Having a headache is really annoying and sometimes really difficult to avoid. More often than not, you take pain relievers to stop the pain of occasional headaches, and you may take them in advance. Soon, without you noticing it, you are taking pain relievers everyday; a habit that is not good for you. Pain relievers offer immediate relief for occasional headaches. But if these are taken beyond the limit, you may be contributing more to a cycle known as frequent headaches. Frequent headaches are due to medication overuse. They start when you take too much headache medication -- more than what your doctor prescribes or what the label instructs. You may not realize it, but you are overdosing until you miss a day and you start to feel the headache again, which is sometime more intense than before. Frequent headaches are often characterized with dull, achy pain, and sometimes throbbing or pounding pain. When these attack, you will also feel nausea, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, memory problems, depression and trouble sleeping. These symptoms may not be alarming to you but can definitely interfere with your ability to work and to perform daily tasks. That is why it is important to take your headaches seriously and consult your doctor, especially if you have three or more headaches a week, or if you take a pain reliever for headaches everyday, and they are getting worse. Although this type of headaches has various treatments, taking good care of yourself is still the best way to prevent them from occurring. You should avoid headache triggers like the activities that you often do and the foods that you eat before the headaches start. You should also get enough sleep and do not skip meals. But above all, exercise regularly, because this is good for your body and reduce stress by trying yoga and other forms of relaxation exercises. |
