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A lot of people get migraines — about 11 out of 100. The headaches tend to first appear between the ages of 10 and 46. Occasionally, migraines may occur later in life in a person with no history of such headaches. Migraines occur more often in women than men, and may run in families. Women may have fewer migraines when they are pregnant. Most women with such headaches have fewer attacks during the last two trimesters of pregnancy.

A migraine is caused by abnormal brain activity, which is triggered by stress, certain foods, environmental factors, or something else. However, the exact chain of events remains unclear.

Scientists used to believe that migraines were due to changes in blood vessels within the brain. Today, most medical experts believe the attack actually begins in the brain itself, where it involves various nerve pathways and chemicals. The changes affect blood flow in the brain and surrounding tissues.

Migraine attacks may be triggered by:

* Alcohol
* Allergic reactions
* Bright lights
* Certain odors or perfumes
* Changes in hormone levels (which can occur during a woman’s menstrual cycle or with the use of birth control pills)
* Changes in sleep patterns
* Exercise
* Loud noises
* Missed meals
* Physical or emotional stress
* Smoking or exposure to smoke

Certain foods and preservatives in foods may trigger migraines in some people. Food-related triggers may include:

* Any processed, fermented, pickled, or marinated foods
* Baked goods
* Chocolate
* Dairy products
* Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG)
* Foods containing tyramine, which includes red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and certain beans
* Fruits (avocado, banana, citrus fruit)
* Meats containing nitrates (bacon, hot dogs, salami, cured meats)
* Nuts
* Onions
* Peanut butter

This list may not be all-inclusive.

True migraine headaches are not a result of a brain tumor or other serious medical problem. However, only an experienced health care provider can determine whether your symptoms are due to a migraine or another condition.

Symptoms

Vision disturbances, or aura, are considered a “warning sign” that a migraine is coming. The aura occurs in both eyes and may involve any of all of the following:

* A temporary blind spot
* Blurred vision
* Eye pain
* Seeing stars or zigzag lines
* Tunnel vision

Not every person with migraines has an aura. Those who do usually develop one about 10-15 minutes before the headache. However, it may occur just a few minutes to 24 hours beforehand.

Migraine headaches can be dull or severe. The pain may be felt behind the eye or in the back of the head and neck. For many patients, the headaches start on the same side each time. The headaches usually:

* Feel throbbing, pounding, or pulsating
* Are worse on one side of the head
* Start as a dull ache and gets worse within minutes to hours
* Last 6 to 48 hours

Other symptoms that may occur with the headache include:

* Chills
* Increased urination
* Fatigue
* Loss of appetite
* Nausea and vomiting
* Numbness, tingling, or weakness
* Problems concentrating, trouble finding words
* Sensitivity to light or sound
* Sweating

Symptoms that may linger even after the migraine has gone away include:

* Feeling mentally dull, like your thinking is not clear or sharp
* Increased need for sleep
* Neck pain

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101 Headache Prevention Tips:

