Stay tuned! Check out our latest videos, television appearances and podcasts.
![]()
What A Pain!
Got a headache? You’ve got plenty of company.
More than 45 million people in the United States have chronic headaches, says
the National Headache Foundation, and 28 million of those suffer from migraines.
The economic impact of all those sore heads is huge. A 2002 survey found
that 13 percent of the U.S. workforce lost productive time at work because of
pain during a specific two-week period. Headaches, the most common malady,
caused a mean loss of three and a half work hours a week.
Headache
Triggers
The two primary kinds of headaches, tension-type (TTH) and
migraine, have different triggers. And despite the fact that they’ve been around
as long as mankind, scientists still don’t have a complete understanding of
their causes.
The consensus used to be that TTH was simply the result of
stress-induced tension in the muscles of the head, neck and shoulders. But it
may be that TTH is “a response by the body to emotional strains and pressures
rather than to excessive muscular tightness and resultant constriction of the
scalp arteries,” writes Manish Singh, M.D., of the Medical College of
Pennsylvania.
Migraines, on the other hand, are known as vascular
headaches because they’re related to abnormal function of the blood vessels of
the brain.
Triggers for tension-type headaches include:
- Sleep deprivation
- A long, stressful workday
- Poor posture or body position (such as holding the phone between your
shoulder and your ear)
- Hunger
- Eyestrain (for example, from staring at a computer for hours on end)
- Anxiety and/or depression
Migraine triggers include:
- A long list of foods that include amino acids such as tyramine, which can
affect blood vessels (for example, beer, red wine, chocolate, cheddar cheese,
soy sauce, monosodium glutamate and lima beans, to name a few)
- Skipping meals
- Stress
- Intense physical activity
- Bright lights or sunshine
- Changes in weather
- Sleep deprivation or oversleeping
Reduce Headache Pain
Over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs can help you lose the
pain of headaches. And experts agree that simple health-enhancing behaviors have
the potential to reduce the frequency of headaches.
Start by getting
plenty of sleep, preferably going to bed and getting up at about the same time
every day. Don’t skip meals, as hunger can be a potent trigger.
Coffee
is fine, but don’t go overboard. People who drink more than four to seven cups a
day may be more prone to headaches and irritability, the Mayo Clinic says. And
if your doctor has recommended you cut back on caffeine, do it gradually. Going
cold turkey can cause intense withdrawal headaches.
If you have
employees, encourage them to get up from the computer at least once an hour to
stretch and refocus their eyes. Walking breaks are another good way to reduce
stress and muscular tension.
For employees who have frequent headaches,
provide a quiet spot where they can turn off the lights and take a short break.
Learn More
If you or your employees suffer from headaches,
find possible causes and ways to cope in the free online article “How To Manage
Your Headaches,” available from the NASE at
health.NASE.org.
The article covers:
- Different types of headaches, including tension, migraine, cluster and sinus
headaches
- Potential causes of headaches
- Headache medication and other therapies to ease the pain
- When to see a doctor
- Resources for information about headaches