Wyoming health professional recommends keeping "headache diary" to help deal with pain

• There is nothing worse than when the pressures of a long day turn into a headache at night, but thankfully, most headaches can be avoided with a few lifestyle changes.
• Headaches are one of the most common problems treated by Tia Hansuld, nurse practitioner at Natrona County Public Health.
• And while severe or chronic headaches can be a sign of a serious health problem, most headaches are actually not serious.
• "Thankfully, headaches are rarely a sign of a tumor in the head.
• "We've thought that tension headaches are caused by muscular contraction," Radesovich said.
• Tension headaches can feel like a band around the head or as if they are enveloping the head, Radesovich said.
• Migraines, or vascular headaches, may be caused by vascular spasms or an abnormality in blood flow, according to Radosevich.
• Often other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and photo phobia -- a discomfort with light -- accompany a migraine.
• People need to get plenty of rest, manage their stress, get regular exercise, eat right and avoid things that obviously trigger their headaches.
• "It is a diary of everything they do, everything they eat and everything they're exposed to, in the hopes that we'll figure out some trigger," Radesovich said.
• "Then, we can make a connection and avoid what causes the problems."
• Over-the-counter and prescription anti-inflammatory, non-steroid drugs can also help, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
• But for the chronic headache, too much medication can be taken.
• "One thing we tell people is to avoid very frequent or daily use of headache pain medicines, because they can actually begin to exacerbate or cause headaches," Radosevich said.
• Low blood sugar, dehydration, too much or too little caffeine, smoking, second-hand smoke and eye strain are also common causes.