Introduction
Headaches can stem from many different causes, including stress (tension headaches), swollen blood vessels (migraines), muscle tension, and withdrawal from alcohol or caffeine. Tension headaches are the most common type, and tend to reoccur, particularly if you're feeling stressed.
Everyone who's had a headache knows how painful they can be. In rare cases, a headache can also be a sign of a more serious illness.
Symptoms
Headaches from migraines can provoke nausea and vomiting. Muscle-tension headaches cause a steady, dull ache in the forehead or at back of the head that can last from 30 minutes to a few days. Headaches that last for at least two weeks in a month are considered chronic tension headaches. Sometimes, these involve constant pain or severe pressure on either side of the head. While tension headaches can make functioning difficult, migraine headaches are often debilitating and require bed rest.
Causes/Risk Factors
In many cases, headaches result from muscle tension in the neck and back, from prolonged sitting and improper posture, from stress and anxiety, or from a curvature of the spine. The influence or sudden withdrawal of all kinds of substances that affect the brain, including caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and drugs, can lead to headaches. So can blood sugar and blood pressure changes.
Head congestion from allergies or a sinus infection, a lack of oxygen in stuffy rooms with poor circulation, or illnesses like anaemia, often trigger head pain in sensitive people, as do variable weather conditions.
Other common cause of headaches are digestive disturbances, food allergies and sluggish bowels from constipation. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) -- a taste enhancer in many canned, packaged and restaurant foods -- can lead to severe headaches.
Overstrained eyes are another source of headaches. Meticulous work done in poorly lit conditions, hours of staring into computer screens and/or poor eyesight are among the underlying causes. Glaucoma should also be taken seriously if it is suspected.
Any noticeable headache following a hard bump on the head should be investigated, even if it occurs a few days after the injury. Headaches that continue for longer periods must also be closely examined as potentially symptomatic of a more serious problem.
What You Can Do
Stress is the single biggest cause of headaches. Learn to manage your stress and to resolve conflict through improved communication skills.
Don't skip meals and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.
Headaches can result from eating aged protein foods such as mature cheeses, cured meats and sausages, herring and pickled herring. These contain tyramine, a naturally occurring substance that can cause headaches. Other foods with tyramine include alcoholic beverages, chocolate, bananas, citrus fruits, avocado, cabbage and potatoes. Although tyramine-induced headaches are usually dull, they can become quite severe in combination with monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is used to enhance the taste of canned soups, TV dinners and meats. Check nutritional labelling to help you avoid foods that contain MSG.
Since caffeine withdrawal will often result in a headache, carefully regulate your intake of caffeine-containing foods and drinks -- coffee, tea, cola, coffee-flavoured ice-cream and coffee liqueurs -- or avoid them altogether.
Hunger headaches, to which hypoglycemics are particularly susceptible, can be prevented by carrying a small snack, such as a piece of cheese, to eat between meals.
If you have migraines, try to determine what may be triggering them. Possible trigger foods are those with sulphur and other substances that lower blood pressure, such as garlic, onions, green peppers, watermelon, cabbage, cucumber, parsley and radishes. Take note of the foods you ate before an attack and see if avoiding them reduces or eliminates your pain.
Get enough sleep, maintain good posture and try not to strain your eyes with prolonged reading or work on the computer.
Don't smoke and avoid secondhand smoke. If you do smoke, take steps to quit immediately.
If you have a headache, rest quietly and apply a hot water bottle or cold compress to the affected area. If you get recurring headaches, complementary therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy and biofeedback may help.
If your pain is severe, ask your doctor about pain-management therapies. Treatment may not eliminate headaches, but it could reduce your number of headaches and their severity.
Keep a log of the times of day when you get headaches and what you are thinking, feeling and doing before the headache started. This information could help you and your doctor find an appropriate treatment.
Contact your doctor right away if you get a severe or sudden headache (such as after a blow to your head) or if your headache is accompanied by a stiff neck, fever, confusion, loss of consciousness and pain in your eye or ear.
What can I take?
Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) are non-prescription medications commonly used to relieve headaches. Make sure to take these only as directed and never give a child or teen ASA without consulting your doctor. Furthermore, if you take these medications more than three times a week, you could experience rebound headaches once the medication wears off.
Eat green, leafy vegetables, white beans and whole grains for niacin (vitamin B3) and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). As well, natural, plain yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut provide friendly intestinal bacteria needed by the body to produce B vitamins. A healthy diet based on whole, real foods may be helpful.
Further Information
Contact the Migraine Association of Canada at www.migraine.ca or 1-800-663-3557.
