5 Common Causes of Headaches & How to Prevent Them

As many of you know, I used to be an English teacher, and I am always fascinated by how language is a reflection of our lives, and often, our bodies. When I hear a client say something like, "I felt blind-sided," "He's a pain in the neck," or "I'm just not open-minded about it," it usually means a headache is not far behind.

There are many types of headaches, but the most common are tension headaches, cluster headaches, and migraines. Ninety percent of all headaches are tension headaches, and most folks get at least one headache a year.

Whether you are a once a year headache sufferer ("Looks like it's time for my annual headache,") or you struggle more often with headaches, there are several things you can do to minimize both the duration and the intensity of your pain.

A tension headache is caused by muscle tension in the body. It usually stems from contracted neck muscles, but can also be caused by muscle spasms in the back, shoulders, and even the chest.

It is my experience that tension headaches tend to also have a strong emotional component, as well. Stress, anxiety, and overwhelm can all lead to headache pain. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt a headache coming on as soon as a certain someone I found hard to handle entered my space.

You know what I'm talking about. I know you do...

Anyway. Let's take a look at some ways to prevent headaches before they become debilitating.

Five Ways to Get a Handle on Headaches

1. Try keeping a Headache Journal. This doesn't have to be anything elaborate. Jot down:
Date and Time of the headache
Where on the head or face it hurts
Quality of the pain - is it a throbbing or a dull pain?
Intensity of the pain - on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is the pain?
Duration - how long does it last?
Situation - what was going on when you got the headache?

A Headache Journal is an invaluable tool for your doctor, but can also give you some insight into what may be contributing to your pain.

2. Pay Attention to the Foods You Eat. There are some well-known food triggers for headaches, including monosodium glutamate (MSG, often found in Asian cooking) and food additives, but you may find some other foods that contribute to your headaches.

Caffeine can be a big no-no if you get frequent headaches, but cut it out gradually, or your headaches may actually increase in intensity for awhile. Make sure you drink lots of water, (if you drink caffeine, you need two glasses of water for each caffeinated drink, just to break even). If you chew gum, try giving it up for a week. The wear and tear on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) from gum-chewing is astounding.

3. Don't Overlook Environmental Triggers. Is the air in your house clean? Do you get at least an hour of fresh air each day? Are seasonal allergies contributing to your headaches? Are you surrounding yourself with positive, balanced people who share your attitudes and joy? Do you remember to breathe deeply?

Our environment affects us every moment, often far more than we realize.

4. Get Good Sleep. I can't tell you how many folks come in to see me for headache relief, and they're utterly exhausted. As little as an hour of sleep-deprivation every night can contribute to a headache. We all need different amounts of sleep, but don't try to fool yourself into believing that you need less than you do. The body always knows. There's a reason that what we usually want to do when we get a headache is to lie down and close our eyes.

5. Get Regular CranioSacral Therapy Treatments. By gently balancing the tissues around the brain and spinal cord, CST is an excellent tool for getting to the root problems beneath headache pain. It's relaxing, rejuvenating, and can be done in as little as an hour every month. Oh, and it feels really, REALLY good.

(If you have a headache that persists over the course of a week, contact your doctor. There could be a more serious condition underlying the headache.)

These tools can help you reduce the frequency and the intensity of your headaches. We live our lives more completely and best express our true souls when we are "clear-headed" and free of pain.

Mindy Totten is Certified in CranioSacral Therapy and is a Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist. She specializes in women's health and wellness issues, offering workshops and training, as well as treating people with migraines, headaches, neck and back injuries, and dental trauma.

Mindy is especially interested in the ways the mind and body together heal emotional trauma. She is author of 9 Simple Strategies for Staying Calm, Strong, and Centered in Today's World as well as a twice monthly newsletter called Oasis Reflections that offers tools and tips to help people live a balanced life and feel whole again.

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