Everyone gets a headache from time to time, but for the many sufferers of chronic headaches, it is a pain like no other. Living with chronic, recurring headaches is not easy. The pain disrupts concentration, focus, the ability to do work, and other daily tasks. Most headache suffers are clued in as to what triggers a headache and take steps to avoid circumstances and materials that cause them, such as perfumes, foods, and stress.

A recent study discussed in Neurology, a journal published by the American Academy of Neurology, has discovered that teen headache sufferers find their triggers linked to unhealthy lifestyles. Teen headaches have not had much research dedicated to the topic and the new information can help all headache sufferers.

Preventing the Triggers

Circumstances that include obesity, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles have been found to increase the frequency of headaches by as much as 30%. Teens that had all three factors associated with their lifestyle were three times as likely to suffer from recurring headaches.

Since teen research also may correlate to adult sufferers, headache pain can be eased and even avoided by making changes to daily life. Some suggestions for change include:

1. Get Your Beauty Rest

As a society on the go, adults and teens alike tend to miss out on getting the right amount of sleep. For most people, eight hours is the typical recommendation. Even as little as one hour too little sleep can trigger a headache. If you are not getting enough shut-eye, start making every effort to clock eight or more hours of sleep each night to stave off headaches.

2. Eat Better

It has been long-known that certain foods can bring on a headache. Alcohol, chocolate, and other caffeinated products have been pinpointed as causing head pain even though many headache medications contain caffeine to combat pain. By cutting down on the caffeine, withdrawal headaches will cease over time and you will be less susceptible to frequent headaches and more serious migraines. Incorporate more fresh vegetables and fruit in your diet to promote weight loss, which also can help conquer headaches.

3. Get On the Move

Sedentary lifestyles can be a trigger source for frequent headaches. It is recommended that you get off the couch for at least 30 minutes every day to benefit from exercise and halt headaches. Taking a walk, swimming, biking, or aerobic classes can help reduce tension and stress in your body, which is often the root cause of head pain. Exercise will help you to maintain a good body weight and promote better health.

4. Downgrade Stress

Our on-the-go lifestyles can be changed over time to reduce the amount of stress we undergo at home, work, and in daily life. It may seem impossible to completely eliminate stressors from your life, but it certainly is doable to analyze what is stressing you out. One way to reduce daily stress is to stay on top of organization. Instead of living your life running around like a chicken without its head, you can work on getting organized and better prepare for your days ahead. Learn to say 'no' when you have no more to give. By downgrading your stress levels through exercise and situation control, you can reduce the frequency and pain associated with chronic stress and tension headaches.

5. Knock Off the Cigarettes

While there are plenty of reasons for teens to never pick up a cigarette and for adults to quit their habit, smoking has been found to increase the likelihood of headaches occurring. Quitting smoking, or never starting in the first place, is essential for overall health and disease prevention in teens and adults alike.

Living a better lifestyle focused on improving your health will not only help quell frequent and painful headaches, it will help keep you from suffering other chronic ailments, conditions, and ailments beyond headaches.