Are you noticing that frequent headaches are getting in the way of your concentration, having fun with friends, and disrupting your life at the most unwelcome times?
If you’re experiencing garden-variety headaches — and not severe, complicated migraine attacks — you’re not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in three people cope with one or more headache disorders over the course of a year that aren’t migraine (one in seven are living with migraine, a neurological disorder).
Persistent headaches can be hard to figure out, since they’re associated with many possible triggers.
When you visit Houston Neurological Institute, our talented and caring provider team is experienced with helping patients find the root cause of their chronic headaches and creating customized, evidence-based treatment plans.
They’re also committed to helping you avoid headache triggers so you can feel more in control as you go forward, armed with a headache management plan.
One of the most important things you can do when you team up with your provider-ally at Houston Neurological Institute is to start journaling about what you notice you’re doing before your headache strikes. You may see a pattern.
As we noted, many factors cause headache patterns to develop, and here are the top five.
If you go too long without eating or shortchange yourself on fluid intake, you’re setting yourself up for a headache. And if you neglect those things often, you may find your head aching frequently, as well.
Try not to get too hungry, and keep a small bag of healthy snacks (think raisins and nuts or a granola bar and a piece of fruit) and a bottle of water on hand in your car, the office, or your purse, so you’re not caught empty-handed — and at risk for a headache.
Adults between 18 and 64 should get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. If you’re not well-rested, you’re particularly at risk for a tension headache, which causes a dull pain that feels like a band around your head.
None of us can escape stress entirely — it’s part of life. Work deadlines, family obligations, and financial challenges can pile up.
Unchecked stress is a cause of headaches, and if chronic stress is a normal part of life, your headaches may also become habitual.
There are steps you can take to manage your stress effectively, so you’re not plagued by headaches and many other problematic stress-related symptoms — from irritability to digestive problems.
Speaking with a therapist can help you sort out what’s causing your stress so you can understand it better, while self-care habits like eating well, exercising regularly, and, yes, getting good rest, can also help tame it.
Getting outside, spending time with friends, and reserving time for a mindfulness technique like meditation can also go a long way in soothing stress — and reducing headaches.
Some people are sensitive to alcohol, and just one glass of wine can trigger a headache. Or, if you drink any type of alcohol heavily, you’re likely to have a hangover — and the headache that accompanies it — the following day.
Evaluate your alcohol consumption, and if you’re noticing headaches after drinking or with hangovers, cut your consumption or quit entirely. It’s not worth the pain!
Many of us do, and looking at our computer screens and phones constantly is a recipe for an eyestrain headache.
One thing that helps is changing your view every once in a while throughout the day. Try following the “20-20-20 rule,” which involves taking a 20-second break from staring at your screen every 20 minutes, and looking at something that’s about 20 feet away.
These headaches may also point to the fact that you either need to have your vision corrected or your glasses or contact lens prescription updated.
Armed with the knowledge of what combination of factors might be causing your headaches, your Houston Neurological Institute provider can treat you appropriately.
Your provider considers the frequency of your headaches, their severity, and their cause(s) as they formulate your treatment plan, which may consist of:
There’s no question that dealing with headaches that keep coming back lowers your quality of life in many ways. You don’t have to endure frequent headaches anymore. Seek expert care from Houston Neurological Institute.
Simply call our Pasadena or Pearland office to schedule an appointment, or book one with us online.
