By David Sommer, MD, MPH
Division of Neurology

A bad headache can ruin your day! That’s why it helps to know what causes headaches so you can help prevent them. While not every headache can be attributed to a specific triggering cause or event—sometimes they just happen—here are the most common triggers for migraines and other headaches:

Stress

Most of us know that stress can cause a headache. If you are getting headaches, lowering your stress levels can be helpful. Some good ways to do this include breathing exercises and meditation. Regular exercise, such as walking, swimming or yoga can also help lower stress. Even reading or taking a bath can help reduce stress and prevent a headache.

If you’re finding yourself feeling very stressed most of the time, talking to a mental health professional may be helpful.

Problems with sleep

There’s no doubt that poor sleep or too little sleep is linked to headaches. Oversleeping can also cause a headache (and even napping if you are an adult). Sleep apnea, which interrupts your breathing at night, can also lead to headaches. If you have sleep difficulties, talk to your primary care provider. Solving sleep problems often can greatly help with headache prevention.

Too much screen time

Spending a lot of time on your computer, tablet or smartphone can lead to headaches. This is caused by the type of light emitted from these devices. The light can also prevent proper sleep, adding to the problem. In addition, bad posture while using a phone, tablet or computer can make your head and neck muscles tighten, causing headaches. Paying attention to your posture, taking breaks, and turning off your electronic devices a few hours before bedtime can help prevent potential problems.

Not drinking enough water

Dehydration is often a trigger for headaches, including migraine and tension-type headaches. If you are going to be active, especially in warm weather, be sure to stay hydrated. Keep in mind that fruit drinks, energy drinks and other processed drinks usually include a lot of sugar and caffeine. This can cause dehydration and lead to a headache. Choosing drinks with electrolytes can help prevent dehydration, but the most important thing is to drink enough water (Electrolytes are minerals, including calcium and potassium, that help keep you hydrated. Most of us get enough in the food we already eat, but if you’re very active and sweating a lot, you may need to focus on replacing them.)

Bright and flashing lights

Fluorescent lights can trigger headaches for some people but so can natural sunlight, especially if it’s bright and changing rapidly (such as when driving in and out of shaded areas). Wearing sunglasses outside during the day and choosing more warmly and softly lit indoor spaces may be helpful.

Hormone fluctuations

Many women find migraines more frequent around the time of their periods.

Anticipating this can help you have medications on hand to help treat headaches.  If you find your headaches tend to occur at a certain point in your cycle, you can also talk to your healthcare provider about taking preventive medications or certain types of birth control that can regulate hormonal fluctuations.

Certain foods or snacks

For some people, particular foods and snacks can cause a headache. The following foods have been known to lead to headaches:

• Chocolate
• Some aged cheeses
• Processed or cured meats
• Pickles or fermented foods
• Soy Products
• MSG
• Aspartame (artificial sweetener)
• Artificial food colorings

Keeping a food journal can help you track what foods may be causing headaches. Be sure to read food labels carefully to know what ingredients you are consuming.

Skipping meals

It’s true, even skipping a meal and being hungry can cause a headache. Going a long time between meals can cause your blood sugar to drop. For some people, this is headache trigger. Try to eat regular, scheduled meals if you are more likely to have a headache when fasting.

Coffee and other drinks with caffeine

Up to a few cups of coffee each day for most people can be healthy. However, having too many caffeinated drinks can cause headaches, and for some people even a little caffeine can be a trigger. Caffeine withdrawal can also lead to headaches. This is because our bodies get use to the caffeine we consume. So it’s best to find the right balance of caffeine for your body, and keep your intake consistent to help avoid headaches.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol, especially too much, is a known cause of headaches. So be sure to limit or avoid alcohol if you have headaches. Drinking alcohol can also cause dehydration, which is another trigger discussed below.

Wearing (or smelling) fragrances

For some people, strong smells like perfume and scented household products can cause a headache. When shopping for everyday items such as detergents, fabric softeners, insect repellants and cleaning supplies, be sure to look for versions that are scent-free.

Changes in the weather

As if headache sufferers didn’t have enough to worry about, substantial changes in heat, humidity, and barometric pressure can cause headaches. Staying indoors in a temperature-controlled area can help you avoid these headache triggers. For those sensitive to weather changes, exercising indoors is one way to avoid headache triggers.

Using too much as-needed medication to treat headaches 

While medications (both over the counter and prescriptions) can be very helpful to manage headaches when they occur, many types of as-needed medications can cause headaches when used too frequently. This may be a problem if you’re using as-needed headache medications most or nearly all days. If this sounds like you, you should talk to your healthcare provider about finding a more helpful strategy.

Headaches can be annoying, frustrating, and painful. But knowing what triggers them can help you avoid some of them. If your headaches are severe or getting worse, you should talk to your primary care provider. In rare cases, a headache can be a sign of a serious medical problem. More often, they are not a symptom of something else but can be troublesome and even disabling nonetheless. There are several treatments for frequent migraines and other headaches that can be helpful and help improve quality of life.