* Understand that headaches are largely PREVENTABLE.
* Discover a super vegetable that can possibly save you from headache pain.
* Understand how to use meditation to “de-stress” yourself.
* Understand the effect of alcohol on your headaches.
* Understand how to protect yourself from headaches while spending time in the sun.
* Discover how certain colors can actually cause you headaches.
* Discover the three types of headache pain.
* Understand why rain, especially the first rain of the season, can cause you a lot of headache pain.
* Learn exactly what migraines are and why they hurt.
* Learn 4 critical criteria for choosing your next pair of sunglasses.
* Understand what reading in a car is doing to cause you pain.
* Realize that your computer screen could be giving you headaches and what to do about it.
* Learn how to create your own soothing face pack to release tension.
* Learn 7 tips for dealing with hangover headaches.
* Find out what air-pollutants to stay away from.  They may already be causing your headaches.
* Understand what proper ventilation can to do help your headaches.
* Discover how your pillow may be causing you undue pain.
* Understand that your posture may be causing you headaches and how to change that.
* Learn 4 key factors to consider while watching television in order to reduce headaches.
* Learn which breathing exercise can help to reduce your headaches.
* Discover what the effects of hair gel may be having on your headache pain.
* Find out if you should stay away from aerosol.
* Learn to avoid shaking your head - and what it means if you experience pain when doing so.
* Learn the truth about hair dryers and why you should be cautious with them if you have frequent headaches.
* Learn to cool your head correctly - the wrong way can cause you more pain!
* Realize that your computer is giving off radiation and how this can affect you.
* Learn the best way to relax your eyes. Hint: Your eyes should not be closed.
* Learn the proper way to massage your eyes and relieve tension.
* Learn three simple techniques that can help you relax and ease your tension.
* Learn the 2 different types of migraine headaches and how they can effect you.
* Understand the importance of sleep on your headache pain.
* Understand what massages and “touch therapy” can do for your headache pain.
* Learn the 13 easy steps to a powerful exercise that will help relieve tension in your neck and head.
* Discover why hot water is not the best for your head and what you should do about it.
* Understand how organic foods can help you steer clear of unwanted pesticides and hormones.
* Realize that there is such a thing as sound pollution and how this may be affecting you in a negative way.
* Learn 2 simple and effective ways for clearing your sinuses and relieving your pain.
* Discover which ingredients in food and beverages can cause you headache pain.
* Learn which styles of dress may be causing you headache pain.
* Understand the affect that cigarettes and coffee may be having on your headache pain.
* Learn 5 essential factors that need adjusting while reading to avoid headaches.
* Understand the relationship between water and your headache pain.
* Understand that unknown allergies may be causing you headache pain.
* Girls - understand that the way you do your hair may be causing you unnecessary headache pain.
* Learn a great way to exercise your eyes and relieve tension.
* Learn an effective way to “rinse” your sinus pain away.
* Understand that some headache pain is actually heredity.
* Realize the effects of jetlag on your headaches.
* Discover another great tension reliever for your eyes that will leave you feeling very refreshed and headache free.
* Discover tension headaches - any why they are so common yet preventable.
* Learn to use Accupressure to treat and rid yourself of sinus pain. My simple 17 step plan will show you how.
* Learn 4 of the most common triggers for migraine headaches and how to avoid them.
* Understand the effects of exercise and how you can use it to stop your headache pain.
* Discover that the position you read in may be causing you headache pain.
* Realize that too much sleep may be the cause of your headaches.
* Understand why pills may not be helping you at all -and when you should stay away from them.
* Discover that much of your headache pain may be due to your failing eyesight and what you should do about it.
* Understand sinus pain, it’s causes, and the headaches it can cause.
* Learn how to use your time in the shower to relax tension with a simple exercise.

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Some interesting stats about headaches:

* During the past year, nearly 90% of men and 95% of women had at least one headache.
* Migraine headaches afflict 25 to 30 million people in the United States alone.
* Tension type headaches are the most common, affecting more than 75% of all headache sufferers.
* Headaches account for approximately 60 million days of lost production/restricted activity per year
* 20% of adults report the onset of headaches prior to age ten
* American children ages 5-17 missed 4.2 million days of school last year complaining of headaches.

Though there are many types of headaches, a frequent and overlooked cause of headaches is the malfunction of spinal bones in the neck and upper back.  When bones of the spine lose their normal position or motion, sensitive nerves and blood vessels to the head can be affected.  When spinal nerves and related tissues are stretched or irritated, they can produce throbbing headaches.  Aspirin and medications may cover up these warning signs, but do not correct the underlying structural cause.  Many people find relief and correction with chiropractic care.

If a thorough examination reveals reduced range of motion, loss of normal spinal curves, or mechanical restrictions, chiropractic care should be considered.  After a complete explanation, you’ll receive a care program designed for your unique spinal problem.

Many patients report headache relief right away.  Others find that the correction takes longer because their spinal problem has existed undetected for many years.  Every patient responds differently.  Regardless of how you respond, experience the drug-free results millions have enjoyed from consulting a chiropractor for their headaches.

Minimize Headache Frequency

Sleep schedule

Waking and sleeping times can play a critical role in controlling headaches.  Sleep deprivation is a common headache trigger, as is oversleeping.  Make an effort to normalize your sleep patterns helping your body become regulated.

Stress

Though it’s almost impossible to eliminate stress from a fast-paced, high-pressure lifestyle, try to implement techniques that will help to minimize its impact on your life.  Take deep breaths, meditate, pray and keep a sense of humor.  Be sure to exercise regularly, lower the unreasonable demands you put on yourself and leave work on time so you can spend leisure time with your family and friends.

Diet

Most offending foods and seasonings will cause headaches shortly after you eat them.  Some foods will only cause headaches if you eat a certain quantity.  For example, nitrates in a hot dog may not bother you until you’ve had your second one.  Reduce your intake of caffeine, chocolate, nitrates(preserved meats), fermented foods, alcohol, and foods that contain MSG and artificial sweeteners.

Mealtimes

Skipped meals or irregular eating schedules can increase headaches.  If this appears to be a cause, try to eat meals at regular intervals or carry snacks with you so you can eat when your body requires food.

