Are you suffering from that hard banging in your head? Learn about the common causes of headaches and the simple remedies for preventing them from happening.
What Is Headache?
Headache is a condition that commonly causes pain or discomfort in the head, face, neck, or shoulders. Headaches can vary in severity and may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sound. There are varying kinds of headaches, and each type has its own set of causes.
Primary headaches, such as migraine and tension-type headaches, are not caused by other underlying conditions. However, secondary headaches can be brought on by infections, injuries, or other health problems.
This article looks at common causes of headache and helps you find simple ways to prevent it.
Common Causes of Headache
The following are common headache causes you should be aware of so that you can be able to prevent them.
Tension headaches are the most common. Their cause is the muscle tension in the head and neck.
Migraines are a headache often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Cluster headaches are called clusters because they tend to occur in clusters or groups. They are often very severe and can be accompanied by tearing eyes and a runny nose.
Sinus headaches typically involve pain in the forehead, cheeks, or bridge of the nose and are caused by inflammation of the sinuses.
Hormonal headaches can be caused by changes in hormone levels, such as during menstruation or menopause. They can also be caused by taking birth control pills or other hormonal medications.
How to Prevent the Common Headaches
Below are some key remedies you can take to prevent the common headaches.
Tension Headaches
There are varying actions you can take to prevent tension headaches. They include simple adjustment of your lifestyle that can make a big change.
Engage in regular exercise: Exercise can help reduce stress and tension in your body. It also helps to keep your neck and shoulder muscles strong and flexible.
Practice good posture: Slouching can lead to tension in your neck and shoulders. Stand tall and sit up straight to help prevent tension headaches.
Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can increase stress levels and make you more susceptible to headaches. Target a sleep of 7-8 hours each night.
Eat a healthy diet: Eating nutritious foods helps keep your body and mind healthy. Eat a diet rich in fruits and avoid processed foods and that will help reduce tension headaches.
Limit your caffeine intake. Caffeine can trigger or worsen tension headaches. So cut back on coffee, tea, and soda to see if it makes a difference.
Manage stress levels: Stress can contribute to tension headaches. Learning how to manage stress can help prevent these headaches.
By ensuring that you are following these steps, you can help prevent tension headaches. If you do get a headache, over-the-counter pain relievers can help. If headaches are severe or frequent, talk to your doctor.
Migraine Headaches
The following are simple ways you can prevent migraines.
Get enough sleep: Migraine headaches can be triggered by a lack of sleep, so ensure you're getting enough rest. Majority of people require between seven and eight hours of sleep per night.
Avoid triggers: Identify and avoid your migraine triggers. Common triggers include stress, bright lights, strong smells, and certain foods.
Eat regular meals: Skipped meals can trigger migraines, so eating regularly throughout the day is important.
Exercise regularly: Exercise can help reduce stress and tension, triggering migraines. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week.
Take medications as prescribed: If you're taking medication for migraines, be sure to take it as directed by your doctor. That can extensively reduce or check the severity of migraines.
Cluster Headaches
Below are good measures you can try to prevent cluster headaches.
Avoid triggers that may bring on an attack: These triggers include alcohol, bright lights, and strong smells. You may also prevent attacks by quitting smoking if you are a smoker.
Keep a headache diary: This can help you identify your triggers. Once you identify the triggers, you can try to avoid them.
Clusterbusters: An organization dedicated to helping those with cluster headaches recommends various treatments that may help prevent attacks. These treatments include oxygen therapy, preventive medications, and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic care.
Sinus Headaches
There are several ways to prevent sinuses headaches and the main one is avoiding triggers that can cause them. These include:
Smoking
Exposure to secondhand smoke
Pollution
Changes in weather or altitude
Strong smells
Another way to prevent sinus headaches is to keep your sinuses clear. That can be done by:
Using a humidifier
Rinsing your sinuses with saline water
Avoiding allergies
Treating any infections promptly
If you do get a sinus headache, over-the-counter pain relievers can help. Seek doctor’s attention if the headaches are severe.
Hormonal Headaches
Below are some steps you can take to help prevent hormonal headaches.
Try and have a regular sleep schedule: Having enough sleep can help keep your hormones in balance and may help reduce the frequency of headaches.
Eat a healthy diet and avoid foods that trigger headaches: Keeping your blood sugar stable can also help minimize hormone fluctuations and help prevent headaches.
Exercise regularly: Exercise can help reduce stress and improve your overall health, both of which can help keep hormonal headaches at bay.
If you do experience a hormonal headache, over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help relieve the pain. However, if your headaches are severe or frequent, talk to your doctor about other treatments that may be available.
Final Thought
Headaches are a common health problem, but there are things you can do to help prevent them. If you get headaches often, keeping a diary of your symptoms can help you identify triggers and find ways to avoid them. There are also a variety of treatment methods available that can help relieve headache pain. If you're concerned about your headaches, talk to your doctor.
