Different Causes of Frequent Headaches

Around half of the world's population suffers from headaches. If you do not know the reason, then frequent headaches can become very disturbing. Here are some reasons for frequent headaches. Stress of any kind whether in physical or emotional form can cause headaches. Emotional stress can be due to worries, excessive pressure and social anxiety disorder so common in our modern life, whereas physical stress can be from sitting in front of the computer for a long time or prolonged manual labor. You should avoid sitting at one place for too long while doing things like sewing, reading or sitting in front of TV or computer as it might cause headache. Common cause of your headache can also be associated with the straining of your eyes. In case you are constantly working on computer watching the screen without taking a break or you squint, your eyes for a long period or exposing eyes to light (fluorescent) can trigger headache.

Headaches can be the side effect of many of the medications that we take. One example of such drug is naproxen.  Headaches can also occur when you take analgesics frequently for relieving headaches. They are termed as Medication overuse Headaches, also known as Rebound headaches. Many of you might have experienced headache caused by hangover, which is due to intake of excessive alcohol. Dehydrating effect caused by Ethanol causes increased urine production, which makes you dehydrate and dehydration can lead to severe headache. Smoking or inhaling second hand smoke can cause headache. Nicotine, a major ingredient in the tobacco smoke, plays a major role. Cigarette smoke tends to cause irritation in the nasal area, limiting the amount of the oxygen that goes to the brain thus leading to headaches. This is often common in cluster headache patients.

In today’s world in which we cannot escape heavy workload and pressure that can force us to have fatigue and lack of sleep, which can trigger headache. You need to give rest to your body and mind. In the same way, sleeping for to long can also cause frequent headaches. Another reason for triggering headache is loud noise. Any kind of loud noise can cause headache and it is difficult to get rid of your headache if you are continually around the loud noise. Strong odors, ironically which at times are pleasant can also cause headaches. Strong odor activates Nose's nerve cells, which often stimulates nerves system, which is associated with head pain.

Certain types of headache run in families. Episodes of headache may ease or even disappear for a time and recur later in life. It's possible to have more than one type of headache at the same time.

The most common type of headache is likely caused by tight muscles in your shoulders, neck, scalp, and jaw. This type of headache is called tension headache:

•It may be related to stress, depression, anxiety, a head injury, or holding your head and neck in an abnormal position.

•It tends to be on both sides of your head. It often starts at the back of the head and spreads forward. The pain may feel dull or squeezing, like a tight band or vice. Your shoulders, neck, or jaw may feel tight or sore.

Rebound headaches are headaches that keep coming back. They often occur from overuse of pain medicines. For this reason, these headaches are also called medication overuse headaches. Persons who take pain medicine more than 3 days a week on a regular basis can develop this type of headache.

A headache diary can help you identify your headache triggers. When you get a headache, write down the following:

•Day and time the pain began
•What you ate and drank over the past 24 hours
•How much you slept
•What you were doing and where you were right before the pain started
•How long the headache lasted and what made it stop

Review your diary with your doctor to identify triggers or a pattern to your headaches. This can help you and your doctor create a treatment plan. Knowing your triggers can help you avoid them.

Your doctor may have already prescribed medicine to treat your type of headache. If so, take the medicine as instructed.

For tension headaches, try acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen. Talk to your doctor if you are taking pain medicines 3 or more days a week.