If you suffer from severe headaches, your lifestyle habits may be to contributing to it. Chronic headaches can be caused by poor sleeping routine, alcohol and tobacco use, excessive tea or coffee, stress and even your posture.

Different causes of headaches

There are different types of headaches, ranging in severity from a mild ache to severe pain. A variety of lifestyle factors and external triggers can cause each type of headache. When your headaches first appear, it can be difficult to determine what is causing them; however, this is an important step in determining how to prevent and treat your headaches.

Headaches can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Hunger
• Hormone changes
• Lack of caffeine
• Too much caffeine
• Change in weather
• Certain foods or food additives

Some causes can trigger more than one type of headache. These triggers aren’t always obvious, so you may have to suffer through several headaches before you figure out what’s causing them. Headaches aren’t always harmless, so if you get a sudden headache that’s worse than usual or if your symptoms are severe, seek specialist/ emergency care.

Which lifestyle changes can ease your pain?

Your headache might be difficult to deal with, but the small changes you make in your lifestyle can go a long way in managing it. It can be quite simple to keep your headaches at bay, once you’ve mastered the art of avoiding certain triggers and sticking to a routine.

You can take several steps to reduce the likelihood of headache attacks, including:

Getting adequate sleep daily

A common trigger for headaches is lack of sleep. Establish good sleep hygiene by going to bed at the same time every night (preferably not very late), not eating a heavy meal before sleeping, and taking a bath before bed.

Live a stress-free life

Stress is again a common trigger for your headache. As much as possible, you should avoid stress. Staying stress-free lowers, the chances of getting a headache. Meditation can be quite helpful in promoting relaxation and helping you control your mind especially if you have a problem of excessive thinking.

Avoid certain food items

For some individuals, certain foods can trigger headaches, like cheese, chocolate, alcohol, very heavy and oily meals, and sweets. Avoiding these triggers can go a long way. However, don’t skip meals. Skipping meals or eating excessively can both cause headaches. You must eat on a regular basis and in moderation.

Avoid going out in the bright sunlight

If bright sunlight gives you a headache, you may be suffering from a light-sensitive migraine or a heat headache. Heat headaches are common in hot weather or after prolonged sun exposure.

Drink plenty of water daily

Water is essential for overall health, but it is especially important if you suffer from dehydration headaches.

Do regular exercise

Regular exercise can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches. When you exercise, your body produces endorphins, which are natural pain relievers and ‘feel-good’ hormones. Exercise relieves stress and improves sleep quality. Doing 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily is recommended.

Takeaway

Many lifestyle-related headaches can be avoided by making these simple changes to your daily routine. If you have frequent headaches, seek a specialist opinion.

Dr. Amod Manocha, the best pain management specialist in Delhi and Gurgaon, has a goal: to help you get rid of your headaches as best as possible so you can live a pain-free life. He is an expert in treating all types of pain, including headaches.

CONNECT TO DISCONNECT WITH YOUR PAIN.

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Headaches can hinder day to day activities and severely affect the quality of life especially in individuals who experience frequent severe headaches or long lasting / constant headaches . Recurrent headaches can be quite difficult to handle since they tend to develop suddenly, not giving you an opportunity to prepare for it and plan your day. There a variety of measures that you can take in order to reduce the impact and frequency of these headaches. Some of these are quite simple, but most people doubt the effectiveness and hence are hesitant to implement. These can work synergistically with the other management options suggested by your pain specialist. These include

General lifestyle modifications

• Regulating your sleep cycle: Having a regular sleep cycle goes a long way in helping to reduce these headaches. Good sleep environment plays an important role and includes a darkened bedroom, a quiet place where you are comfortable and it helps to unwind. Some find a relaxing hot bath helpful in unwinding prior to heading off to bed. It is advised to avoid watching TV, using laptops or mobiles before you go to bed.
• Hydration: Keep yourself well hydrated, because dehydration is a known trigger of headaches, and can worsen pre-existing headaches.
• Regular meals: Have you meals on time. This another important factor that plays a role in the development of headaches. Low blood sugar/ hypoglycemia can trigger headaches. If you are in the habit of skipping meals or eating late and heavy meals, then you should consider changing this.
• Avoiding triggers: Other trigger/ precipitating factors may vary from individual to individual. From particular foods to the brightness of TV screens to loud noises, certain smells etc there are numerous factors. You are the best person to identify these and avoid them as much as possible.
• Tea and coffee: Minimize your intake of coffee and tea, because they are known to precipitate headaches. Avoid taking them late in the evenings and just before going to bed.
• Quit smoking
• Stress management and relaxation: Learn how to manage your stress in a productive manner and practice relaxation techniques.