Smoking

Smoking cigarettes or breathing second hand smoke can increase your headache frequency.  Although quitting smoking is not a guarantee that headaches will stop, it can ease the problem by eliminating the impurities and the carbon monoxide levels found in the blood of smokers.

First Aid for Headaches

* Drink half your body weight in ounces of pure water every day.  Example: A 150 lb. person needs to drink 75 oz. of water per day.
* Ice is a topical anti-inflammatory that reduces swelling and pain. Apply ice to the back and neck for 15 minutes and remove for 45 minutes. Repeat as often as necessary.
* If headache lasts more than 24 hours, call your chiropractor for an evaluation.

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You’ve been staring at the computer for hours. You’ve worked late all week and have in-laws coming this weekend. You have a raging case of PMS. Eyestrain, stress, and hormonal shifts are fairly common causes of headaches, which afflict 45 million Americans (most of them women). But sometimes the usual suspects don’t explain that pain in your head. That’s because some triggers are just plain weird—like perfume, storms, earrings … or even orgasms. Here’s how to identify the source of your headache so you can send it packing.

Perfume
“Strong scents bother me instantly,” says Bethany Hegedus, 35, a writer and receptionist from Brooklyn, New York. She can get a headache from a whiff of Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker or a stroll past a Yankee Candle. Her sense of smell is so acute that she can sniff out whether a co-worker has changed laundry detergents or hand lotions, a degree of sensitivity common among scent-driven headache sufferers. The headaches can be fleeting if exposure is brief—or they can last all day.

Why it hurts: Strong odors may activate the nose’s nerve cells, which stimulate the nerve system associated with head pain. Ironically, the offending scents are often pleasant, says Vincent Martin, MD, a headache specialist at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

What to do: Avoid perfumes, strong household cleansers, fragranced soaps and shampoos, and air fresheners. That’s a challenge when just about everything these days is “Clothesline Clean” or “Citrus Fresh,” but Hegedus does her best with unscented laundry detergent and deodorant, and wears no fragrances. At the office, she politely asks colleagues not to wear heavy perfumes. And if all else fails? “I keep a bottle of Excedrin Extra Strength at my desk,” she says.

That remedy has aspirin, aceta-minophen, and caffeine, a combination endorsed by several medical organizations for migraine and tension headaches. However, you might want to try aspirin or acetaminophen individually rather than mixed together with caffeine, says Andrew Charles, MD, director of the Headache Research and Treatment Center at the University of Calofirnia, Los Angeles, School of Medicine. Frequent use of medicines with caffeine can lead to dependency and “rebound” headaches, the kind that come right back as soon as the meds wear off. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen treat pain and the inflammation often associated with headaches. Acetaminophen fights pain, but not inflammation. (Another caveat: If over-the-counter meds don’t help, a trip to the neurologist may be needed, Martin says.)

Weather
Studies show that the headache-prone are especially attuned to changes in barometric pressure, rising temperatures, high humidity, lightning, and cloudy skies. Rebecca Kinney, a 31-year-old librarian from Newton, Massachusetts, calls herself a human barometer. Gray skies and rain-on-the-way trigger excruciating pain. “The headache is usually on one side of my head, and it pulsates, as if someone is drilling into me,” she says.

Why it hurts: The meteorological shifts are thought to trigger chemical and electrical changes in the brain that irritate nerves—sometimes causing fairly dramatic pain. In fact, “50 to 60 percent of migraine patients will identify a weather change as the trigger for their headaches,” Martin says.

What to do: On bad-weather days, Kinney puts an ice compress on her eyes in the morning. “Sometimes I can catch the headache before it gets worse,” she says. Another trick: Record your symptoms and the weather to piece together patterns. Then check out the “Aches and Pains” forecast on Weather.com (click on “Healthy Living”); it breaks down how the day is dawning in terms of temperature, barometric pressure, and wind patterns. Pretreat with 400 milligrams of ibuprofen a day or two before expected weather changes, says Mark W. Green, MD, director of headache medicine at Columbia University. (Naproxen or aspirin may work, as well.)

Earrings, headbands, and ponytails
Some people say the roots of their hair hurt when they get a headache. Kinney describes it as a “hair cramp.” Other women swear that their earrings can lead to head pain. And they’re all … correct!

