Preventing Headaches

Did you know that the most prevalent reason that people visit their doctors is for the relief from common headaches? There is no single source of headache pain, as they come in a variety of types, intensity and duration. Some headaches stem from food allergies, medication use, or even stress-related problems, while others may be triggered from the consumption of alcohol or caffeine. Headaches may occur in clusters and form what is called a migraine pattern, including blurred vision, dizziness, and odd scents. For women, some headaches are hormonally driven in relationship to their monthly cycles. Pain from a headache can be located in different areas -- your head may ache on one or both sides, at the crown, or even around the neck and shoulder areas.

Prevention

When it comes to a bad headache, the best thing to do is try to prevent one, if possible. How do you do this? The first step is to keep a small diary or log of when your headaches occur, the circumstances that surround the headaches, and their duration. Be sure to note when they are better or worse and if you treated the headache what was successful and what wasn’t. Although illness-borne headaches cannot be avoided, headaches due to lifestyle issues are possible to manage successfully.

Food Or Allergy-related Headaches

Do you often get a headache after eating Chinese food? If so, be sure and note this in your diary as you might be sensitive to MSG, a common ingredient found in Chinese dishes that causes headaches or other problems in certain individuals. Perhaps, however, you only get a headache at certain times of the year, especially in the morning and after sleeping with the windows open. This might indicate a sinus-related condition in which you will benefit greatly from medication and closed windows.

Stress-induced Headaches

Learn what triggers your stress-related headaches and take steps to avoid them. For instance, if dealing with an argumentative co-worker frequently causes you a headache, you’ll want to either avoid that person or if that’s not possible play down the conflict. Perhaps you can request a transfer to another department. Whatever the stressful situations are in your life try to take steps to downplay them and reduce the frequency of your stress-induced headaches.

Lifestyle Changes

In order to reduce the frequency or intensity of your headache discomfort your doctor may be able to recommend some lifestyle changes. One example of a lifestyle change would be to exercise daily, thereby improving your circulation and reducing your stress, and in the end, preventing headache pain. Another common recommendation that seems to help a lot of people is to eat healthier foods that contain few preservatives. Another way to ease your lifestyle a bit is to keep a journal. Rather than bottling up all of your anxieties which can cause headache pain, record any negative events that take place during the week (or several times) a week.

Be Proactive

By learning how to head those symptoms off, you will soon feel better and experience fewer headaches. Taking a proactive stance and asking your doctor for more information on preventing or educing headache pain is a step in the right direction.