These general measures, when used in combination with advice from your pain specialist can help you control your headaches better. Some of the common medical interventions used in management of headaches include:

Medications:

Medications for headache can be used to terminate the headache at the time you are experiencing it or can be taken as a preventive measure to reduce your chances of developing a headache. Preventive medications are usually taken when people experience frequent or continuous headaches, and they should be taken as prescribed by your doctor. Too much of any medication can also end up being the cause of your headache as well, and is given the name Medication Overuse Headache. The different medicines used for recurrent headaches are:

• Antidepressants: These medications, besides the pain relieving effects can also have other beneficial effects like reducing anxiety and sleep disturbances. The drug selected will depend on your individual situation.
• Beta blockers: Beta blockers, commonly used in management of high blood pressure and heart problems. They are helpful in the management of migraine related headaches
• Anti-seizure medicines: Several anti-seizure medicines help in the prevention different types of recurrent/ chronic headaches including migraine.
• NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used over the counter medications for mild to moderate pain, and they are effective in various different types of headaches. On frequent usage they can have harmful side effects such as gastritis and peptic ulcer disease; therefore they must be used with caution and under medical supervision.

Other interventional methods:

When simple measures such as lifestyle modifications and oral medications are not successful in resolving the headaches, then it may be worth considering other interventional methods. The intervention used will depend on the diagnosis. The common interventions include:

• Nerve blocks
• Injections of the cervical spine
• Radiofrequency treatment
• Botulinum toxin injections

Complementary & Alternative therapies

These include:

• Acupuncture – which involves the insertion of thin needles at definitive points in your body, with the intention of providing pain relief
• Massage therapy – this can help to reduce the stress and tension. It helps to relax the tightened muscles and thereby provides relief.
• Meditation and relaxation therapy
• Herbs and nutrients – Several organic herbs help in preventing migraine headaches and reduce the intensity of headaches. In deficiency states vitamin and mineral supplements can be taken to reduce headaches and prevent them from reoccurring.

It is best to seek medical advice before you starting with any of the above methods.

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Cervicogenic headache in simple terms means headache originating from the neck. Even though the pain you experience is in the head or part of the face, the actual problem in lies in the neck. The possible pain generators in the neck include the joints, discs, surrounding tissues such as the neck muscles, coverings of the spinal cord and blood vessels.

Headaches afflict people of all ages. The impact is variable from mild discomfort to severe incapacitation, depending on the severity and the frequency of headaches. Often the causative factors are numerous and difficult to pinpoint. Cervicogenic headaches represent one such condition that is easily overlooked and under diagnosed, due to limited awareness about the condition. This is a treatable cause of headaches with possibility of good relief if the diagnosis is correct.

Signs & Symptoms of Cervicogenic Headache:

Some of the pointers towards cervicogenic headache include:

• Increase in headache with neck movements such as nodding or rotation of neck
• Increase pain with pressure on certain sensitive points in the neck
• Stiffness and reduced range of neck movements
• Pain is generally one sided and does not change sides. Sometimes both sides are involved
• Generally described as a pressure sensation at the back, side or front of head or in the area around the eye. It may be episodic with varying duration or present constantly. During severe episodes nausea and vomiting and other features similar to migraine can be present making the diagnosis more challenging.

The headaches often start after trauma/ injuries such as whiplash. Conditions such as occipital neuralgia (a problem associated with the nerves at the back of head) are closely linked to cervicogenic headaches.

Causes of Cervicogenic Headache:

A number of neck conditions have been attributed to cause cervicogenic headaches including:

• Degenerative changes in the joints of the cervical spine such as osteoarthritis
• Discs of the cervical spine
• Whiplash injury to the cervical spine or other sports injuries
• Spasms of the neck muscles
• Bad posture of the neck for long periods of time, such as when working or sleeping

Diagnosing Cervicogenic Headaches:

Diagnosing a cervicogenic headache can be tricky, as a number of headaches can present with similar features. Your doctor will obtain a detailed history often taking you back to when it had first started. You will be asked in detail about your pain symptoms, stress levels, work, eating and sleep habits, medication usage etc. This is usually followed up by examination. Diagnostic investigations such as X-ray, MRI, CT scans cannot conform the diagnosis but do provide support to the diagnosis. An injection is often used for confirmation of the diagnosis.

Cervicogenic Headache Management Options:

There are a variety of treatment methods for helping with cervicogenic headaches. These include:

• Lifestyle changes such as regulation of sleep cycle, workplace ergonomics
• Medication may include mild or potent pain killers
• Interventions such as joint, nerve or muscle injections. These generally involve injection of local anaesthetics with or without steroids. Sometimes Botulinum toxin injections are used for muscles
• Radiofrequency treatment can help relieve/ reduce these headaches for a prolonged duration

Management Options continued:

• Physical therapy can help to stretch and relax the muscles in and around your neck. They can help deal with the muscular trigger points
• Psychology input may involve biofeedback, relaxation therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy
• Complimentary and alternative medicine including meditation, yoga, TENS, acupressure and acupuncture
• Surgery – this may be used in cases with severe joint changes or nerve compression causing severe headache remains unrelieved by other modalities, but this is rare

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