Do you suffer from migraines, allergies, tension headaches or another medical condition associated with causing regular headaches? Do you assume that every one of your headaches is a direct cause of that medical condition? Perhaps you wonder if you have an undiagnosed illness because you have frequent headaches.
Discover eight surprising headache triggers that may potentially point to a reason for your regular headaches.
Some Headache Remedies Contain Caffeine
Although it is a well-known fact that caffeine is a headache trigger, did you know that some of the very medications that supposedly treat headaches contain caffeine? It is not unusual for an individual to feel that headache symptoms only seem to worsen after taking an over-the-counter headache remedy.
Check the ingredients on the headache remedy in your medicine cabinet and always read the list of ingredients before purchasing any headache medication to avoid ingesting caffeine.
Aged Cheese Potentially Triggers Headaches
The Cleveland Clinic points to several aged cheeses that have the capability of triggering headaches. This is especially true if you take monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medicines. Some of the cheeses to avoid include mozzarella, brie, cheddar, Swiss and Bleu Cheese.
Make sure that you avoid breads, crackers and other foods containing aged cheeses to lessen this headache trigger.
Citrus Is a Possible Cause of Headaches
The fact that citrus fruits contain octopamine and synephrine means that for some individuals, particularly those diagnosed with migraines, citrus is a possible headache trigger.
You likely assume that citrus is a very healthy food choice. However, for individuals who suffer from persistent headaches or even an occasional headache, limiting or completely eliminating citrus fruits from your diet potentially reduces your headache flairs.
Dehydration Does More Than Make You Thirsty
When your body lacks regular hydration, the result is a possible headache. Although scientific research does not always support the idea that lack of water causes headaches, this does not mean that it does not trigger a migraine or dehydration headache. Some people describe symptoms of a dehydration headache as similar to symptoms of a hangover.
Stay well hydrated, particularly by drinking water to minimize risk of dehydration headaches.
Some Beans Trigger Headaches
Many types of beans increase the risk of triggering a migraine or causing a headache in those who do not have migraines. The substance found in some beans that increase the risk of headaches is tyramine. This is the same substance responsible for triggering headaches after you eat aged cheeses.
Unlike the common trigger MSG, tyramine is not an additive. At times, the human digestive system does not break down the amino acid tyrosine fast enough to avoid an excess of tyramine, which then sometimes results in headaches.
Avoid or limit fava beans, snow peas, Italian beans and lima beans to help prevent headaches.
Ice Cold Drinks and Foods Increase Headache Risk
Perhaps you called it “Brain freeze” as a child. You know that feeling, when you quickly gulp an ice cold drink with a lot of ice or slurp down that frozen drink concoction or eat a large amount of ice cream. Your throat seems to freeze and you notice pressure in your head almost instantly after swallowing the drink or ice cream.
While these headaches typically do not last long for most people, for others, the pain lingers for up to several hours. This is especially true for migraine sufferers.
Is Pizza Responsible For Your Headaches?
The possibility of that delicious pizza triggering a headache is a fact.
Yeast in pizza dough, tomatoes in the pizza sauce, aged cheeses, pepperoni and processed meats topping the pizza each serve as individual headache triggers.
Inactivity Often Results in Active Headaches
The magazine Health points to a study where Swedish researchers demonstrated that inactive individuals were more likely to experience headaches, compared to more-active individuals.
Get regular exercise, which aids in reducing or eliminating headaches. Remember to stay hydrated during and after exercising and to obtain physician approval before starting any new exercise program.
Headaches affect millions of people on a regular basis. Avoiding these eight headache triggers potentially lessens incidence and severity of headaches.
Certain drug-free remedies such as eating foods rich in fiber, eating leafy green vegetables and cooked non-citrus fruits serve as headache-free foods. Other remedies include consuming the spice ginger, taking supplements of the herb feverfew or calcium supplements to help prevent or relieve headaches, including migraine headaches.
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