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As many other headache sufferers, I'm part of another large group — smokers who logically know we should quit for better health, but just haven't been able to do so. Oh, like so many people, I've quit at least a dozen times. You've been there, too? I though so. The difference this time is that my headaches have become so huge a problem to my daily life that the issue has finally snagged my full attention.
Let's remind ourselves of some of the commonly known risks of smoking that are fairly obvious in relation to headaches:
- increased blood pressure
- circulation problems
- increased risk of stroke
- increased risk of heart disease
- inflammation of the sinus cavities
- inflammation of the nasal passages
When you start looking for a more direct correlation between smoking or second hand smoke and headaches, the research is quite obliging in extending our list of reasons to quit. The list continues:
- Smoking and second hand smoke is a major trigger for many headaches, particularly migraines and cluster headaches.
- Smoking is a significant block to reduction of chronic daily headache. Studies have shown that abstinence from smoking nearly eliminated headaches in some sufferers of chronic daily headache.
- Smoking increases carbon dioxide, decreases oxygen delivery to the brain, and actually be directly toxic to the brain in some instances. Talk about a headache trigger!
- Smoking reduces the effectiveness many, if not all, of our headache treatments.
Then, there's the one that we all know intellectually even if we tend not to admit it, even to ourselves:
- Smoking weakens our bodies. It weakens our immune systems, our circulatory systems, our nervous systems, our entire bodies. If we want to control our headaches, the kindest thing we can do for ourselves is to control and rid ourselves of the habit of and addiction to smoking.
In no way do I mean to imply that quitting smoking will be easy or something to be taken lightly. It may well be necessary to ask your doctor and/or pharmacist for assistance. * It also helps to have support, so rather than just stopping here, I'll close with links to two About forums where you can go to talk with others who understand:
*Important Note: If you are taking preventive headache medications, you may not be able to take some of the medications currently being prescribed to assist in quitting smoking such as Wellbutrin and Zyban. If you are taking medications, be sure to consult your doctor and/or pharmacist before using any smoking cessation products.
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