Life with Headaches

Sufferers of frequent headaches can often minimize the pain in their lives associated with headaches through a combination of treatment factors. They may find it helpful to manage their pain and prevent symptoms through the use of medications for abortive and preventive relief and the help of a doctor or other sources of reliable treatment education.

It often helps the doctor determine the causes of recurring headaches if a headache sufferer keeps a record of his or her headaches. This includes noting what day and time the pain begins, the last thing a patient ate or drank, recent sleep patterns and any activities that could have contributed to stress or tension. The headache patient should also make note of the duration of the headache and what contributed to making the pain stop, if anything.

In order to alleviate the causal factors of headaches, a headache sufferer should reduce the number of risk factors present. This may include quitting smoking, drinking less or eliminating alcohol, increasing exercise, weight loss, and improving posture at a desk, in a car or other long-held positions. A chronic headache sufferer may also improve headache symptoms by improving sleeping habits, usually by getting more sleep, or reducing lifestyle stressors that may trigger headaches.

Depending on the type and cause of a headache, a person may reduce the frequency, severity and length of headaches by practicing preventive treatments, including medications that can be prescribed by a doctor. Living with headache pain can be a debilitating condition that hinders a person from regular activities of work and recreation. However, the condition may be improved by executing a preventive treatment plan and aggressive relief of pain symptoms once they occur. Understanding why headaches are occurring and obtaining healthcare advice and treatment from a doctor are early steps for effectively reducing the painful symptoms of headache attacks.