3 tips to stay away from headaches

Headache disorders in 2019 ranked 14th among global causes of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) counting all ages and all genders.(1) The World Health Organization reported headache disorders are among the most common disorders of the nervous system and many of these don’t get diagnosed appropriately.(2) Clinically, people who have acute headache often get a better outcome versus people who have chronic headache. The better outcome is believed to be a result of early intervention.
 
More known causes of headache include stress, infection, trauma and injuries. Headache is common after concussion; especially headaches experienced post car accident or injuries in contact sport. Furthermore, abnormal muscle tension around the head and neck region could be to blame. Headache can often be a result from bad posture, prolonged period of inactivity or an inappropriate fit of your pillow. Spinal manipulation including chiropractic care is recommended in migraine sufferers’ and in cases where headaches are originated from the cervical (neck) region.(3)
 
There are some lesser known causes of chronic headaches we often see in practice. We know identifying the cause of a headache is the foundation to a resolution! These are 3 tips that not many people think that can contribute to headaches.
 
1. Dehydration
With less water intake, the concentration of toxins (metabolic waste) within our body goes up, think about alcohol consumption! This can create general hypertonicity (high tone) in human body and sometimes leads to headaches.
 
2. Lack of sleep
A study in 2011 suggested lack of sleep is linked to more painful headaches due to the decrease in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.(4) REM sleep is believed to be helpful in long term memories, learning and mood regulation. This study found lack of sleep increase the chronic inflammation, reducing pain threshold; especially for headache.
 
3. Vitamin B2
​Vitamin B group plays an important role in supporting a healthy nervous system. Gut bacteria can produce a small amount of Vitamin B2 but far from enough for a suggested daily intake. As the human body doesn’t store vitamins, dietary intake becomes the main source for our body. In a recent systematic review, supplementation of Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is found to significantly reduce migraine days, duration and pain intensity.(5)
 
These are great tips to stay away from headaches, there are many more reasons that can cause a headache, some can be life threatening. Newly developed headache should be taken seriously and it is recommended to consult your health professional/s. If you or your loved ones experience chronic headache, give us a call and see how we can help manage your concerns!

Reference

1.         Steiner T, Stovner L, Jensen R, Uluduz D, Katsarava Z. Migraine remains second among the world’s causes of disability, and first among young women: findings from GBD2019. BioMed Central; 2020. p. 1-4.
2.         Organisation WH. Headache Disorder 2016 [updated 8 April 2016. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders.
3.         Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, Marcoux H, Potter B, Ruegg R, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics. 2011;34(5):274-89.
4.         Durham P, Garrrett F, Hawkins J, Hayden J, Campos J. REM sleep deprivation promotes sustained levels of proteins implicated in peripheral and central sensitization of trigeminal nerves: role in pain chronification. The Journal of Pain. 2011;12(4):P31.
5.         Chen Y-S, Lee H-F, Tsai C-H, Hsu Y-Y, Fang C-J, Chen C-J, et al. Effect of Vitamin B2 supplementation on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2021:1-12.