Headache : What Causes Headaches?

Headache is a common and frustrating condition that is often waived away as minor ailment due to it’s often non-lasting nature. And worse, you never can tell when a headache is on. However the amount of pain, potential cost due to treatments and time away from work along with the total time consumed by suffering from headaches is quite staggering, so it’s only natural to want to know exactly what causes a headache.

There can be a great many reasons why you experience headaches and the list below are conditions frequently linked to what causes headaches.

What Causes Headaches?

• Your Weight. In a recent study, researchers found that women with mild obesity (a body mass index of 30) had a 35 percent greater risk of headaches than those with a lower BMI. Severe obesity (BMI of 40) upped the chances to 80 percent.
• Your Personality. Certain traits, including rigidity, reserve and obsession may make you headache-prone. If that sounds like you, it could be time to sign up for relaxation training.
• Hereditary genes. Do your parents or grandparents suffer from headaches or migraines as frequently as you? Medical conditions can be passed down through generations. You can inherit a natural chemical imbalance which makes you susceptible to headaches.
• Skipping Meals. Hunger is a common headache trigger.
• Anxiety. Feeling anxious can lead to frequent headaches.
• Too Much Caffeine. A little can help headaches but too much can trigger them. If caffeine is causing your pain, gradually cut back until you have caffeine no more than two days a week.
• Eyestrain. When was the last time that you had your eyes tested? Straining your eyes to focus on things can be a big factor of what causes headaches. You may not even notice that you are doing it if you have become accustomed straining for a while it will feel natural.
• Inactivity. A recent study showed that those who were inactive were more likely to get headaches than those who worked out. Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of cardio a day, five days a week, to relieve stress, send blood to the brain, and get feel-good endorphins flowing. Exercise may be a trigger for some people, so consult your doctor first.
• Depression. People that suffer from depression often suffer from headaches and migraines regularly.
• Sleep Deprivation. Those who slept an average of six hours a night tended to have significantly more severe and more frequent headaches than those who got more z’s.
• High blood pressure. Another factor to what causes headaches and migraine headaches, treatment you take for high blood pressure will help but if you do not realize that this is the root cause but suspect it might be should contact their doctor to have their blood pressure checked.
• Menstruation. This is a common answers to the question what causes headaches in women.
• Chemical reactions. Some people are ultra sensitive to certain substances such as foods and drinks which can bring on a headache or migraine. Avoid red wine, beer, MSG, chocolate, aged cheese, saurkraut, processed meats like pepperoni, ham, and salami. Instead eat spinach, tofu, oat bran, barley, fish oil, olive oil, white beans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

I get these odd headaches sometimes, and I believe that they are triggered by lack of sleep and skipping meals. They are usually located in the frontal lobe of my brain, behind my eyes. The odd thing is that after I get them, if I try to eat something (since I got them by skipping meals, after all), I end up getting nauseous then vomit. After that, the tension gets released and the headache goes away, but if I don’t do that, the headache can last all day and be quite severe. I don’t know if others suffer from these types of migraines, so I suggest avoid skipping meals.

Category: Lifestyle