Welcome to Part II of our headache and migraine blog special. As a chiropractor in Freehold, NJ, I have helped many patients who used to suffer with headaches of many types: cluster headaches, migraines, tension headaches just to name a few.
If you haven’t read the initial part on this series about headaches, you can read it by clicking: The Life of Headache and Migraine Sufferers Changed by Chiropractor in Freehold, NJ – Part I
Today we are going to continue with more information all headache and migraine sufferers should know about.
There are many health and dietary habits that contribute to headaches. Some of these habits are surprising to be a cause to those that read them. I recommend that you first read through each one of these habits and then decide if each habit could be contributing to your headaches in any way. Now I understand that you won’t know for sure if each one is contributing at the time that you read it the first time, but you’ll probably have an intuitive feeling about it immediately or even an internal revelation as time goes on. If the habit could possibly be contributing to your headaches because it is your habit, circle it. One by one, work on eliminating the habits that are circled, noticing your progress. The more habits you can eliminate, the more you are moving towards a headache-free life, life as usual with no headache pain!
1) Bad sleep habits can contribute to headaches. If you sleep on your stomach or bunch up your pillow, it can cause your pain. Your neck becomes twisted for long periods of time as you sleep, putting pressure on the nerves, blood vessels and vertebrae in your cervical (neck) spine. That pressure sends messages to the brain that there’s something that needs to be addressed, and a pain signal is sent to your head. Presto! You have a headache and your neck hurts as well.
To solve this, you need to sleep on your back with a pillow that fully supports your neck. You may also sleep on your side, but check with us at the office about the proper sleeping position that won’t create headaches. If you bring in your pillow to our office, I’ll check it to see if it’s part of the reason you have headaches. For example, a pillow that is too thin or too fluffy will contribute to headaches because it doesn’t support the cervical curve in your neck. The cervical curve is a natural S-shaped curve in your neck. If the pillow is too flat, that pillow flattens your cervical curve. If the pillow is too fluffy, it exaggerates your cervical curve.
In the past 20 years, chiropractic physicians have used a complete range of cervical pillows to fit the necks of those who are young and old.
2) If you consume too much caffeine and or chocolate it can cause your headaches. Scientists don’t know exactly what it is about caffeine that can cause a headache, but they do know that there is a clear connection. The big question is what is too much coffee? Many people have heard on tv or reading a magazine that coffee is good for headaches, but in actuality the caffeine triggers a headache and keeps them away from a headache-free life. One has to realize caffeine is an addictive drug, that if it does provide you even with temporary relief of your current headache, the long term consequences of caffeine usage drastically decreases your overall health. In my professional opinion even just one cup a day is too much coffee! You can read more about the dangers of drinking coffee and other caffeine products by clicking this link: Freehold Chiropractor Reveals the Truth about Coffee: Your Health is at Risk! Find out what drinking caffeine does to you from dehydration (another cause of headaches), to destroying your adrenal glands which leads to many common health conditions.
If you are drinking too much coffee, it’s important that you decrease your coffee consumption slowly. DO NOT STOP COFFEE COLD TURKEY! If you stop drinking coffee cold turkey, you will get a headache and it won’t be just an ordinary headache. It will be a monstrous headache!
The best way to cut your coffee consumption is to decrease slowly by 1/2 cup a day.
The same principle can be applied to chocolate. If you eat chocolate every single day three times, decrease it one time a day. Chocolate contains caffeine and you can develop that monstrous headache from its withdrawal.
So, I hope you are finding this information valuable. We are only thru 2 of the top 12 contributing factors to headaches and migraines. In the following parts to this blog series, we will go thru the remaining 10 as well as diets that reduce inflammation, and Natural Headache and Inflammation Remedies.
Until next time, feel free to visit our website: www.ChiropractorFreehold.com or if you live in Freehold or the neighboring towns of Marlboro, Howell, Jackson, Morganville, Colts Neck or Manalapan, in Monmouth County, NJ contact our office, Hometown Family Wellness Center, for a complimentary headache evaluation to help you live a headache free life once and for all.