Headaches are a common cause of pain and many can be prevented. Get back in control of your discomfort and if these simple tips don’t work, it is definitely time to go and see a health professional such as an Osteopath for headache or migraine.

1. 1. Drink your fluids

      A lack of fluid throughout the day can be a common cause of headache. We are 70% water after all. During a normal day the minimum water/fluid intake for an adult should be 2L which is about 8 glasses.
      There are many factors that can influence the need for more intake of water such as working out, excessive sweating, hot weather, having large amounts of caffeine or black tea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Therefore there may be times when you need more than 2L per day. Herbal tea is another alternative to water, just double check it doesn’t contain hidden caffeine.

   2. Get your zzz’s

      There are many studied that show the body needs 7-9 hours of sleep a night (for an adult, children need even more sleep).
      This may increase if our body or mind is under stress. For example growing periods for children, increased work load, up and coming dead lines, etc. A lot of the times during these periods of increased work loads and stress the first thing to suffer is our sleep, but the sleep is when we recoup and recover, we need the sleep to be ready and recharged for the next day.
      Clean Sleep – this is a bed time routine. Having a wind down period, no technology (phones or tablets, screens in general) during the wind down period and definitely not in bed. Having a bed time and wake up time, this sets your body clock so it knows when to start winding down and up.

   3. Maintain an exercise routine

      This may come in different forms and that perfectly fine.
      Walking, dancing, yoga, swimming, game sports, weights and gym are all good ways to stay active and social.
      The guidelines for healthy living state 30 mins of moderate exercise daily is minimum target for adults. If exercise is a trigger for you have a discussion in your next appointment on why and what can be done about this.

   4. Eat clean

      Some foods can be triggers such as caffeine and sugar. Maintaining a balanced diet with lots of veggies and protein is very important in overall health. We need specific nutrients and foods to be able to replenish our body.
      It’s our fuel! Let’s make sure it is premium.

   5. Find your triggers

      Try to identify triggers.
      This could be hormonal factors for women, stress and environmental factors, dietary, alcohol or sleep, bright lights, physical exertion or even sitting for long periods of time. Taking a look at your environments at home, work, school, or where ever you send majority of your time… is there some thing that is a constant when it comes to your headaches. It may be the combination of 2 events at the same time that can set it off.

   6. Headache Diary

      An easy way to suss our triggers is by keeping a headache diary, you can show this to the Osteopath or your GP.
      With the diary we rely less on our memory and having to recall exactly what some thing felt like and where, or if you had eaten anything out of the ordinary ect.
      The diary makes common patterns and precipitating factors stand out and easy to identify even with months in-between. You can access an online version here.

   7. Stress management

      This is very individual and personal for each headache case. No ones stressors are the same. But learning how to control or stress and relax is a very important tool in life.
      This maybe simple by taking 3 deep breaths when we get worked up. Working through a contract and relax muscle exercise. Learning to say “no”, adequate sleep, not overload yourself and organisation skills can help.
      Exercise, yoga, mediation and relaxation therapies are other ways to actively take time for yourself and can decrease built up stressors. You can discuss this further with your Osteopath.

Further Testing

Referral to the your GP for a blood test can investigate the levels of vitamins and minerals well as checking our hormone levels.
Knowing that we are low or deficient in an area can help to tackle the headache as a whole body approach. Implementing specific supplements can reduce the frequency and/or intensity of the headaches and further questioning into why you might be deficient in these areas.
Please not that further testing is not always required, but if you have any questions regarding your headache please bring them up with your osteopath at your next appointment, you are welcome to book here.