Mark Gerard's Therapeutic Massage

We all get headaches. And we all hate them. In fact, 45 million of us get them chronically. And 28 million get migraines. What’s more, there are 200 types of headaches. With these numbers, it almost seems like an ailment that we just have to learn to live with.

But we don’t. Not if we know what causes them and how to prevent them.

Now let me make one thing clear: by saying we all get headaches, I am by no means minimizing them. There are mild headaches and there are life-threatening headaches. For instance, if you’re over 50 years old and you suddenly get a headache in a region of your skull where you’ve never gotten a headache, call 9-1-1.

The headaches I’m talking about here are the annoyances that most of us have experienced. And they can be caused by many things, some of which might be surprise you: Stress in the workplace, hunger, wine, weather, different types of food, caffeine, even pulling your hair back with one of those hair scrunchers..

Not your brain

Here’s what surprises a lot of people. It’s not your brain that hurts when you have a headache.

Your brain doesn’t have any pain receptors, so it can’t “hurt.” However, the structures that line your skull – both on the inside and outside – do have pain receptors. These include arteries and veins, nerves, head and neck muscles, and the membranes that coat and protect your central nervous system (called the meninges).

Headaches occur when there’s some kind of irritation of the meninges or blood vessels. It might be dilated blood vessels that are pressing against these structures. Or maybe tense muscles – in those of us who carry our tension in our necks – are squeezing at them. Jaw-clenching can also tighten up any of those structures that line your skull.

Drink … breathe … relax

As with so many ailments, prevention starts with you. You can do several simple things to minimize your risk of headaches. First, drink plenty of water. Your body loses about 10 cups of water a day, so you have to replenish. Remember that our bodies are mostly composed of water; without, our muscles and other fibers are tenser. So set a goal of at least 10 cups a day and stick to it … whether you’re thirsty or not. Think about hangover headaches, for instance. Those morning noggin-crushers can often be prevented by drinking one glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you have.

Second, breathe. Pretty basic, right? But a lot of people don’t realize that they don’t breathe properly. So ask yourself this throughout the day: How’s my breathing? If you’re like a lot of people, you’re taking very short wisps of air through your nose. That’s hardly enough oxygen to keep your body healthy, your muscles energized, and your brain oxygenated!

My favorite preventative method – and treatment – is massage. Tight neck muscles, tense jaw- clenching, dilated blood vessels from stressful days … these are all things that a good massage can help relieve. Besides, we all know that when you’re relaxed, you’re headache-free!.