Preventing Headaches

They are the culprits of a bad day, they are challenging, they are relentless, and they are stubborn. Headaches affect nearly 1 in 4 people in the United States. If you suffer from headaches, you know how frustrating and daunting they really are. Making simple changes to your daily routine may be key in eliminating these dreadful headaches.

Keep yourself hydrated. Not drinking the correct amount of water daily can harm your body and cause an assortment of issues, including frequent headaches. How much water are you supposed to drink in one day? There are many different theories out there, but to keep it simple, if you’re thirsty, drink. And during high heat and exercise, drink more water to compensate for fluids being lost. Health authorities recommend at least eight 8-ounce glasses of H2O per day.

Reduce your stress levels. One of the most common causes of headaches is stress. Whether you have a stressful job, or frequent anxiety, take matters into your hands, identify the possible stressors and deal with it. There are several stress management techniques that exist to help reduce one’s stress levels. These vary from aromatherapy to relaxing with friends to sitting down and talking out one’s problems. Regardless of how you choose to reduce your stress, you should notice a decline in the amount of headaches you experience.

Exercise more. The power of exercise is immense, and exercise has the capabilities of preventing frequent headaches, among other things. Aim for at least 30-60 minutes of exercise per day. Exercising releases endorphins, and improves blood circulation.

Rest more. If you sleep less than six hours per night, you’re bound to feel under the weather. Not getting enough sleep is known to cause multiple health risks, and if you’re in lacking sleep, you’ll probably experience a painful headache. Aim for 8 hours of sleep each night, or opt for a nap during the day if you need to reboot.

 There are several other tips on how to prevent headaches, but these are the most basic and simple changes one can make in order to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. Many headache sufferers don’t have any control on preventing or getting rid of a headache, so opting for pain relievers seems like a quick and easy fix. However, if you take pain medications more than 10 times per month, you may be creating counteractive headaches. These medications (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, etc…) cause something called “rebound headaches” as a result of a type of built up tolerance to the medications. Minimize your consumption of these, follow the simple steps above, and you may experience a decrease in headaches. Stay hydrated, reduce your stress, exercise
more, and get enough rest.

-Jessica Pence