Migraines and Headaches are a common problem. While we do not know exactly what triggers all headaches or how they actually make your brain hurt, it is thought that many migraines and headaches are related to:

• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Muscle tension
• Depression or Anxiety
• Caffeine
• Dehydration

Simple lifestyle recommendations can reduce headache frequency and intensity and allow you to minimize the amount of medication necessary for controlling your headaches. Be patient with these changes as they may take 2 weeks or more to work!

Sleep the same number of hours during the weekend as you do during the week,\ and avoid naps. Sleeping too little is a very common cause of headaches, although sleeping too much can be a cause as well! Aim for 7-10 hours of sleep nightly.  Overnight, try turning your clock around so you cannot see it and setting your alarm so you do not have to worry about what time it is overnight.  Sleep without TV or radio on so   your sleep is more restful. Try to relax in dim light for an hour before bedtime then go to bed the same time every night.

Eat small portions 4-6 times daily without skipping meals or fasting. Overeating or under-eating may worsen your headaches. Meals higher in carbohydrates (starches, breads, rice, pasta, or potatoes) may also contribute to fatigue and headaches as well.

Regular aerobic exercise may be the most important lifestyle change for prevention headaches. Aerobic exercise such as walking, biking, or jogging should be done for 30 minutes daily.

Consider a formal eye exam to rule out eye strain which is a common cause of headaches.

Dehydration is very common and can happen from not drinking enough water, or drinking too much caffeine (coffee, tea or soda), or medications.

Hydrate with 6-8 glasses of water per day (40-60 ounces), and try to keep your urine clear in color by pushing hydration.  Limit caffeine to 1-2 cups per day (8-12 ounces) and try to drink in the morning only. Stop artificial sweeteners such as any aspartame, nutrasweet, saccharine, etc. Splenda/stevia may be acceptable in small amounts. Some headache sufferers are sensitive to preservatives such as monosodium glutamate (msg) and individual foods, so avoid those dietary components that trigger your attacks. The more processed the food, the more likely it will be a trigger.

Methods of relaxation such as prayer, meditation, yoga, or soft music may be helpful. Relaxation strategies (CD from mhni.com) or biofeedback techniques (audiotape from headachecare.com) may be helpful.

Avoid gum chewing and watch for clenching or grinding teeth or sleep apnea (stopping breathing in your sleep) which can lead to morning headaches. If you notice these problems, you should see your doctor.

Avoid smoking. Nicotine can lead to headaches and so can withdrawal of nicotine (needing to have a cigarette or quitting).

Avoid taking too many pills for treatment of headaches called analgesic rebound headaches. You can actually get headaches from taking too much over the counter medication such as ibuprofen, Tylenol, aspirin or similar medications!

Beware of Chocolate!

Keep a diary either on your phone or calendar of how many hours a day you had a headache and how bad it was. This is so we know if things are getting better or not or recognize monthly variations or associations with other triggers. Bring this with you to your doctors’ appointment.

Certain nutritional supplements have been shown to assist in the stabilization of migraine headaches:

• magnesium (500mg per day)
• coenzyme Q-10 (300mg per day)
• vitamin B2/riboflavin (200-400mg daily)
• alpha lipoic acid (400-600mg per day)
• butterbur root (Petadolex 50 mg twice daily)
• melatonin 3mg (1-3 tablets per night) may be helpful in some cases to help with better sleep
• omega-3 fish oils (3-4 grams per day) may be helpful for neck pain

All of our doctors at Renaissance Family Practice are confident in helping you with lifestyle modifcations, diagnostic tests if necessary, and medications if things do not improve.