Why it hurts: The muscle groups around your scalp don’t have pain fibers, but their connective tissues do. “Ponytail headaches” result when tightly pulled hair irritates the muscle system. And your swingy up-do isn’t the only thing contributing to your pain: Tight-fitting hats, headbands, and heavy earrings are also culprits, says Stephen Silberstein, MD, director of the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Why earrings? It’s possible that earrings can pull on that same connective tissue. But some studies suggest that skin sensitivity around your scalp, face, and ears often accompanies a migraine. The earring supersensitivity could be a sign that a migraine’s coming, but not the cause of the headache.

What to do: It probably didn’t take a study in the journal Headache to tell you that loosening your ponytail relieves a ponytail ache. Researchers have found that this simple action decreased headache pain within 30 minues, and, in some cases, instantly. Kinney makes a conscious effort to reposition her ponytail throughout the day. Typically, the thicker your hair or the heavier your headwear, the more likely you’ll experience this type of headache. Best bet: Save tight up-dos and heavy earrings for nights out, when you won’t be wearing them for long.

Hunger
There’s a reason some nutrition gurus recommend that we eat several small meals a day: It keeps our blood sugar on an even keel. Dieting, fasting, skipping lunch—they all can cause you to bottom out, which may trigger a headache.

Why it hurts: Experts believe low blood sugar may stimulate nerve pathways that bring on these common headaches, but the exact mechanism is murky.

What to do: Uh, eat? Exactly. But remember that what you grab may play a role in whether your headache returns. “Sugar headaches” may occur when we binge on sweets on an empty stomach. The spike in blood sugar ratchets insulin levels, which eventually cause blood sugar to sink even lower. Instead, balance a protein with a complex carbohydrate, such as fish and brown rice, or a snack of whole-wheat toast with almond butter. Martin adds that eating foods rich in magnesium (spinach, beans, nuts, and seeds) and riboflavin (dairy products, lean meats, leafy greens, enriched breads and cereals) may prevent and alleviate head pain. Riboflavin is a B vitamin; large doses are thought to help prevent migraines.

Bear in mind, too, that cheese, chocolate, lunch meats, caffeine, and additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) may trigger headaches. In general, if you suffer from moderate, severe, or frequent headaches (more than two a week), consult a headache specialist about your diet. You may need to keep a food diary to hunt for culprits.

Sex!
“Coital headaches” (not the “Not tonight, honey” variety) can occur during foreplay or right before orgasm. Marked by a general head pain, these headaches typically last from a few minutes to an hour.

Why it hurts: It’s probably a type of “exertion headache,” Silberstein says. During arousal, the culprit is likely pressure building up in the head and neck muscles. And orgasm sometimes requires a lot of “work.” Running, coughing, sneezing, even straining during a bowel movement, can lead to similar pain.

What to do: Most exertion headaches can be pretreated with ibuprofen or naproxen, Martin says. But be careful: An orgasmic headache, if it’s your first, may point to an underlying condition, such as an aneurysm, that merits a doctor’s attention. If your headaches occur during G-rated workouts, an activity switch can help—from aerobics, say, to biking. These headaches usually aren’t a reason to quit having fun.

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Migraines affect a substantial percentage of adults, especially women of childbearing years, said Dr. Edward Pegg, a Bloomington- based neurologist.

But most people don’t seek help from a doctor because they don’t realize there are medicines specifically for migraines.

“There are medicines available that can change your life,” Pegg said.

The American Migraine Study II in 1999 found that 12.6 percent of Americans suffer from migraines, according to the 2005 book, “A Study of Migraine.” About 18.2 percent of women and 6.5 percent of men get migraines.

Between puberty and menopause, nearly 30 percent of females get migraines, Pegg said.

However, 74 percent of males and 59 percent of females surveyed said they hadn’t seen a doctor for their migraines, Pegg said.

That may be because some people aren’t aware of medical advances. They think, as their parents did, that little can be done for their migraines.

“Their parents’ generation just considered it a headache and didn’t think anything could be done,” Pegg said. “There were no good treatments (years ago), so we’d knock people out with pain medicine and they’d wake up without the migraine.”

Some people would take over-the-counter headache medicine, which would have little to no effect on a migraine, Pegg said. Others would self-medicate by drinking caffeine, which would help some people but, for others, would make the migraine worse.

These treatments didn’t help much because a migraine is different from a sinus headache or a tension headache.

A tension headache is a generalized head pain, as if you are wearing a hat that’s too tight, Pegg explained. The pain is constant.

