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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffTaking good care of yourself can help prevent chronic daily headaches.
- Avoid headache triggers. If you're not sure what triggers your headaches, keep a headache diary. Include details about every headache. When did it start? What were you doing at the time? What did you eat that day? How did you sleep the night before? What's your stress level? How long did the headache last? What, if anything, provided relief? Eventually, you may begin to see a pattern — and be able to take steps to prevent future headaches.
- Get enough sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day — even on weekends. If you're not tired at bedtime, read or watch television until you become drowsy and fall asleep naturally.
- Don't skip meals. Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Eat lunch and dinner at about the same time every day. Avoid any food or drinks, such as those containing caffeine, that seem to trigger headaches.
- Exercise regularly. Physical activity causes your body to release chemicals that block pain signals to your brain. With your doctor's OK, choose activities you enjoy — such as walking, swimming or cycling. To avoid injury, start slowly.
- Stop smoking. Smoking can trigger chronic migraine and chronic tension-type headaches. Higher levels of nicotine are also associated with increased anxiety and depression.
- Reduce stress. Get organized. Simplify your schedule. Plan ahead. Stay positive.
- Relax. Try yoga, meditation or relaxation exercises. Set aside time to slow down. Listen to music, read a book or take a hot bath.
