Job, family and life can cause you to have headaches, even migraines. The stress of everyday life just has a way of making us tense, but did you know that when you relax after being stressed out that you can be subject to something called let-down headaches where your stress hormones plunge and it affects your brain chemistry? Nice huh? Taking some time to just meditate, visualize a peaceful place or treating yourself to a massage can help you to deter these extreme hormone fluctuations and keep those pesky headaches at bay.

Skipping meals can also cause blood sugar dips that can cause headaches, but eating certain foods can also trigger them too. Tyramine, a naturally occurring substance in deli meats, sauerkraut, soy sauce and aged cheeses is among one of the biggest offenders. Other culprits to be on the lookout for are onions, citrus fruits, caffeine, MSG and aspartame. If you are experiencing headaches, keep a log of what you eat and pay careful attention to when those headaches occur so you can pinpoint the trigger. Also, eat small meals and frequently to keep your blood sugar stable and don’t forget to hydrate, dehydration can also lead to headaches. Eight 8-oz. cups of water a day is the golden rule.

I hate to bring up alcohol, but we all know that it can lead to dehydration especially if you don’t drink enough water throughout the night. Alcohol is a migraine trigger for about 33% of sufferers and can also lead to disruptive sleep and abnormal sleep patterns. Also, stick to the lighter colored drinks like vodka and white wine (I love my vodka!) which are free of tannins that are known to cause headaches.

Being a healthy weight and exercising also helps everything including headaches. Being overweight increases your risk of developing chronic headaches and ups your chances 30% for getting migraines than women who can’t pinch an inch. So get fit ladies and don’t let those headaches bring you down, we are way to busy to be brought down by something we can control!

OK, Mother Nature and Aunt Flo mess with our hormones which not only gives us cramps and makes us crabby, but it also messes with our heads, THANK YOU!!! Did you know that menstrual migraines hit 60% of migraine sufferers? Estrogen levels drop just before your period and that drop causes brain changes that trigger a migraine. My OB/Gyn recommends taking a OTC anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen a couple of days before to be proactive.

Headaches when you wake up may be a sign of TMJ, where you grind your teeth while you sleep and causes pain around the jaw joint and muscles. It is very common for people with tension headaches to have TMJ so if you are experiencing any signs of tension headaches you can’t explain you may want to ask your doctor. Also snoring can cause daily headaches, you may need to see a sleep-medicine specialist to determine if you have sleep apnea, a disorder where you stop breathing periodically while you sleep.

Vixens, we need to be our best, so if you find yourself struggling with debilitating headaches, get down to the root of it and get back on track to being the best you can be. Can’t don that helmet if your head is throbbing and we all know we live to ride!!!