A sinus headache is head pain, generally over the sinus and behind the eyes, with sinusitis, including nasal discharge, according to “The Migraine Monitor,” a publication of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

A migraine is severe, throbbing pain on one side of the head and is worsened by movement, said Pegg and “The Migraine Monitor.” In some patients, the head pain is coupled with nausea, vomiting and an aura or visual phenomenon, including sparking lights, a hole in your vision or jagged, vibrating, geometric shapes. For some people, it appears as if they are looking through broken glass. For others, the vision is steamy.

In some patients, head pain is coupled with dizziness and a tingling sensation or numbness that appears to be marching down their arm.

“It’s not a stroke because it’s marching down their arm; in a stroke, it’s everywhere all at once,” Pegg said.

The location of the throbbing pain depends on which blood vessels are involved. Migraines are vascular headaches, meaning the blood vessels are involved, Pegg said.

In a migraine, blood vessels expand. Nerves that wrap around those blood vessels are stretched and send pain signals to the brain, Pegg said. “With every heartbeat, it’s more intense,” he said.

Why the blood vessels expand from time to time is unclear. Migraines are hereditary. Certain things also appear to trigger a migraine, including lack of sleep, stress, a change in the weather, some strong perfumes and certain foods, including chocolate, MSG (monosodium glutamate, an additive often found in seasonings and Chinese food), nuts, wine and cheese, Pegg said.

A major trigger is estrogen, which is why migraines are more prevalent during women’s childbearing years, Pegg said.

Pegg first works with patients on identifying and controlling their migraine triggers, including getting enough sleep, managing stress and avoiding certain perfumes and foods.

When patients continue to get migraines, he prescribes medicine that may help. Medicines specific to migraines have been available for several years. The medicines work by stopping the release of chemicals that cause the blood vessels to swell, Pegg explained.

One category of prescription medicine is called abortive because those medicines are to be taken when a migraine starts and reduce the duration and severity of the migraine.

Tablets take effect after about 90 minutes. For people who don’t mind giving themselves an injection in the arm or thigh, the injection abortive medicines take effect in about 20 minutes, Pegg said.

Examples are Imitrex and Esgic Plus. The medicines are effective for about 80 percent of patients who try them and have few side effects, Pegg said. However, patients with coronary artery disease or uncontrolled high blood pressure can’t take those medicines.

Patients who get frequent migraines - about six or more a month - may not want to wait 90 minutes or more for an abortive medicine to take effect. For those patients, Pegg prescribes a preventive migraine medicine. These tablets are to be taken once or twice a day to prevent migraines from occurring.

These medicines also are effective in about 80 percent of patients. But people with asthma can’t take them and people with heart failure need to consult their doctor first.

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You’ve been staring at the computer for hours. You’ve worked late all week and have in-laws coming this weekend. You have a raging case of PMS. Eyestrain, stress, and hormonal shifts are fairly common causes of headaches, which afflict 45 million Americans (most of them women).

But sometimes the usual suspects don’t explain that pain in your head. That’s because some triggers are just plain weird — like perfume, storms, earrings — or even orgasms. Here’s how to identify the source of your headache so you can send it packing.

Perfume

“Strong scents bother me instantly,” says Bethany Hegedus, 35, a writer and receptionist from Brooklyn, New York. She can get a headache from a whiff of Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker or a stroll past a Yankee Candle. Her sense of smell is so acute that she can sniff out whether a co-worker has changed laundry detergents or hand lotions, a degree of sensitivity common among scent-driven headache sufferers. The headaches can be fleeting if exposure is brief — or they can last all day.

Why it hurts: Strong odors may activate the nose’s nerve cells, which stimulate the nerve system associated with head pain. Ironically, the offending scents are often pleasant, says Vincent Martin, M.D., a headache specialist at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

What to do: Avoid perfumes, strong household cleansers, fragranced soaps and shampoos, and air fresheners. That’s a challenge when just about everything these days is “Clothesline Clean” or “Citrus Fresh,” but Hegedus does her best with unscented laundry detergent and deodorant, and wears no fragrances. At the office, she politely asks colleagues not to wear heavy perfumes. And if all else fails? “I keep a bottle of Excedrin Extra Strength at my desk,” she says.

That remedy has aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine, a combination endorsed by several medical organizations for migraine and tension headaches. However, you might want to try aspirin or acetaminophen individually rather than mixed together with caffeine, says Andrew Charles, M.D., director of the Headache Research and Treatment Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine. Frequent use of medicines with caffeine can lead to dependency and “rebound” headaches, the kind that come right back as soon as the meds wear off. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen treat pain and the inflammation often associated with headaches. Acetaminophen fights pain, but not inflammation. (Another caveat: If over-the-counter meds don’t help, a trip to the neurologist may be needed, Martin says.)

