Common Causes Of Headaches
There is nothing worse than having an entire day of plans ahead of you and being smacked in the face with a headache. Getting hit with a bad headache can be debilitating for some people. It can take you completely out and ruin your entire day if it's truly painful. And, some headaches don't go away so easily, even with over-the-counter medications.
While trying to treat headaches when they happen is something a lot of people do, it's much more effective to focus on how to prevent them from happening in the first place. Many different things can impact your health, body, and can cause you to have headaches. Things like your environment, scents, food, stress levels, and the weather can be big factors in headaches and the different types of headaches you get (via Harvard Medical School).
To prevent headaches in the future, looking back and seeing what could have caused it will better help you prevent them in the future.
The most common causes of headaches
Headaches are brutal, but figuring out why you're getting one doesn't have to be. First, it's important to understand what type of headache you have. There are several different types of headaches, but the most common are tension headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches (via the Mayo Clinic). Headaches can also be a sign of something else, like a cold or the flu.
But, common headaches like tension headaches and migraines have some common triggers that people can avoid, to prevent feeling the pain associated with them. For example, tension headaches are oftentimes caused by stress, lack of sleep, fatigue, hunger, dehydration, and even caffeine withdrawal if you are a coffee drinker (via Harvard Medical School). Ensuring that you get a proper amount of sleep, eat regular meals, and drink water can help prevent tension headaches from hitting you.
Migraines, on the other hand, can be triggered by different foods and alcohol, sensitivity to light and sound, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and nitrates (found in cured meats), or even tension headaches that progress into migraines (via Harvard Medical School and Verywell Health). Keeping a food journal and seeing what your body reacts most to can be helpful in avoiding the migraines from coming, as well.