For some people, headaches are the occasional bother that makes their day a little more stressful and nothing more. For those types of people, it can be hard to understand how painful they can be and how they can be debilitating when frequent headaches and migraines are a part of your life. They can interrupt your work, make socializing a no-go, and even make it tough to relax. So, what do you do about it?
Could your bad habits be responsible?
As with a plethora of other health issues, maintaining some bad habits can make you a lot more prone to headaches. With smoking, nicotine narrows blood vessels in the brain, and this reduced blood flow can cause migraines. Alcohol causes hangovers, of course, but it also leads to hydration, which is another cause of migraines. Caffeine has much the same effect as alcohol, as it’s a diuretic, meaning it drains the body of its fluids. Managing your bad habits could go a long way in diminishing those headaches.
As always, it’s a nutrition thing
There are a host of ways that your diet could contribute to your headaches, as well. Some people are sensitive to particular foods, so if you feel like your headaches are brought out shortly after meals, you should keep a food diary to track what could be at the core. A nutritionally balanced meal is important for keeping your blood vessels healthy, ensuring good blood flow to the brain to reduce the impact of migraines. There are IV vitamin therapy solutions tailored specifically to fight migraines. Besides delivering the vitamins you need, they can help rehydrate your body some, too.
Put it down for a change
Your sleeping habits can have a significant impact on your experience of headaches and migraines. Most people are going to be prone to migraines if they don’t get enough sleep each night. Part of this is down to cortisol, the stress hormone. This is produced in greater volume when you’re not getting enough sleep and stress is well known as a trigger for people who are at risk of migraines. Serotonin and dopamine, the “feel good” chemicals produced by deep sleep, have the exact opposite effect, for that matter.
Know when to see your doctor
Your trouble with headaches and migraines may be able to be managed by changes to your lifestyle. However, sometimes there is a more serious underlying cause that needs to be addressed by a doctor. If it’s unusually severe, changes over time, comes after a head injury, or you find that your head or temples ache to the touch, it’s time to get in touch with the doctor. Anything from head trauma to mini-strokes can be the cause of serious migraines, so it’s worth getting some advice even if it turns out to be nothing of the sort.
If you’re getting frequent headaches or migraines, the problem isn’t likely to go on its own. Whether there’s a specific condition at the route of your health habits could change things, it’s important to take a stand and claim your life back.