Weather

Studies show that the headache-prone are especially attuned to changes in barometric pressure, rising temperatures, high humidity, lightning, and cloudy skies. Rebecca Kinney, a 31-year-old librarian from Newton, Massachusetts, calls herself a human barometer. Gray skies and rain on the way trigger excruciating pain. “The headache is usually on one side of my head, and it pulsates, as if someone is drilling into me,” she says.

Why it hurts: The meteorological shifts are thought to trigger chemical and electrical changes in the brain that irritate nerves — sometimes causing fairly dramatic pain. In fact, “50 to 60 percent of migraine patients will identify a weather change as the trigger for their headaches,” Martin says.

What to do: On bad-weather days, Kinney puts an ice compress on her eyes in the morning. “Sometimes I can catch the headache before it gets worse,” she says. Another trick: Record your symptoms and the weather to piece together patterns. Then check out the weather; it breaks down how the day is dawning in terms of temperature, barometric pressure, and wind patterns. Pretreat with 400 milligrams of ibuprofen a day or two before expected weather changes, says Mark W. Green, M.D., director of headache medicine at Columbia University.

Earrings, headbands, and ponytails

Some people say the roots of their hair hurt when they get a headache. Kinney describes it as a “hair cramp.” Other women swear that their earrings can lead to head pain. And they’re all correct!

Why it hurts: The muscle groups around your scalp don’t have pain fibers, but their connective tissues do. “Ponytail headaches” result when tightly pulled hair irritates the muscle system. And your swingy updo isn’t the only thing contributing to your pain: Tight-fitting hats, headbands, and heavy earrings are also culprits, says Stephen Silberstein, M.D., director of the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Why earrings? It’s possible that earrings can pull on that same connective tissue. But some studies suggest that skin sensitivity around your scalp, face, and ears often accompanies a migraine. The earring supersensitivity could be a sign that a migraine’s coming, but not the cause of the headache.

What to do: It probably didn’t take a study in the journal Headache to tell you that loosening your ponytail relieves a ponytail ache. Researchers have found that this simple action decreased headache pain within 30 minutes, and, in some cases, instantly. Kinney makes a conscious effort to reposition her ponytail throughout the day. Typically, the thicker your hair or the heavier your headwear, the more likely you’ll experience this type of headache. Best bet: Save tight updos and heavy earrings for nights out, when you won’t be wearing them for long.

Hunger

There’s a reason some nutrition gurus recommend that we eat several small meals a day: It keeps our blood sugar on an even keel. Dieting, fasting, skipping lunch — they all can cause you to bottom out, which may trigger a headache.

Why it hurts: Experts believe low blood sugar may stimulate nerve pathways that bring on these common headaches, but the exact mechanism is murky.

What to do: Uh, eat? Exactly. But remember that what you grab may play a role in whether your headache returns. “Sugar headaches” may occur when we binge on sweets on an empty stomach. The spike in blood sugar ratchets insulin levels, which eventually cause blood sugar to sink even lower. Instead, balance a protein with a complex carbohydrate, such as fish and brown rice, or a snack of whole-wheat toast with almond butter. Martin adds that eating foods rich in magnesium (spinach, beans, nuts, and seeds) and riboflavin (dairy products, lean meats, leafy greens, enriched breads and cereals) may prevent and alleviate head pain. Riboflavin is a B vitamin; large doses are thought to help prevent migraines.

Bear in mind, too, that cheese, chocolate, lunch meats, caffeine, and additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) may trigger headaches. In general, if you suffer from moderate, severe, or frequent headaches (more than two a week), consult a headache specialist about your diet. You may need to keep a food diary to hunt for culprits.

Sex!

“Coital headaches” (not the “Not tonight, honey” variety) can occur during foreplay or right before orgasm. Marked by a general head pain, these headaches typically last from a few minutes to an hour.

Why it hurts: It’s probably a type of “exertion headache,” Silberstein says. During arousal, the culprit is most likely pressure building up in the head and neck muscles. And orgasm sometimes requires a lot of “work.” Running, coughing, sneezing, even straining during a bowel movement, can lead to similar pain.

What to do: Most exertion headaches can be pretreated with ibuprofen or naproxen, Martin says. But be careful: An orgasmic headache, if it’s your first, may point to an underlying condition, such as an aneurysm, that merits a doctor’s attention. If your headaches occur during G-rated workouts, an activity switch can help — from aerobics, say, to biking. These headaches usually aren’t a reason to quit having fun. “Just ease into it,” Silberstein says.

