The Likely Culprits Behind Your Headaches

According to studies, approximately 45 million Americans deal with headaches each year, with millions, if not billions more dealing with them on a global level. Based on American averages, approximately one out of every six people have headaches to some degree of intensity and frequency.

Additionally, more than 8,000,000 Americans seek medical help for their headaches each year. While there may not be any way to completely prevent your headaches, knowing what some of the most common triggers are can help you take steps to minimize the headaches that you’re dealing with.

Today, discover more about some of the most common causes of headaches.

Anxiety and Stress

38% of American adults report dealing with tension headaches, making them the most common type that people deal with. When you’re dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety, whether it’s related to personal issues or problems at work, your blood pressure rises, which can cause a tension headache.

Most people who experience this type of headache report that it feels like they have a tight band wrapped around their head, applying pressure from the outside.

Mental and emotional strain are the most common causes of tension headaches, but it’s important to understand that physical stress can also lead to these headaches. Repeated movements, poor posture, and other factors that place physical stress on your neck or shoulders can result in headaches.

Take some time every day to do some stretching routines, or consider implementing mindful meditation into your daily routine to help minimize the impact that this common cause of headaches can have.

Dehydration

Many people don’t realize it, but not drinking enough water is actually one of the most common reasons for headaches in the world. You probably find yourself getting busy over the course of your day, and you may neglect to get as much water as you need.

However, just because it’s normal doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Depending on the severity of the dehydration, you may experience headaches that range from a dull ache to a piercing throb that leaves you almost incapacitated.

When you don’t have enough fluid in your body, your brain can actually contract slightly, which results in a headache.

Fortunately, this is one of the most common causes of headaches that you have complete control over. Make sure to drink enough water each day, even if it means sipping on some water at your desk.

You can talk to your primary care physician to better understand how much water you need each day, as this amount can vary based on your age, weight, existing health conditions, and more.

Caffeine Consumption

Many people start their day with a coffee, tea, soft drink, or another source of caffeine. If you’re one of those people, you may have noticed that if you don’t get some caffeine in your system within an hour of waking up, you develop a terrible headache.

In fact, headaches are the most common sign of someone who has become dependent on caffeine and not getting enough.

However, getting too much caffeine can also lead to headaches, especially if you don’t usually consume a lot of caffeine every day. Much like stress and anxiety, excess caffeine consumption’s impact on headaches is linked directly to what it does to your blood pressure.

Drinking too much caffeine can speed up your heart while also constricting the blood vessels in your brain. When the heart tries to pump blood harder and faster to the brain, but the vessels are narrowed, you’ll develop a headache.

Poor Sleep Habits

Have you ever noticed that when you have a headache, you find yourself wanting to lie down, close your eyes, and get some sleep?

This is because there is a direct correlation between sleep and headaches. If you’re not getting enough sleep each night, one of your body’s ways of telling you that it needs more rest involves headaches. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces certain chemicals that are related to stress, including cortisol. Excess cortisol production leads to headaches.

However, this doesn’t mean that more sleep is always a good thing. You can actually get a headache from sleeping too much. Many people see the weekend as an opportunity to leave the alarm off and sleep as long as they can, which can also cause a headache, often referred to as “weekend headaches.”

Combatting sleep-related headaches is another easy step. Simply try to develop a consistent sleep pattern. Going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at or near the same time each morning can ensure that you avoid this type of headache.

Eyestrain and Digital Overload

Finally, eyestrain, which usually comes from spending too much time staring at a screen, is a major cause of headaches. This digital overload has become such a normal part of our lives that we often don’t even think about the damage that we’re doing to ourselves when we spend eight or more hours a day staring at a computer screen at work before going home and scrolling through our phones for hours on end.

Fortunately, cutting down on eyestrain due to digital overload is another easily resolved issue. Consider investing in a blue light filter to minimize the effect of the screen on your eyes. If you don’t want to buy a filter, you can get blue light glasses that help relieve eye strain.

It’s also a good idea to try to cut down on the amount of time that you spend staring at a screen, allowing your eyes plenty of time to rest.

Overcoming Headaches

Even if you can’t completely eliminate headaches, you can take steps to minimize the frequency at which you suffer from them. Knowing some of the most common causes and taking the steps to control those factors can help you minimize the impact of headaches on your life.