Medical practitioners usually classify headaches into two categories.  The first category,  primary headaches, are those headaches that are not caused by some sort of underlying disease.  These include the more common headaches like migraines, tension headaches, and cluster headaches.  Secondary headaches, the second category of headaches, are usually caused by some sort of associated disease such as strokes, brain tumors, meningitis, or by a chemical dependency, such as caffeine withdrawal.

This article will cover the top 5 causes of primary headaches, since these tend to be the most common, and will discuss simple things you can do to prevent these triggers from ruining your day.

It’s estimated that Americans spend more than $4 billion a year on various types of headache treatments.  Everything from over-the-counter drugs and pain relievers to more exotic treatments like magnetic headbands and robotic scalp massagers.  Believe me, once you’ve got a pounding headache, you’ll try anything to make it to go away.

But rather than trying to “cure” a headache once it’s taken control of you, doesn’t it make more sense to try to prevent it from occurring in the first place?  One way of doing that is to become aware of the common things that trigger most headaches – and then take a couple of simple steps to prevent them from growing into a major problem.

Here’s a list of the 5 things that trigger most headaches and what you can do to reduce their effect:

1.  The Stress in Your Life.

You’re probably saying “duh” to this one.  When your nerves are on edge due to stress, it can trigger migraines as well as “tension” headaches.  Unfortunately, stress seems to be a routine part of daily life and can be caused by everything from your kids fighting with each other to rush hour traffic.  Please take note of the first part of the last statement:  “stress seems to be a routine part of daily life.”  In other words, stress is always there and even though you can try to “de-stress” by doing something you enjoy, in the back of your mind, you’re probably still stressing over all the problems that are going to be waiting for you when you get back home.

So what’s the answer?  The answer isn’t in constantly trying to de-stress, although it definitely helps to do that every once in a while.  But let’s face it, you can’t spend all day “hiding” from the world in whatever “stress-free” zone you’ve built for yourself.   For example, I love to meditate but it’s unrealistic to spend the entire day in meditation.  If you do, you’ll miss all the wonderful things life has to offer.  You’ll miss out on life itself.

The best solution, in my opinion, is to learn how to become better at handling stress. I’ve found two things that have helped me beat stress over the years.  The first is physical exercise. Every one or two hours, take 5 minutes and do something physical.  It can be as simple as getting up and walking around the office to the copy machine and back.  My favorite is to climb up a flight of stairs and then come back down.  Anything that gets your heart beating a little faster will help to melt stress away.

The second is your mental attitude. I’ve learned to live with the attitude that no matter happens, “this too shall pass.”  And believe me, with the business I’m in, I’ve been in some serious positions (IRS problems, for one) that should have driven me to drink.  But I’ve trained myself to have faith, to believe that somehow, we’d get through it, and we always have.  A good mental attitude will prevent stress from taking over your life.

Stress is the number one trigger of most headaches.  Because it’s a part of our routine lives, you need to have a strategy in place ahead of time in order to reduce its damaging effects.

2.  Eyestrain While Reading or Watching.

Most of us nowadays spend some portion of our day staring at a computer screen.  Emails, instant messaging, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, all seem to be part of the modern workplace.  When you spend several hours hunched over a computer, something that’s easy to do when you’re surfing the Net, your eyes can get strained and trigger a headache.

You can easily prevent that from happening by taking frequent breaks to change your eye’s range of focus.  If you’ve spent the past hour starting at your computer screen (close or short-distance focus), spend a minute or two looking at something on the opposite wall (mid to long distance focus).  Give your eyes a “workout” by switching from focusing on something close, to something distant, then to something in between.  Doing this a couple of times only takes a minute and will go a long ways towards reducing eyestrain.

If you find that you’re still getting headaches after reading or working at a computer, consider having your eyes checked to determine whether or not you may need reading glasses.  If you already use reading glasses, an eye exam will determine whether or not your prescription needs to be adjusted.  By the way, even if you don’t wear glasses (or contacts), having your eyes checked every two years should be a routine part of your health maintenance plan anyway.

