The
vast majority of headaches are brought on by stress or nervous tension. So
before you start popping pain relievers or searching for crazy remedies, try to
pinpoint the reason your head hurts. That should help you find the most
effective solution. Ponder the past 24 hours and ask yourself these questions:
1. Did I get a good night’s
sleep?
2. Have I eaten well?
3. Have I had a bowel
movement?
4. Am I facing a pressing work
deadline?
5. Have there been chances or
unusual events at home?
6. Is there something I’m
dreading (like dental work or a job interview)?
An
overload of caffeine can cause a headache — but so can abruptly swearing off the
stuff. For those of you who routinely drink four to six cups of coffee a day,
and then suddenly stop, it’s all but guaranteed that your head will hurt like
the dickens. So if you want to break the coffee habit, reduce your intake
gradually over a month or so.
And
it should come as no surprise that another common cause of headaches is staring
at a computer for hours on end. The easy good-riddance routine: Leave your desk
every half hour or so, or at least shift your eyes away from the screen and
focus them on a point as far away as possible That should nix your noggin pain
for good!
If
you routinely take either OTC or prescription medications of any kind to treat
chronic headaches, don’t be surprised if your pain returns with a vengeance.
Scientists don’t know exactly why these so-called rebound headaches occur, but
most likely it’s because repeated use of the drugs changes the way certain pain
pathways and receptors work in your brain. Anything from simple aspirin,
Tylenol®, and Excedrin® to potent narcotics can cause problems, Taken in the
prescribed amounts every now and then, the meds are generally safe and
effective, but if you reach for them too often, or exceed the normal dosage,
you could find yourself with a low-grade headache that just won’t say uncle.
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