Headaches and migraines are a common occurrence and in most cases are completely harmless. Of course, if the headaches are recurring, then it might be time to visit a doctor but most of the time the main reason behind headaches is simple things such as a lack of proper hydration, or maybe a lack of sleep if you’re addicted to caffeine and you didn’t have your morning coffee, and similar reasons that can easily be solved. Often, headaches and migraines can be caused by stress or in situations where you have to deal with a lot of pressure. Whatever the reason might be, as we said, in most cases it’s harmless, yet they’re nevertheless annoying and make everyday life and finishing basic tasks a bit harder than expected. Especially severe migraines can numb you for an hour and completely incapacitate you to do anything. So, how can you deal with them? What measures should you take? And what steps can you follow to make them go away for good, or at least reduce them to a minimum? These questions and more we’ll answer in the text below. Let’s take a deep dive and see what we can find out. Read on!
Identifying Triggers
To cure the disease, you’ll need to know the cause, and the same applies to this situation as well. To better treat headaches and migraines, you’ll need to directly attack the cause of the problem. Or better say, you’ll need to act preventively to avoid triggers and make sure you’re scratching the main reason why these headaches and migraines keep happening. Now, we already stated some basic causes depending on the type of headaches you’re having. We’ll get into more detail about the many different types, but for now, the main things to rule out are some commonly accepted ones, such as a lack of water, caffeine, and sleep. Migraine is a bit different as modern medicine still doesn’t agree on one cause and it can be related to several different issues. Some say it’s inherently, others might argue the many different causes, and the majority is linked to certain environmental factors and triggers in your surroundings. Whatever the reason might be, by avoiding these triggers and making sure you’re presently acting to stop the headaches and migraines from ever happening, you’ve already solved half the problem.
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
No matter the kind of health issue you’re having, adjusting your current lifestyle and making sure you’re sticking to a certain plan can help prevent headaches and migraines. Whenever we’re in pain, no matter whether it’s the head or any other body part, our bodies are telling us something, and in most cases, it’s time to make certain adjustments to the way we eat, sleep, and exercise. Small changes can go a long way. You can start by regulating your sleep schedule. To have 8 hours of quality sleep, you’ll need to go to bed early (possibly anything before midnight would be preferable), and you’ll need to get up early to catch the best part of the day. This practice regulates your hormone levels, balances your cortisol, and has a beneficial effect on your metabolism and blood pressure. Eating healthy is another factor. Avoiding eating late is something most of us find difficult but remember, if your body is busy processing the food you eat just an hour before going to bed, you can imagine how it affects your sleep and other body functions. If you find it too hard, at least avoid heavy meals.
Physical exercises and regular hydration are other things on the list. Our bodies are mostly made out of water, so making sure you’re taking the necessary steps to keep yourself well-hydrated is something you’ll be grateful for later on. Physical exercise is balancing out your whole body and you’re naturally getting rid of many different toxins.
Different Therapies
When it comes to different treatment options, it depends on whether you’ve already tried the above-mentioned adjustment and changes to your lifestyle or not. If you did, and the headaches and migraines are recurring and still happening, you might look into some treatments that have been proven to be effective in combating these conditions. You can always visit a headache clinic and you’ll find the necessary help there. In most cases, different therapies are being prescribed to balance out whatever seems to be a bit off and causing all the trouble. You do all the necessary labs and tests and once they’ve established the root cause, you’ll hop on to a treatment plan to directly combat the condition. Alternative therapies can be used in conjunction with established migraine and headache treatments. Acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, biofeedback, and massage therapy have demonstrated potential for lowering the frequency and intensity of headaches.
Over-the-counter and Prescription Medications
One thing to keep in mind is that in most cases, the over-the-counter prescription medication only affects the symptoms and rarely heals the main cause of the headache. It does give instant relief and makes it possible to go back to your daily activities like usual. Over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen are frequently beneficial for mild to moderate headaches. For more severe migraines, prescription medicines such as triptans, ergotamines, or anti-nausea medications may be required. But all this shouldn’t be taken on your own, and we highly recommend consulting with your doctor beforehand to make sure you’re not doing anything wrong or anything that might damage your health more than do it any good.
Stress Management
One of the main reasons why these conditions are recurring is because of constant exposure to stress-related situations that make it extremely difficult to prevent headaches and migraines from ever happening again. Especially if your job is stressful, you’re constantly in an environment that causes or triggers headaches and migraines without you even realizing it. The best way to avoid this is to manage stressful situations more effectively. Mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation are all effective stress management approaches that can help to lessen the frequency and severity of headaches. Hobbies, spending time with loved ones, and scheduling time for relaxation can all help to reduce stress.
If you’re approaching the issue effectively, you’ll find it easier to manage the long-term effects of the problem. All in all, it doesn’t take much and with a bit of patience, you’ll find it rewarding in the end.
