It’s probably safe to say nearly everyone is familiar with “brain freeze,” or that piercing headache you can get if you eat something cold like ice cream too fast.
But did you know food allergies or intolerances can cause a headache after eating? Or that clenching your jaw in stress, whether you realize you’re doing it or not, can bring on a headache?
“It’s not always easy to figure out what caused a headache,” said Iryna Aleksandrova, MD, a family medicine physician with Endeavor Health. “If it happens frequently, it makes sense to track things like what you were doing, how you felt, or what you ate in the hours before the headache strikes. Please see your doctor to make sure your symptoms are diagnosed and addressed appropriately.“
While both food allergies and intolerances typically cause digestive issues or symptoms like swelling or itching, they can also trigger headaches.
The most common type of headache, tension headaches, result from the things we do when we’re stressed out or anxious — clenching the jaw, skipping meals or skimping on sleep.
Pain from a tension headache is most often concentrated on both sides of the head, but can center behind or between the eyes, or across the cheeks or forehead.
Migraines
Migraines are different. They’re often preceded by symptoms like nausea, light sensitivity and sometimes flashing lights or blind spots.
Migraines can be debilitating. Some common triggers include:
- Stress and anxiety
- Changes in the weather
- Caffeine (too much or too little)
- Chocolate or alcohol
- Lack of sleep or too much sleep
- Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle
- Skipping meals
- Foods containing:
- Nitrates (e.g., luncheon meats, hot dogs, etc.)
- Tyramine (e.g., aged cheeses, smoked fish, etc.)
- Monosodium glutamate (e.g., most diet or "light" soft drinks)
Prevention
There are multiple ways to ease the pain of a headache. Preventing headaches, including migraines, requires some self-regulation. Including these activities in your daily schedule could help:
- Hydrate. Make sure you drink at least 4-6 cups of water throughout each day.
- Get regular sleep. Research shows there’s a connection between sleep deprivation and headaches. Aim for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, starting at the same bedtime, every night.
- Exercise. Regular exercise can help relieve stress and tension, which can help you avoid a headache. Exercise also improves blood flow, helps you sleep better and increases oxygen levels, all of which help prevent headaches.
- Eat. Hunger can trigger a headache. People familiar with migraines may even notice that straying from their regular meal schedule can cause an attack. Try to stick to a schedule of regular meals and snacks throughout the day.
- Soothe stress. Stress and headaches go hand in hand. Find a stress reliever that works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine.
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