34% Of People Chose This As Their Go-To Remedy For A Headache

Headaches can come out of nowhere and wipe out your entire day. They make everything harder to do, and most of the time, they don't seem to have any obvious cause. Of course there are a ton of home remedies for headaches, and most stores have a whole aisle dedicated to over-the-counter painkillers, while experts have their own suggestions such as acupuncture and yoga (via Health).

When you have a headache, the last thing you want to do is stare at an aisle full of bottles, and few people can easily arrange for acupuncture treatments at a moment's notice. Fewer still can find the energy for yoga when they're in pain. So we asked our readers to share their top go-to headache remedy. Over 500 people answered, choosing from one of five survey options.

A surprising number of participants all settled on the same answer. Even more surprisingly, almost as many people wrote in their own answers. In the end, medication won out, but of all the well-known headache medications out there, one stole the show.

More than 34% of our readers were happy to proclaim aspirin as the best headache remedy and their go-to painkiller, and likely for good reason. The International Aspirin Foundation traces the drug's roots back to an herbal remedy that has been used in multiple cultures and countries around the world for centuries. In the form we know today, it has been helping people deal with pain for more than 100 years.

Two other well-known painkillers took second and third place in our survey, both of them written in as an "other" vote. Almost 20% of people opted for a write-in answer, far beyond what our surveys usually see. When we read through the answers, we could see why. Tylenol, known generically as acetaminophen, dominated the write-ins. Advil, also known as ibuprofen, was another popular choice and netted the third most votes out of all medication. 

Trailing behind, were naproxen and Excedrin migraine. Although Excedrin is technically a combination of acetaminophen, caffeine, and aspirin (via Drugs.com), it's important to note that migraines and headaches hit people differently. The same remedies may help, but you might need a few additional tricks up your sleeve. So the next time a headache takes a swipe at you, swipe back with a little aspirin or another one of our readers' favorite remedies such as massage, hydrating, and using a hot compress. Then, seal the deal with one of these migraine-fighting foods for good measure.