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"Not tonight, I have a headache." How often do we hear this? Do we always believe it? Actually it may be true. Headaches are as common as getting pimples and acne during adolescence. There are different varieties of headaches. They get triggered unknowingly by several common reasons.

Headaches Triggered By Food: Certain food or combination of foods causes headaches. Dairy products like cheese are very common. Apart from that chocolates, citrus fruits, tomatoes, figs and milk together and many more. Too much intake of sugar results in a rapid increase in the blood sugar level and triggers a high level of insulin; eventually this causes the blood sugar to fall even lower than before and a headache sets in.

If you are able to pinpoint the ache after particular intake of food, then changing your diet can resolve this at an early stage.

Sometimes extreme cold temperatures and food like ice cream or a cold drink can cause numbness and trigger the pain. Others are affected by junk food and Chinese food which have a high content of monosodium glumate (MSG).

Another classic reason for headache is caffeine abuse. People who consume plenty of tea, coffee, colas and chocolate are prone to this. It is an addiction and the moment they stop drinking the required amount for the day, they suffer headaches as a sign of withdrawal symptom. Smoking also triggers aches in many people accompanied with the burning sensation of the eyes. The best solution would be to give up smoking or limit it as much as possible.

Medications Hit Back: There are many victims of headaches who start taking pills even before the onset of one. A slight stressful situation and they pop couple of them. But actually if you reduce the intake of such medications, the headaches will become less frequent.

Most medications taken are anti-inflammatory drugs. They seem to give the relief but they actually damage the lining of the stomach, liver and in some cases even kidneys. Regular intake of these tablets may give rise to analgesic abuse headache.

The best way to handle this is have green tea or hot milk with honey which create a soothing effect on the nerves. Some people get relaxed with cold water or ice packs placed on their head. Try as much as possible to reduce the pain with external methods rather than giving up and grabbing the bottle of pills.

Toxin Headaches: Severe constipation can also trigger headache. The toxins accumulated for a long period of time do not get a release and that leads to various side effects. A diet with a lot of fibre helps to solve this. Fruits like banana, apples and papaya work wonders. Along with that one needs to drink minimum eight glasses of water daily.

Hunger Headaches: This is extremely common when people skip breakfast or lunches and even those who crash diet. The level of sugar in the body gets lowered because of lack of nutrition; it leads to the ache. The person also suffers from irritability and mood swings. Eating a balanced meal and at regular intervals can easily cure this pain attack.

Activity Headaches: The things we love doing the most sometimes gives rise to headaches like watching television for a long time or working on the computer. The glare of the screen fatigues the eyes, causes strain and gives rise to the headache. Similarly listening to loud music, or even using headphones causes similar throbbing pain.

Sun exposure for a long time triggers the ache. In such situations, try to sit in the shade, drink plenty of fluids and relax. Wear sunglasses or some kind of headgear like hat or scarf so that you can enjoy playing your favorite sport like golf, tennis or even enjoy shopping in the sun.

Hangover Headaches: Weekend partying or pub hopping can result in too much drinking. The excess intake of alcohol causes dehydration. It also affects the sleep and causes lowering of the blood sugar level. An additive called congeners present in certain brands of alcohol is known to cause this pain. If you can limit your drinking and keep the body hydrated with a lot of water then this headache can be managed.

Tension Headaches: This is very common and it starts off with a mild throbbing and then intensifies as the day progresses and becomes unbearable by evening. Sometimes this extends to the neck causes stiffness and soreness. The only way to manage this is relax, learn some breathing exercises or take a walk. Seek advice from colleagues and friends to resolve the problem and feel at ease again.

Migraine The Killer Headache: This is the most painful headache of all. Its classic symptoms are severe pain on one side of the head. It lingers for three to four days constantly. The sufferer feels nauseous or has a gastric problem and is affected by noise and light. These get triggered with various foods like cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits etc. There are medications available which should be consulted with the doctor before consumption.

Studies have shown that women get three times more headache than men and usually more of migraine. It is recommended that sufferers should eat well-balanced meals at proper intervals, exercise regularly and get sufficient hours of sleep. If you are unable to bear the pain and find the frequency of headache increased then it is best to seek a doctors advice.

Life has many ups and downs and such pains do interrupt us from our normal routine but precautions can be taken to maintain a successful and accomplished existence.

Nayna Chakrabarty, 2007

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Nayna Chakrabarty, a talented writer has many popular articles published on http://www.nayna.in

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