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By Hallie Levine Skylar

Feel better fast by making these simple adjustments to your routine.

Everyone knows a sinus infection or a major work project can make your head throb. But headaches can also be triggered by seemingly innocuous everyday activities like sleeping in on Saturdays or cleaning your apartment. With so many culprits, it’s no wonder that one in five women suffer from migraines and nearly half of women in their 30s endure tension headaches. But if you think popping a pill is the only way to ease the symptoms, you’re wrong. We consulted the experts, and they revealed some unexpected causes of headaches, as well as how you can stop the pain for good.

1. TRIGGER
KICKING BACK ON THEWEEKENDS

You put in 14-hour days Monday through Friday, only to wake up midmorning on Saturday with pounding pain in your temples. “So many of my patients tell me that they can work all week in a high-stress environment without a problem, but the minute they start relaxing,they get a migraine,” says Lisa Mannix, M.D., medical director of Headache Associates in Cincinnati. The reason? As tension dissipates, levels of stress hormones,such as cortisol and or adrenaline, decrease. This causes a rapid release of neurotransmitters,the nervous system’s chemical messengers. These send out impulses to blood vessels,making them constrict and then dilate, in addition to releasing other pain causing chemicals.

Although it’s tempting to sleep in on weekends, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. In a survey conducted by the National Headache Foundation, 79 percent of headache sufferers reported that they wake up with a headache after snoozing for more than eight hours. Also, if you enjoy an 8 a.m. cup of joe during the week, try to have coffee at the same time on the weekend. Caffeine withdrawal also causes blood vessels to dilate, which can give you a “grande”-size headache. You should try to factor decompression time into your workweek, too. If you don’t have a consistent fitness program, start one now, aiming for at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week. One study found that this amount of activity reduces headache frequency by 50 percent. “Exercise buffers the effects of stress and releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which help prevent the chemical changes that trigger a migraine,” says David Buchholz, M.D., associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University and author of Heal Your Headache.

Also consider incorporating relaxation techniques into your schedule, such as meditation, yoga, or biofeedback, which teaches you to control involuntary body responses like muscle tension and heart rate. Studies show that using these therapies, either alone or in combination, can improve symptoms in up to 80 percent of patients suffering from headaches, says Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York Headache Center.

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SELF-TREATING YOUR HEAD PAIN

Taken too frequently (more than two or three times a week on a regular basis), the over-the-counter acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen you depend on to quell the throbbing may be hurting you instead of helping. It can cause rebound headaches, a condition estimated to affect 2 percent of all adults. “A woman may start taking pain relievers a few times a week to treat her tension headaches,” says Alan Rapoport, M.D., clinical professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Soon the headaches become more frequent, so she starts taking these medicines more often. Before long, she has headaches every day.”
These drugs affect the pain-control systems in the brain and can lower levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, explains Rapoport. Young women also seem to be more susceptible showed that about 75 percent of rebound-headache sufferers are women, most commonly in their 30s.

Occasional use of OTC medicine is fine, but be sure to follow the label instructions exactly. Taking a higher than suggested dose increases the odds of getting a rebound headache.
If you suspect that your pain is related to self-medicating, ask your primary care physician to refer you to a headache specialist. The only solution is to stop taking your OTC pills, a remedy that may be painful at first. “I wean patients off them gradually,” says Merle Diamond, M.D., associate director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. “For example, if a woman is taking eight pills a day, I’ll advise her to take six a day the following week, and four a day the week after that.”

To help you through this withdrawal period, your doctor may prescribe temporary measures like triptans, a class of powerful migraine drugs that stimulate serotonin receptors, resulting in reduced inflammation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. The frequency and intensity of your headaches should improve in one to three weeks, but it may take up to three months before your brain’s pain control system returns to normal.

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YOUR PERIOD

About 60 percent of all female migraine sufferers experience their migraines just before or at the start of their periods, according to the National Headache Foundation. “These hormonally driven headaches typically occur with the drop of estrogen levels right before menstruation, which affects your body’s serotonin levels,” explains Diamond. The frequency and severity usually improve during pregnancy, when hormone levels stabilize, and worsen during perimenopause, when estrogen levels start fluctuating even more.

Many doctors, including Rapoport, will treat menstrual-related headaches with a prescription triptan, such as Frova. Your doctor may recommend taking triptans either a couple of days before your period starts or continuously during your period, depending on the severity and frequency of your migraines.
A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, taken every day for the five to seven days around your period may also help reduce headache frequency. Experts used to believe that the birth control pill made migraines worse, but they’ve since concluded that the higher estrogen content of oral contraceptives a decade ago may have been to blame. Today’s pill may actually help. “Research shows that when female migraine sufferers take the pill, about one-third report an improvement in symptoms, one-third a worsening, and the other third no change,”says Mannix.

