How to Prevent Headaches

Learning how to prevent a headache before they start is something we all should be educated about. Headaches can be caused by many different things, so learning what causes our headaches can be very beneficial for us. If we can learn to prevent our headaches we will improve our quality of life.


Eating
A big part of preventing our headaches comes from what we eat. A good idea is to keep a food log and record everything you eat. You can get a feel for what kind of food gives you headaches. Read your food labels carefully. MSG which is commonly found in Chinese food is a calcium channel opener that constricts with your blood vessels.

Constricted blood vessels are a very common reason for headaches. Copper which can be found in shellfish and nuts can cause headaches in people with sensitivity. You can also get headaches from having too much or too little of caffeine. If you notice that you get headaches when you have a lot of caffeine, slowly reduce your caffeine intake. Tryptophan is an amino acid that can be found in foods containing high protein. Tryptophan is converted to serotonin by our bodies, and the process of doing this can cause us to get very bad headaches. Tyramine is a food substance that can be found in many foods such as cheese and yogurt. Some people can have a difficult time breaking down this substance which can cause headaches. Nitrates which can be found in cured meats such as hot dogs can dilate our blood vessels leading to headaches.

Stress
Being able to control our stress can prevent our headaches. You may have noticed that you are more likely to get a headache when you're stressed. When we are stressed the two hormones adrenaline and cortisone are released. These two hormones not only cause an increase in heart rate, but also increase our muscle tension and blood pressure. Muscle tension and high blood pressure are very common reasons for headaches. It is important to limit your stress as best as you can. Even very small situations that can cause stress in our lives have a great effect on our headaches. If you are able to reduce your amount of stress you will experience fewer headaches.

Exercise 
Daily exercise in our lives can prevent our headaches from happening. Exercising can reduce the chance for us to get headaches in two ways. First, when you exercise it is much easier for your blood to travel around your body. When your blood has a difficult time traveling throughout your body it can cause headaches. Secondly, when you exercise you release your muscle tension. Exercises as simple as stretching can reduce the number of headaches we get.

Medication
For some people they may need daily medication to prevent their headaches. Some of us are naturally prone to headaches and will get them more often than others. Talk to your doctor about getting medication for your headaches if nothing you have done is working.