Each year, billions of dollars are spend on OTC pain relief for headaches. Migraine sufferers may lose hours of productive time due to headache problems. If you have time lost from work and various medical expenses to treat your headaches, then it is important for you to lessen the suffering and pain by making more appropriate changes in your lives. Habit and lifestyle changes should make a huge difference in the severity and frequency of headaches. There are things that you can do to improve your lifestyle, such as having enough sleep. It is common for busy individuals to have sleep deprivation and it affects millions of people. In fact, some people consider it a skill to be able to stay productive, despite their brief sleep time.
Headaches are often associated with elevated stress factor you need to be aware on how you react to various stressors in life, if you want to avoid incidences of headaches. Habits associated with facial expressions can also elevate risks of headaches. So, if you often clench your teeth and frown, it is important to fix your facial expression. People who are under stress also have breathing problem. As an example, you should consider whether you tend to hold your breath and hyperventilate. You should practice deeply and slowly. It is also a good idea experimenting with your diet, because some types of food could increase the risks of migraine. As an example, aged cheeses, such as cheddar, gruyere and brie are often seen as causes of headaches.
Caffeine can help to relieve headache, but if you regularly drink coffee, cutting back or stopping on caffeine consumption could increase the risks of headache. It is important for you to stop skipping meals, because this could trigger headache. It is also a good idea for you to stay hydrated and drink a lot of water. Alcohol is also a risk factor for headache, especially if you regularly experience episodes of hangover. Some people find it headache easier to manage if they keep their feet warm, which is a good thing to do during winter. You may wear a couple layers of socks if your feet get cold a bit too easily while you are sleeping. When headache attacks during the summer, it is a good idea to apply ice pack to your head as a quick relief.
In some cases, headache isn’t caused by your body, but the external environment. As an example, you should check your lighting. If you are working in a dim room, you will unconsciously squint when seeing something, this will cause headache more likely to happen. The monitor screen should also have proper level of brightness, not too bright or too dim. The general rule is that you should be able to read and see effortlessly without causing any strain to your eyes or facial muscles. Massage is an effective way to lessen the effects of headache. You should use OTC and prescription medication only as last resorts. It is better to prevent headache with lifestyle changes and when it happens, you can choose home remedies first.