Some healthy lifestyle habits may help reduce the frequency and severity of headaches, and treatments are available to help people manage their pain as it occurs.

Lifestyle Tips

A healthy lifestyle can reduce the frequency or intensity of some headaches. Getting high-quality sleep for at least eight hours every night, staying hydrated, eating a balanced diet, and managing stress are all key healthy habits to reduce how often you experience headaches and how much they interfere with your life. For people who have headache disorders, high levels of stress can make symptoms worse so people who experience headaches should consider engaging in activities like exercise, meditation, and deep breathing routinely to help manage stress.

The most important piece of advice is to be consistent in adopting these healthy behaviors. For example, avoid skipping meals or losing sleep. Although headache disorders are not caused by specific behaviors, these lifestyle recommendations can help you better manage the intensity and frequency of your headaches.

Acute Treatments

An acute treatment is one that you can use in the moment to reduce the intensity of a headache. Types of treatment can include pain medication or alternative methods to manage your pain.

OTC medicines. Certain OTC pain medicines can help relieve symptoms caused by migraine and tension headaches. For best results, you should take pain medicine at the first sign of a headache. OTC pain relievers include medicines containing acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen sodium. There are also OTC pain relievers that contain a combination of acetaminophen and an NSAID. Not all OTC pain relievers work for headaches, so it’s important to understand each medication’s intended purpose. It’s also important to read the Drug Facts label or consult with your doctor before taking an OTC pain reliever if you are taking other medications. Your doctor can help you make sure you are taking the right medications to treat your headaches.

To avoid a type of secondary headache called medication overuse headache, you should limit your use of pain medications. If you are taking acetaminophen or NSAIDs 15 days or more in a month, or combination pain relievers 10 days or more in a month, you should consult a healthcare professional who can make an accurate diagnosis and work with you to create an effective treatment plan. If you have headache that prompts medication use on four or more days per month, you should consult a physician to ensure you have an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

After taking pain medication, go to a place where you feel you’ll be able to recover. This might be a dark, quiet place, especially if you have a migraine. You may find it helpful to eat a snack and drink a glass of water if you are not feeling nauseous.

Additional treatments. Several additional self-care strategies have helped people who have frequent headaches. It is important to consult with a healthcare professional before integrating one of these into your self-care strategy.

• Magnesium supplements: As noted by the American Migraine Foundation, magnesium is a safe option for migraine prevention. Research shows that it may also be effective as an acute treatment for migraines, tension-type headaches, and cluster headaches.
• Pain and tension reducing techniques: Hydrotherapy, including cold compresses on the back of the neck and forehead can alleviate migraine pain during an attack. Reducing muscle tension in between attacks can also help reduce headache symptoms. Muscle relaxing activities, like taking deep breaths, rolling your shoulders, and going for a walk, can reduce neck and shoulder tension, which can be an early sign of tension headaches.
• Light therapies for migraines: New research shows that people with migraines are particularly sensitive to different light spectrums. In particular, people with migraine may benefit from using sunglasses in bright locations and the use of green lighting, such as green lens filters or green lamps, to soothe light sensitivity.