Headaches
“Sometimes it can feel like pounding on your temples, other times like your head is in a vice.”
Descriptions of headache pain are as countless as those who experience them. Over 40 million Americans suffer from headaches. Each year we spend billions of dollars on over-the-counter pain relievers, treating the symptom rather than preventing or managing the problem.
Headache Types
The medical profession is beginning to unravel the mystery of headaches, particularly the tension type, which account for up to 90 percent of all headaches. Also know as stress headaches, they are equally common in men and women and can cause dull steady pain in the forehead, temples, back of neck or entire head. Tension headaches are believed to be triggered by stress, fatigue, poor posture, too much or too little sleep, too little food or water, depression, gum chewing and teeth grinding.
The other major type of headache is migraine. Migraines, four times more common in women than men, are often hereditary and can be exacerbated by diet, stress, hormonal and environmental changes. Sufferers can choose from avoiding trigger-foods to taking medications that stop migraines mid-attack.
Self-Help Strategies for Tension Headaches
Keeping a headache diary can help you (and your health provider, if needed) identify what triggers them and how medications, diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors may prevent and relieve the pain. Document frequency, suspected triggers, duration, and effective and non-effective relief methods. Some effective self-help strategies for prevention of tension headaches include:
* Relaxing with techniques that reduce muscle tension: regular exercise, deep breathing three to four times per day, standing up and walking around if you sit for long periods of time.
* Stretching throughout the day with gentle shoulder and neck rolls.
* Structuring your workload to avoid prolonged periods in one position and maintaining a comfortable posture at your computer workstation, desk, etc.
* Eating regular meals and drinking plenty of water and other fluids.
* Getting enough sleep.
* Reducing or avoiding the following (if they are a headache trigger for you): red wine, beer and distilled spirits, chocolate, aged cheese, nitrite-cured meats, MSG.
Pain Busters
* Applying ice to the neck.
* Taking a hot shower, bath or applying moist heat where it hurts.
* Massaging the neck, shoulders and head.
* Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever that works for you (aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Consult your health care provider if you find yourself needing more medication than usual or if they fail to relieve the pain.
* Drinking a caffeinated beverage. This works best for those who do not regularly consume caffeine.
Warning Signs
* When headaches interfere with quality of life or daily functioning, it is time to seek help. Only 2 percent of headaches are symptoms of more serious underlying disorders with the most common being high blood pressure, followed by stroke, or very rarely, a brain tumor. If your headache has any of the following characteristics, seek medical attention immediately:
* A headache with a fever or stiff neck.
* An increase in the frequency or severity of head pain (worse than any headache you have had before).
* Headaches that get worse over days to weeks.
* Headache that persists following a head or neck injury.
Remember, a headache can provide you with important information about what’s going on in your body. It can indicate that you are stressed, tired, depressed, or that your diet is deficient. Pay attention to the signals and give your body what it needs.