Common headache triggers include emotional factors such as depression, anxiety, frustration, letdown and even excitement. Stress, muscular tension and dilated blood vessels cause headaches, as do disorders such as brain tumor, stroke or sinus infection. Other common triggers include changes in weather, season, sleep pattern, diet, hormonal fluctuation during menstruation or pregnancy, and sensory irritants such as flickering lights, strong odors or polluted air. Help for headaches For the occasional headache, you might get relief from rest, heat or ice packs and a relaxing hot bath or shower. If you use pain medication, make sure to follow the directions on the label.
Misuse can actually cause chronic daily headaches known as rebound headaches.
If you have a migraine headache, it also may be helpful to nap in a dark, quiet room and apply an ice pack to the back of your neck. If standard treatment proves ineffective, your doctor may prescribe other drugs. Advances in the understanding of headaches has led to the development of a variety of effective headache medications. Recent medical evidence suggests that primary headaches are caused by an electrical and chemical instability in the brain centers that regulate blood vessels around the head and neck, as well as the transmission of pain messages to the brain. Ongoing research has revealed that using drugs to stabilize serotonin levels can block headache pain.