| Resolved: Fewer Headaches in 2001 | |
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Can you believe it? The year 2000 is nearly over. As the new year approaches, my ultimate resolution is to do whatever I can do for myself to have fewer headaches. Easier said than done. Right? Yes, but there are many things we can do for ourselves, so here goes:
#1: Sleep
well
This is where I really fall down on the job, but headache experts agree that
irregular schedules are one of a headache sufferer's biggest enemies. Too much
sleep is as likely to trigger a headache as too little. Getting the same amount
of sleep during approximately the same time each day can be crucial. Need some
hints? Florence Cardinal, our Sleep Disorders Guide, has some fabulous Resolutions
for the Sleep Deprived.
#2: Eat and drink well
Well-balanced meals at regular times may seem a strange concept to many people,
but good nutrition affects many medical problems, including headache disorders.
Keeping your body well hydrated is also critical to all our bodies' systems and
organs. If you know certain foods are headache triggers,
renew your efforts to avoid them. If you don't know, this is as good a time as
any to find out. Nutrition Guide Rick Hall has great tips on eating well and
staying healthy in his article Basics
of a Healthy Diet.
#3: Keep a diary
A headache diary can provide many clues to your
headaches that would otherwise be easily overlooked. Patterns that elude us are
sometimes spotted by others. Your diary should record the level of pain and
disability caused by the headache, possible triggers, medications taken, relief
achieved, and other notes. If you need a diary, you're welcome to ours. You can
print the page or download it in Microsoft Excel or Word format. You can access
it by clicking HERE.
#4: Add some "movement"
Note that I didn't use that nasty "E" word. I know better.
That would have met with resistance immediately. Here's the thing. If you're not
"moving," you don't have to add a major movement program to see a
major difference. OK, brace yourself. The nasty word has to be used sometime.
Exercise Guide Paige Waehner offers an excellent article, How
to Exercise, that gives tips for some basic exercising that we can all
accomplish and fit into our schedules.
#5: Organize, plan ahead, and organize some
more
The pain of headaches is an obvious problem. One of the most discussed
problems that goes along with the pain is the disruption of our lives — things
that don't get done, meals that don't get cooked, niceties that we just have to
let go. Planning ahead can alleviate much of this. Try some of these:
- ALWAYS be sure that you keep your prescriptions filled and any over-the-counter products you need on hand.
- If you sometimes have to go to the emergency room with a migraine, ask your doctor to give you a note written on a prescription form that confirms your migraine diagnosis, especially if you're going to be traveling. .
- When cooking, cook double and freeze a meal. Then you have good, nutritional meals in the freezer for those times when you just can't cook.
- Make a full-year occasions calendar. Buy and address cards for the full year in January. Then all you have to do is mail them at the appropriate times. When you add an event, go ahead and prepare the card then. Instead of waiting for the occasions to shop for gifts, buy them whenever you come across a gift you like for the occasion. Wrap it and put it away until needed. With this strategy, you don't need to be so concerned about battling holiday shopping crowds or the headaches often triggered when trying to shop in these crowds.
- Make lists. 1) In your word processor, make a list of items you buy frequently at the grocery store. Better yet, put the list in the order in which you come across the items as you go up and down the aisles. Before you go to the store, check the items you need, and add any items not on the printed list. When you're in a headache fog, the preprinted list will often jog your memory for items you might otherwise have forgotten. It also helps to just keep a copy on the refrigerator and mark it as you notice you need things. 2) "To Do" lists are priceless. 3) Keep a list of anything that needs to be remembered. This will reduce your frustration when "headache fog" kicks in and you simply can't keep track.
#6: Be good to yourself
There are times when headache sufferers push too hard. No, we can't give up
because we have headaches, but there has to be a compromise point. Know your
limits and when to be gentle with yourself. Investigate some
alterative/complementary therapies such as aromatherapy, relaxation techniques,
or massage therapy, In addition to their therapeutic value, they're wonderful
for your emotional well being.
Having a headache disorder such as migraines, cluster headaches, chronic daily
headaches, or the others that keep cropping up in our lives quite simply means
that there will be times when we won't be able to live our lives as simply as
people without a headache disorder. That doesn't mean I'm going to make excuses
or feel sorry for us. It does mean that by knowing our limitations, planning
ahead, and being good to ourselves, we can do better in 2001.
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