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Stop letting migraine (or any other type of headache) disrupt your daily life.
By Luisa Colon
Headache. Sometimes they manifest themselves spontaneously, immediately destroying our ability to amuse ourselves, to focus on work or to function as a human being. Other times, we feel this creeping warning with just the beginning of pain and pressure behind the eyes or behind the head, which leads to a desperate self-questioning.
Should I take pain medication now or wait? Could a cup of coffee help or make things worse? How long will it last?
But if you want to know what is the best way to get rid of a headache, especially when you experience chronic headaches everyday, you must start by asking yourself what causes different types of headaches .
Of course, headaches happen to everyone for various reasons from time to time, and these types of headaches will probably be treated the same way as if you had an almost constant headache.
Frequent headaches are still sometimes called "chronic daily headaches", but Dr. Alexander Mauskop, neurologist and director of the New York Headache Center in New York, is a doctor who no longer uses this term.
Instead, he says, "we divide the very common headaches into categories of chronic migraine, which is by far the most common type of headache that was once called" daily headaches. chronicle ".
How do you know if your headaches fall into this category?
"These are headaches that occur at least 15 days a month and at least eight days with migraine symptoms," says Dr. Mauskop.
If your headaches apply, know that you are not alone.
"According to studies, between two and six million Americans suffer from chronic migraines," he said, adding that the other types of headaches are: type of chronic tension, new persistent daily cluster and chronic, and some other rare types.
When you have headaches everyday (or almost every day), a healthy lifestyle – healthy eating, exercise, getting enough sleep and reducing stress – is essential to avoid headaches, as is understanding of your triggers.
If you have any concerns or symptoms such as blurred vision or heart palpitations, do not hesitate to contact a doctor.
But even headaches can affect every aspect of your life, from work to relationships to happiness.
The good news is that understanding why your headaches are occurring can help eliminate common headaches.
Here are five things to know about the causes of different types of chronic headaches and migraines and how to eliminate them quickly.
1. stress
Contrary to popular belief, stress does not cause headaches, although this may seem obvious when your boss tears you up a new one or wrestles with your loved one.
Stress exacerbates the pain.
The root cause of headaches is genetic, "but triggers such as stress … make attacks more frequent and more serious. Stress causes the release of epinephrine, which results in the depletion of magnesium and other biochemical changes leading to migraine attacks, "says Dr. Mauskop.
Then learn how to manage your anxiety; Stress may not be to blame for headaches, but it does not help.
2. Poor sitting at work
Yes, sitting leaning on your desk or leaning over the computer can cause muscle tension, which can in turn cause migraines. And it does not stop there.
"Migraine itself causes muscle tension and a vicious circle," explains Dr. Mauskop. "Thus, muscle tension is both a trigger and the result of migraines."
It's a big disappointment, but it's also a great motivation to learn more about ergonomics and why you should be more at work.
And since we now know that stress can worsen your headaches, also try to reduce your stress at work.
3. the hormones
Cramps, bad mood, a seemingly endless flow of blood … And yes, your periods always give you good times, and frequent headaches can also be part of it.
"Decreased estrogen before ovulation and especially before menstruation increases sensitivity to pain and lowers the migraine threshold," says Dr. Mauskop.
There are ways to address this problem, such as skipping placebo pills in your contraceptive kit or taking medications. But consult your doctor:
"Contraceptives containing estrogen taken continuously can help prevent migraines, but in some cases they can make them worse," warns Dr. Mauskop.
4. caffeine
Sooo, here's the thing about caffeine. Well, first of all, coffee! Second, caffeine can actually help relieve headaches. In fact, it is included in some prescription and over-the-counter medications.
That said, caffeine can also aggravate headaches.
"Regular daily consumption of two cups of coffee can aggravate headaches, which is due to caffeine withdrawal," says Dr. Mauskop. "So people feel better for a few hours or more than 12 hours, then wake up with a severe migraine withdrawal due to caffeine."
What to do? Examine your caffeine intake and determine what might help you with what might hurt you (a lot).
5. lack of sleep
For those of us who stay awake until the wee hours of the night breaking Bad or check our exes via social media, sleeping can seem to be pretty low on our list of priorities.
But sleep is so important for so many reasons.
It helps us stay in good emotional health, reduce the risk of serious illness, keep the immune system active, change the way our brain works … the list goes on.
In addition to this, "lack of sleep leads to increased irritability of the brain and lowers the threshold of migraines," says Dr. Mauskop.
Overall, there are plenty of reasons to make sure you get enough sleep (seven to nine hours for adults 18 to 64, according to the National Sleep Foundation).
Luisa Colon is SheSaid's beauty journalist and a New Yorker who has been writing and publishing professionally since 1997, when she started working for New York magazine. Since then, his work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, NYC, USA Today, Family Circle, Glamor and many others.
This article was originally published on SheSaid. Reprinted with permission of the author.
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