6 Surprising Reasons For a Headache

2.  Weather patterns

A change in barometric pressure or atmospheric pressure (such as altitude) can trigger a headache attack through changes in the area of the brain that controls pain. External pressure changes may also change the pressure within the sinuses and inner ears, intensifying the experience of pain for those who are predisposed to such sensitivities. Gray skies, high humidity, rising temperatures and storms are common pressure changers. People commonly complain that summer weather can trigger migraines, according to the Mayo Clinic. Sunlight glare, high humidity, extreme heat and dry air are possible triggers. Dehydration can also cause headaches.

For relief: Keep a headache or migraine diary, jotting down any changes in the weather, such as rainstorms, wind or increased humidity. Once you establish a relationship between weather and your migraines, you can potentially pretreat them with the appropriate medication.  

3.  Aged and fermented foods

In some people, tyramine, a naturally occurring substance found in aged cheeses, smoked fish, cured meats, bacon and some types of beer and wine, is thought to trigger migraines. Tyramine has long been a scapegoat for dietary-induced migraine, but research is not conclusive. A small number of people with headaches are affected by tyramine. Not only are food triggers rare, but they are sporadic. “When food triggers migraines it’s inconsistent, sometimes yes and sometimes no,” Burstein says. ​Brandes has found that among her patients, the biggest culprit of food or drink triggers is alcohol.

For relief: If you do think there’s an alcohol-migraine connection at play, note that beer, especially tap or home-brewed beer, red wine, vermouth, sherry and some liqueurs all have high amounts of tyramine. See if switching over to white wine or spirits such as rum, vodka or gin is less of a migraine trigger. If that doesn’t work, consider limiting or omitting alcohol.

4. Hairstyles

A simple ponytail, French braids, cornrows, a tight wig or headband, and a tight topknot can all exert pressure on the scalp. Because migraine sufferers are sensitive, a ponytail headache, which gives new meaning to a bad hair day, comes down to an oversensitive scalp.

For relief: Avoid tight ponytails. A loose bun with a soft scrunchy may not have the same effect. (And the iconic ’80s hair accessory seems to be back in style.)

5.  Sex headache

Sometimes referred to by its official name, coital cephalgia, the sex headache — a headache brought on by sexual activity — is a real phenomenon. One of the most disconcerting kinds of headaches, it can present in two ways: as a dull ache in the head and neck that intensifies as sexual excitement increases, or as a sudden, thunderclap headache that occurs just before orgasm. “They are terrifying. People are in the middle of a sexual activity, about to orgasm, and all of the sudden it feels their head is about to blow off,” Brandes says.

But most sex headaches, while excruciating, are nothing to worry about. They resolve on their own and are not symptomatic of an underlying condition. Because sex headaches can be linked to a brain tumor, if you do suffer from them, doctors recommend brain imaging such as an MRI to rule out a more serious cause.

For relief: If you suffer from frequent sex headaches, you can take preventive prescription medicines before you plan to have sex. Typically, these kinds of headaches occur in clusters and then go away, never to recur.

6.  Medication overuse headache

Also called the rebound headache, a medication overuse headache occurs when certain medications are used too frequently. “This kind of headache is more likely to occur with prescription pain drugs such as opioids, if taken more than eight days a month,” Burstein says. But even over-the-counter pain drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) — if taken for more than 15 days a month — can be a trigger. It’s a catch-22, because you need to treat the headache, but then the treatment itself becomes the problem. “Medication overuse has a negative connotation, as if people are doing something wrong. But people are trying to be functional and get rid of the headache by beating it down. The medication helps, but does not stop the headache, which rises again and they are not able to break the migraine attack,” Brandes says. To stop the cycle, the goal is to cut back on the medications, taking them less than three times a week.

For relief: A new crop of migraine drugs, called CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) inhibitors, can reduce medication overuse. This class of drug targets and blocks CGRP, a small protein that circulates in the head and the neck during a migraine. 

Whatever your headache trigger is, it’s important to take a proactive approach to treating your headaches, especially migraines. Otherwise, headaches beget headaches. “More headaches will decrease the threshold of initiation for the next migraine attack,” Burstein says. “That’s why the patient needs to treat the migraine and try to minimize it.” Migraines won’t simply go away on their own. But with the right treatment, you can make them less frequent, shorter and surprisingly tolerable.

Elizabeth Marglin is a Colorado-based journalist, writer and poet. She writes regularly for Yoga Journal, Spirituality & Health, AARP and more.