Headaches are a problem we may not be surprised to experience now and then. When a person has headaches 15 or more days out of each month, we refer to this as chronic daily headaches. This state of being may involve tension headaches, cluster headaches, or migraines. Sometimes, it is a combination of different headaches that affects a person. Regardless of whether chronic daily headaches are a minor nuisance or debilitating, it makes sense to want to find ways to feel better.
How Can I Avoid Chronic Daily Headaches?
This is the big question. If you experience headaches more often than not, you may not want to rely on medication to manage comfort. Some tips for possibly minimizing chronic daily headaches include:
- Keep a daily diary of headache pain. Not when headaches occur and what happened you did beforehand, including anything you ate or drank. This can help you identify headache triggers.
- Prioritize sleep. Studies have revealed that most of us need about 7 1/2 hours of sleep each night to function optimally.
- Eat at regular intervals. Some headaches are triggered by skipping meals.
- Exercise regularly to promote good circulation and minimize stress.
- Avoid taking medication for chronic headaches as much as possible. Studies suggest that heavy reliance on headache medications could be counterproductive.
Strategies to minimize chronic headaches can be successful but do not work for everyone. If these strategies do not improve comfort, it is beneficial to consult with a headache specialist. Dr. Lowenstein has completed specific training to diagnose and treat the variety of headaches that present problems for millions of people.
Schedule a consultation if:
- Headaches occur two or more times each week.
- It is necessary to take pain medication daily to manage comfort.
- Pain is not controlled with the recommended dose of over-the-counter pain medication.
- Headaches change in pattern or get worse.
- Headache pain inhibits normal activities.
Several pharmacological solutions exist for headache sufferers, but this may not successfully resolve the problem. Nonpharmacological modalities such as massage or acupuncture may provide some relief but are not likely to end chronic daily headaches altogether. Dr. Lowenstein has helped many patients regain a better quality of life through migraine surgery to treat chronic daily headaches. This procedure works by relieving inflammation in a peripheral nerve, a common factor that contributes to headaches.
Migraine surgery is a minimally-invasive procedure that can quickly restore optimal comfort. To learn more, contact our Santa Barbara office at 805-969-9004.