If you’re already on the pill,ask your doctor about taking it every day of the month (i.e.,skipping the placebo pills and starting a new pack immediately) to keep estrogen levels steady. A recent study published in the journal Headache found that women who used a continuous method had less severe headaches than those who stuck to the traditional 28-day pill cycle.

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HARBORING ANGER

Bottling up your feelings won’t do anyone—especially you—any favors. In fact, according to a study at Saint Louis University, this is the biggest emotional cause of headaches, even more so than depression or anxiety.

“When you’re angry, all your muscles tense up, including those in the back of your neck and scalp,” explains Allen Elkin, Ph.D., director of the Stress Management and Counseling Center in New York City. The prolonged contraction of the head and neck muscles causes a tight band-like sensation around your head, which is a classic sign of a tension headache.

The next time that you’re silently simmering, take in a larger than normal breath; hold it for three to five seconds while pressing together the thumb and index finger on one of your hands, suggests Elkin. Then exhale slowly through parted lips, until all the air has been drained from your lungs. Repeat two or three times. This soothing move stops you from tensing your neck and shoulder muscles, which has been shown to bring on a headache.

After you’ve cooled down, ask yourself how important the immediate issue is to you. Will you remember it in two months? Two days? The answer will help put the problem in perspective. “If you tell yourself to let it go for now, chances are even an hour later you’ll be able to deal with it better,” says Elkin. “Otherwise, you’ll just hold on to the anger all day and tense up even more.”
If you already feel a headache coming on, wrap a hot compress or a heating pad around your neck for a few minutes, making sure that it hits the base of your skull. This will relax your sternocleidomastoid muscles, which are key in tension headaches, says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., medical director of the Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers, which have clinics throughout the United States.

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YOUR LUNCH

A turkey sandwich with a slice of cheddar, a diet soda, and a small piece of dark chocolate may make for a waistline- friendly meal, but for headache sufferers, it’s a decidedly unhealthy combo. All these foods contain chemicals with the potential to trigger migraines. (Cheddar, as well as other aged cheeses, like Brie and Stilton, contains tyramine, while chocolate has theobromine and phenylethylamine.) In diet sodas, the culprit is the sweetener aspartame. In a study of migraine sufferers conducted at the Montefiore Medical Center Headache Unit in the Bronx, New York, a little more than 8 percent of patients linked their head pain to aspartame. While researchers aren’t exactly sure why this chemical causes pain, one theory is that it alters neurotransmitter levels. “I’ve had patients whose migraines have decreased dramatically just by giving up their afternoon soda,” says Buchholz. Other possible food triggers:MSG (a preservative) and nitrate containing processed meats and fish.

Keeping a food diary can be helpful in identifying potential headache triggers. Once you suspect a food may be to blame, try eliminating it from your diet and see whether it alleviates your symptoms. But be sure to eat regularly. “I tell my patients it’s more important that they eat than what they eat,” says Mannix. “If you skip breakfast, for example, you’ll have a drop in blood sugar, which can bring on a migraine.”

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YOUR CO-WORKER’S PERFUME

Even if you think it smells nice, just a little whiff can bring on head-splitting pain. In one study from the Headache Center of Atlanta, almost 50 percent of migraine sufferers attributed strong scents, such as perfume or household cleaners, to an attack. “Odors reach the center of your brain via direct nerve pathways from your nose,” explains Siddhartha Nadkarni, M.D., a neurologist at the New York University Medical Center. For scent-sensitive individuals, this causes a cascade of neurotransmitters that can initiate a migraine.

Unfortunately, many scents are difficult to avoid. “You can’t live in a bubble,” says Buchholz. “No matter how hard you try to stay away from strong smells, you’ll still end up in an elevator next to someone wearing heavy cologne.” But there are a few ways to keep odors at bay. First, try to keep your home and work spaces as ventilated as possible. “A patient of mine who is a supermarket-deli manager got so fed up with her heavily perfumed customers that she set up a fan at the back of her work area so it would blow scent away from her,” says Buchholz. Also, in your own home, use fragrance-free cleaning supplies, such as EnviroRite, and keep all doors and windows open.

If these strategies don’t work, combat one odor with another. A German study found that applying a drop of peppermint oil to the forehead was as effective as OTC acetaminophen in relieving some headaches.

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