Oh, I mentioned that you might be “hunched” over a computer screen so don’t forget to add a couple of slow neck turns and shoulder shrugs in order to reduce any muscle tension in those areas (see number 4 below).

3.  What you Eat and Drink.

A lot of foods contain chemicals (either naturally or through additives) that can trigger headaches so it’s important to be aware of the effects of what you eat and drink on your body. Items like coffee, tea, sodas, cocoa, and most chocolates contain caffeine, a natural chemical that is pretty addictive.  If you’re a 2-3 cup a day coffee drinker, or if you drink 2-3 sodas a day like I did, try going a day without drinking coffee or sodas and see what happens.  Instant headache.

Other foods may contain additives that can trigger headaches.  Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and some artificial sweeteners (aspartame) are just two examples.

Lastly, missing or skipping a meal, either because you’re trying to diet or because you’re just too busy to eat, can trigger a “hunger” headache.

The best way to prevent headaches caused by your diet is to try to eat a balanced one that’s high in fiber and nutrition and low in fats, sugars, and additives.  Here’s another tip:  make sure you drink plenty of water during the day.

4.  Sitting for Long Periods.

If you work in an office, sitting for long periods is probably part of your job.  But sitting hunched over a computer screen or talking on the phone can quickly lead to tension headaches caused by tight shoulder, neck, and back muscles that are spending too much time in one position.  The best way to prevent these types of headaches is to take frequent short breaks to loosen these muscle groups.

It’s easy to loosen these muscles and you don’t even need to leave your office or cubicle.  Simply sit back in your chair and relax your shoulders.  Bring them down as low as they’ll go.  Now move them forward as far as they’ll go.  Now back.  You get the idea.  Slowly work them back and forth, then up and down until they feel lose and relaxed.

Now do the same with your neck muscles.  Relax your neck and slowly let it drop forward so you chin is on your chest.  Now slowly move it as far back as you can until you’re looking up at the ceiling.  Now try to put your left ear on your left shoulder, followed by moving your neck in the other direction.  Lastly, look forward and then slowly move your neck all the way to the left, and then all the way to right as if you’re trying to see someone over your shoulder.  The key is to move your head slowly and to focus on staying relaxed.

Your back is just as easy to stretch and loosen.  Push your chair back and then just lean as far forward as you can.  Try to touch your toes.  You can also do this standing up.  Just feel your back muscles stretch and begin to relax and loosen.  Now stand up, put your hands on your waist, and slowly rotate your hips in a big, wide circle feeling your lower back stretch as you do so.  Now, slowly rotate your hips in the other direction.

These exercises shouldn’t take more than a minute or two and can be done right at your desk.  They’ll prevent your neck, shoulder, and back muscles from triggering a tension headache.

5.  The Quality and Amount of Sleep.

Not getting enough sleep, not getting good quality sleep, or in some cases, getting too much sleep, can all trigger headaches.  In all of these cases, your brain just isn’t getting enough down time (or REM sleep).  All of us go through a natural sleep cycle when we sleep.  If that cycle is disturbed, either because the alarm goes off too soon (or too late) or because of some sort of physical problem (like sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome), it can lead to waking up tired, listless, and with a headache.

To prevent this headache trigger from ruining your day, try to plan your activities so that you get a full night’s sleep.  Try to make sure your sleep is restful by not eating a heavy meal or drinking alcohol too close to bedtime.  Also make sure your sleeping “gear” (your bed and mattress, your bedroom, your pajamas, the temperature in your bedroom, etc) is in good shape and is not preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep.

Conclusion.

There are other headache triggers but these 5 cover the ones that cause the majority of headaches.  Fortunately, these are also the easiest to defend against.  Although I’ve given you a variety of ways to prevent these triggers from creating headaches, most of them boil down to a few basic steps that should be part of your health plan anyway:

• Exercise where and when you can, even if its stretching for a minute or two at your desk;
• Have a positive mental attitude;
• Eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water;
• Get a good night’s sleep.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

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