There are a seemingly endless amount of headache triggers in the workplace. While simple lifestyle changes can do wonders in preventing these occurrences, you may also need to do a bit of planning ahead. Here are some tips to help strategize and manage headaches during the workday.
Eat Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day not only for maintaining metabolism and appetite, but for preventing headaches. Dieting, fasting or skipping meals can all trigger a migraine due to alterations in blood-glucose levels. Consider planning breakfast and scheduling regular snacks for the workday. To prevent a hunger headache, it is suggested to eat a high protein meal regularly while avoiding high carbohydrate-containing foods.
Stay Hydrated
While dehydration may have many side effects, thirst can prompt a headache. Educating yourself on how dehydration can biologically trigger a headache can help you understand one of the origins of your pain. To avoid dehydration headaches, drink at least 8 ounces of water several times during the day. Caffeine may temporarily alleviate the pain but can create withdrawal symptoms, if used excessively, that include a reinforced headache. Maintaining a low intake of caffeinated beverages, such as soda, can help prevent reoccuring or amplified headaches. Avoiding coffee is also recommended as it is a diuretic that can further dehydrate you.
Communicate with Employees/Employers
Some migraine triggers may have a simple fix but some can be brought upon by others or the office environment. Sensory stimuli, such as smell, hearing and sight, can either activate or intensify an already existing headache. A coworker’s perfume, the nearby printer or the fluorescent light bulbs are all factors that may be out of a your control. Communicating with an employer is recommended to help keep the workplace a healthy environment for chronic sufferers. Finally, due to the continual and excessive use of computers, headache sufferers should try to take frequent breaks from staring at the computer screen.
While managing may be a short-term fix to a throbbing headache, it is important to consider that there may also be a serious underlying cause. Seeking advice from a healthcare professional can help diagnose existing or at risk health problems and find the best treatment options.