Do you suffer from frequent headaches? Your day-to-day routine might be to blame. From the breakfast table to the office, our everyday lives are littered with objects and bad habits that can set our temples pounding.
Fortunately, most of these hidden headache triggers can be easily fixed. Here, we break down six of the most common and offer expert advice for addressing them.
Fortunately, most of these hidden headache triggers can be easily fixed. Here, we break down six of the most common and offer expert advice for addressing them.
Your phone:
Cradling it between your ear and your shoulder for calls lasting longer than a couple of minutes can strain your neck and lead to tension headaches.
How to fix it: Use your hands-free headset, or the speaker option, whenever possible.
Poor Posture:
Poor posture causes tension in your upper back, neck and shoulders, which can lead to a headache. Typically, the pain throbs in the base of the skull and sometimes flashes into the face, especially the forehead.
How to fix it: Avoid sitting or standing in one position for a long period. Sit up straight and support your lower back.
Most of the chairs are made for the average 5-foot-8 man; if your chair is too big, it might not support your back, causing strain and headaches.
Your coffee:
Down more than two 8-ounce cups a day and you risk getting a withdrawal headache if you skip the java one morning.
Down more than two 8-ounce cups a day and you risk getting a withdrawal headache if you skip the java one morning.
How to fix it: Gradually cut back to one cup a day, subbing in decaf if that helps.
Your computer:
A flickering screen can create eye strain, which may lead to a headache.
How to fix it: Buy an antiglare screen protector and every once in a while, look away from the computer to focus on an object about 20 feet from you.
Your lazy Sunday:
You put in 10-hour days from Monday to Friday and you feel fine, only to wake up after a lie-in on Saturday with a pounding headache. Why is that? Snooze even a couple of hours past your usual wake-up time and the changes in your circadian rhythms can throw off levels of brain chemicals, bringing on migraines.
How to fix it: On weekends, get up at your normal weekday time.
Your bag:
Plop it on the scale; if it's heavier than 10 pounds, it could be causing neck strain—and head pain.
How to fix it: Lighten your load or divvy it up between a purse and a tote, carried on opposite shoulders.
Pent-up anger:
When you’re angry, muscles in the back of your neck and scalp tense up, causing a tight band-like sensation around your head. This is a sign of a tension headache.
How to fix it: When you start feeling angry, breathe deeply and slowly. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. This should relax your head and neck muscles.
Your perfume:
If you think housework is giving you a headache, you could be right. Household cleaners, along with perfumes and fragranced air fresheners, contain chemicals that can bring on headaches.
How to fix it: If you’re susceptible to headaches brought on by certain smells, avoid heavy perfumes and strong-smelling soaps, shampoos and conditioners. Use fragrance-free air fresheners and household cleaners, and keep your doors and windows open as much as possible at home. If a colleague’s perfume is bothering you, put a fan on your desk at work.
Bright lights:
Bright lights and glare, especially if flickering, can induce migraines. This is because bright and flickering lights boost the levels of certain chemicals in the brain, which then activate the migraine center.
How to fix it: Sunglasses are great at reducing light intensity and you can wear them inside and outside. Polarized lenses help to reduce glare.
Grinding teeth:
Grinding your teeth at night (the medical name is bruxism) makes your jaw muscle contract causing a dull headache.
How to fix it: Your dentist can fit you with a mouth guard to protect your teeth while you sleep.
Bad weather:
If you’re prone to getting headaches, you could find that grey skies, high humidity, rising temperatures and storms can all bring on head pain.
Pressure changes that cause weather changes are thought to trigger chemical and electrical changes in the brain. This irritates nerves, leading to a headache.
How to fix it: There’s not much you can do to change the weather, but by looking at the forecast you can predict when you’re likely to have a headache and take a preventive painkiller a day or two in advance.
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