What Causes Chronic Headaches?

Many people suffer from chronic headaches without realizing how common their situation is. In fact, studies have found that very close to half of the entire population suffers from headaches!

Studies have also found that the vast majority of headaches are either migraine, tension headaches, or cluster headaches. There has been a lot of research about headaches and what causes them. Unfortunately, not everybody takes advantage of this research to understand the causes of their own headaches.

So what exactly are the most likely causes of your chronic headaches? Read on to learn all about the most important candidates to consider when it comes to what is causing your headaches!

Nutrition

Every part of the body is connected to every other part. What is happening in one part of your body can end up affecting your head just as it can end up affecting any other part of the body.

When it comes to headaches, problems with nutrition are a common culprit. Your body depends on a delicate balance of nutrients in order to keep everything running smoothly. Almost any problem with your diet can end up affecting your health in a way that can ultimately lead to a headache.

Unfortunately, some people are extremely sensitive to nutrition that is less than optimal. They can get headaches because they eat meals that are too big. But they can also get headaches from not eating often enough.

On top of that, there are a number of things you can eat and drink that are especially likely to lead to headaches.

Alcohol in all of its forms is a common culprit of headaches. Many people drink often enough that they do not realize that what they think is a chronic headache problem is actually just a result of drinking so often. In particular, red wine is especially likely to cause headaches.

On top of that, processed foods and meats can sometimes cause headaches. Unhealthy foods of all kinds are more likely to lead to pain or tightness in or around the head.

Sleep

No matter how good your diet is, your head will not be in top shape if you are not getting adequate sleep. This is another chronic problem that affects the health and quality of life of many people. Many people do not realize that they could solve their headache problem with sleep because they so rarely get a good night of sleep.

In the majority of cases, it is a lack of sleep that will lead to headaches. However, it is also important to keep in mind that huge shifts in sleep of any kind can sometimes lead to a headache.

Sleeping at very different hours of the day or even sleeping too much can potentially cause a headache. On top of that, you might be sleeping in the wrong position. If your body is resting in an unnatural posture, it can potentially put stress on your joints or head and lead to a headache.

Posture

The same basic principle applies even when you are not sleeping. If your posture is bad enough, it can lead to chronic problems with your joints and muscles. If these problems involve the joints and muscles near your head, you might end up with chronic headaches.

If you don’t stretch your head in a certain direction very often, then your neck will probably become tighter over time. This tightness will get worse until your head is chronically tilted in a slightly wrong way.

This can also put constant stress on the muscles on the opposite side of your neck or head. In order to compensate for the tightness of one side of the head, the other side must constantly exert muscular force, leading to chronic fatigue.

The end result of all of these problems can be a headache.

Stress

Stress is another common cause of headaches. Many people think that stress is only about bad things happening. However, it is more accurate to think of stress as a result of disruptive events.

Even if you are going through disruptive events that you would characterize as positive, they will still place a significant amount of stress on your body and mind. As a result, it shouldn’t shock you if you end up developing a headache.

Of course, if you are experiencing negative stress, that is even more likely that you may suffer a headache. And if your stress is chronic, then it might take some time before you relax enough to stop experiencing headaches.

Chronic Illness

Some people simply have a condition in their body that causes recurring headaches. In these cases, they cannot solve their problems with simple adjustments to their lifestyle. Instead, they need careful examination and diagnosis by experts.

Only once the exact nature of the problem is determined can experts figure out how to solve the problem.

The more that you study the causes of headaches as well as the differences between tension headaches and other kinds of headaches symptoms, the more you might be interested in the insights of a great headache doctor. Working with a migraine specialist is often the first step toward finding a headache treatment that can solve your problem.

Understand the Most Common Causes of Chronic Headaches 

We hope learning more about the causes of chronic headaches has been helpful for you. Many people deal with headaches for years without ever stopping to wonder if there is any way to stop them. Fortunately, in many cases, the solutions for chronic headaches can be relatively simple.

When you are used to having chronic headaches, it can be hard to appreciate how much they negatively affect your quality of life. The more you understand about chronic headaches, the more likely you are to find a way to stop them for you. To learn more about managing your health and the latest developments in technology, check out our other articles!