Having a headache can be a real pain, both literally and figuratively.
Some headaches can just be a dull nuisance, while others can be downright debilitating.
And headaches aren’t created equal. There is a lengthy list of things that can cause you to have a headache.
Some cause aren’t serious, while other things that cause headaches will signify that there is another health issue at play.
Unfortunately, the experts don’t completely understand what’s going on in our brains when a headache hits, but most agree that there is something that is causing the blood vessels to swell.
When the blood vessels swell, they stretch the nerves around them, causing them to fire off pain signals.
If you’re experiencing inflammation, here’s how chiropractic care can help with inflammation.
In the article below, we will talk about six things that could be causing those vessels to swell, leading to your headaches.
1. Stress
Unresolved stress can contribute significantly to headaches.
Tension headaches occur when the muscles of the neck and scalp tense up, and this is frequently a physical response to stress and anxiety.
If you suffer from ongoing headaches, you need to take a step back and evaluate what’s going on in your life.
Are you overly stressed or suffering from anxiety? Are you actively dealing with it or avoiding it?
Stress management and self-care techniques can go a long way in helping you deal with your headaches.
Everyone’s stress and anxiety management methods are different, but a mix of techniques that you can do on your own or with a mental health professional is ideal.
Just find what works best for you, and you’ll be surprised how it impacts your headaches.
2. Dehydration
No matter what health issue you’re dealing with, you always need to step back and take a look at your health habits. Headaches are no exception.
One thing you should always look at is how much water you’re drinking because dehydration can cause headaches.
It is likely due to the way blood volume drops when you aren’t getting enough water. Lower blood volume means less oxygen is getting into the brain.
Keep an eye out for the obvious signs of dehydration, including yellow urine, always feeling thirsty, and dry mouth.
Then, drink more water. It’s an easy fix.
If water isn’t your thing, eat more foods with high water content like celery, watermelon, cucumbers, etc.
There’s not a set amount of ounces of water every person should drink in a day, because there are several factors at play.
Your age, weight, and activity level will all influence how much water you should be drinking.
Speak with your doctor to find out how much water you should be drinking.
3. Sinus Problems
Sinus headaches aren’t common, and what most people think or sinus headaches are just migraines with sinus symptoms.
If you have recurrent headaches in your sinus or facial area, chances are you’re dealing with a migraine.
If your headache is paired with a fever, phlegm, or any other indication that you’re getting sick, you might actually be able to blame an underlying sinus infection.
If you do have a sinus infection, the headaches should go away after taking antibiotics to knock out the infection.
4. Caffeine
Caffeine causes vasoconstriction in your blood vessels, meaning they get a little narrower.
When you drink coffee or some form of caffeine every day, your body will get used to it.
So when you go a day with no caffeine, your blood vessels won’t constrict, and you could get a headache.
It’s a vicious cycle of finding relief and increasing your dependency on caffeine.
It’s unrealistic for people to quit caffeine cold turkey. So use moderation instead.
Drink a maximum of two caffeinated drinks in a day to hopefully avoid the withdrawal headache when you go without.
5. Headache Medicines
Believe it or not, headache medicine can actually cause headaches. The medicine starts working against you.
Overdoing it on painkillers, even over-the-counter painkillers can make the pain worse.
The caffeine in headache medicines like Excedrin can cause withdrawal headaches, compounding the effects.
Overuse of any pain medication to treat headaches can cause rebound headaches.
If you take a lot of OTC medications for your headaches, try to stop for a day or drastically reduce your intake.
6. Schedule Interruptions
Have you ever got up early for a long flight and noticed a nagging headache?
That disruption in your body’s normal schedule can trigger headaches.
Getting up early, or even sleeping in, can throw off your circadian rhythm.
Travel is one of the biggest triggers for this because of the change in your schedule, the added stress, changes in barometric pressure, and the change in time zones can all trigger a headache.
If you have to travel, there’s not much you can do to avoid this. Your best bet is to try to keep as close to your typical sleep routine as possible, limiting the disruption to your body clock.
Headaches Can Be Unavoidable
The six things we talked above is just a shortlist of things that can cause headaches.
There are many more thing that can trigger your headaches, and some of them are unavoidable.
If you’ve tried everything to get rid of your headaches, and nothing has seemed to work, chiropractic care might be what you’ve been looking for.
Chiropractic can do much more than fix and achy back.
Chiropractic care focuses on allowing the body to function at an optimum level, so it can heal itself.
Chiropractic adjustments have also proven to help ease headache pain directly and keep them from coming back.
If you’re interested in speaking with a chiropractor about your headaches, contact the team at Advanced Injury Care Clinic.
Our chiropractors have years of experience treating patients with headaches.
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Table of Contents
- Stress
- Dehydration
- Sinus Problems
- Caffeine
- Headache Medicines
- Schedule Interruptions
- Headaches Can Be Unavoidable
- Car Wreck Doctor
