Ways to Find Relief from Chronic Headaches

Chronic daily headache refers to headaches of almost any type that occur very frequently, generally at least 15 days per month for a period of six months or more. When migraine headaches occur 15 or more days per month, they are labeled as chronic migraines. Patients with tension-type headaches occurring 15 or more days per month are diagnosed with chronic tension-type headache. Here are things that you can do to find relief from chronic headaches:

Make lifestyle changes that help to manage stress.

Stress is the most commonly identified trigger for chronic headaches in the average headache sufferer. Therefore, it is not surprising that frequent life changes and chronic daily stressors or "hassles" are also implicated in the development of chronic headaches.

Minimize use of caffeine.

Caffeine can be beneficial in moderate amounts for chronic migraine with medication overuse and is used in some medications. However, it can also be a risk factor. Caffeine is the most widely-used mood-altering substance in America. It is present in many beverages, dietary supplements, and in some foods, such as chocolate. Many Americans consume caffeine daily with very little awareness that they are ingesting a drug with potent effects. For some headache sufferers, caffeine can aggravate headache in much the same way that medication overuse can.

Get sufficient sleep (a regular pattern of seven to eight hours of sleep per night).

The relationship between sleep and headache has great individual variation. Headaches that arise primarily out of sleep have a broader differential diagnosis than random headaches, and a specific cause should be identified, if possible. Sleep apnea can trigger or cause sleep-related headaches. Hypnic headache is one of a few specific, uncommon, idiopathic sleep-related headache syndromes. Treatment of sleep-related headache includes treating the underlying cause, such as sleep apnea, and prescribing medications usually used for headache as well as medications for sleep disorders.

Speak with your doctor about persistently disturbed sleep.
Headache may be aggravated by frequent sleep disturbance. The most common sleep problem for headache sufferers is insomnia, including difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or poor quality "non-restful" sleep. Snoring is a specific risk factor for chronic headache in some patients. Though the cause is not known, snoring could disturb sleep quality or compromise breathing.

Avoid using over-the-counter and acute prescription headache medications more than two or three times a week. If this is difficult, a daily medication to prevent migraine attacks may be useful.

Precautions: Over-the-counter remedies for headaches have long been a staple of headache patients in the United States and other countries. Although many headache patients obtain benefit from these agents, the patients may not inform their physicians that they are using them. But be careful not to overuse them, your doctor will recommend you on the duration of the usage. If you are having difficulties in doing so, you can always use them if you know when the possible headache strike will happen and take the medications beforehand, thus decreasing the use of medications.

Because these agents are available without a prescription, patients presume they are without risk of adverse effects or interaction with other medications or have no effect on their headache management program. Eliciting information on their use and providing patient education related to these agents and their proper use in a treatment program are fundamental to good headache practice.

Carefully follow your doctor's recommendations for any treatment plan.

Follow your doctor’s recommendation to any of your queries. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding your medical condition.