. Pace and Rosen:

• Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, naproxen, and caffeine are effective if you have mild to moderate migraine symptoms
• Medicines to stop migraines can stop or reduce migraine symptoms such as pain, nausea, light sensitivity, etc.
• Preventive migraine medications reduce how often and how severely migraines affect you, although you may need to take them daily
• Medical devices such as Nerivio, Cefaly and Relivion, vagus nerve stimulators and transcranial magnetic stimulators Use electrical pulses/stimulation or magnetic fields to help prevent migraines
• Regular sleep—Lack of sleep is a known trigger for migraines
• Ice packs, ice caps or other coolants can help numb and dull headaches
• Certain vitamins and supplements such as magnesium, riboflavin, coenzyme Q-10 and buttercup can help prevent migraine attacks
• Biofeedback helps you become aware of the tension in your body so that you can reduce it and prevent, reduce or stop migraines
• Relaxation techniques such as yoga may help relieve tension and stress, which can contribute to migraines
• Acupuncture may help activate pathways in the brain that can ‘turn off’ pain
• Topical peppermint oil or lavender may reduce the intensity, frequency and symptoms of migraine such as light sensitivity, nausea and vomiting
• Botulinum toxin type A injections, also known as Botoxinterrupts the pain pathway between the brain and the nerves in the spinal cord

When should you see a doctor?

When it comes to migraines, sometimes DIY approaches just don’t cut it. After all, migraines aren’t just any headaches: they can be debilitating headaches that can sideline you for hours (or even days).

If you have any of the following symptoms, it’s best to let your doctor know, according to Drs. Pace and Rosen:

• When headaches/migraines disrupt your daily life or routine (for example, if you feel too unwell to go to school or work)
• If your headache/migraine does not respond to over-the-counter treatments
• If your headache/migraine is accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, changes in vision or sensitivity to light

In addition to taking a history of your symptoms, your healthcare provider may also recommend blood tests or imaging tests. These tests help them get a more complete picture of your problem. “It’s always good to know what you’re dealing with and how to best treat it,” Dr. Rosen says.

The heart of the matter

“Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that soaking your feet in hot water helps cure migraines,” says Dr. Pace. Still, she acknowledges that “some people do find relief from discomfort with heat (or ice) therapy.”

“Think of heat therapies at the end of the day as more of a comfort measure,” Dr. Pace says. “They can help a patient feel a little less uncomfortable and maybe calmer.”

So while a warm foot bath probably won’t stop a migraine, doctors say, it can be a useful tool in your migraine toolbox. Again, for most people, managing a migraine is a combination of tactics. As long as you have medical clearance from your healthcare provider and follow a few safety precautions, there’s little harm in trying hydrotherapy.