Though there are several over the counter medications, instant relief giving pills for headache, most of them are temporary relief. Nobody knows the real cause of headache, for the simple reason that there are more than one cause and type of headaches. As for stress, the root cause of the stress is also the root cause of headache. If the conditions of stress are removed, the related headache also vanishes.

The reasons for stress could be many, but generally one strong factor overrides all others. But the empowering reasons for headaches are many. The headache could be due to a simple reason or some serious reason. They could be hunger, serious study during the examination, working without intermission far into the night, anxiety over certain issues deeply concerning you, the atmospheric conditions, changing of seasons, abrupt change in the climate and drinking impure water to name a few.

Most of the minor headaches disappear without medication. Due to the peculiar nature of the headache, it is very difficult to locate the reasons for headache in children. Like the elders the children too are stressed for their own reasons.

Stress and headaches are closely interlinked. The dividing line is so thin that it is difficult to understand whether stress is the cause of the headache or the headache is the cause of stress. If stress is the cause of headache, it is futile to take treatment for headache. Even if taken, the results won’t be permanent. The causes of stress will have to be removed first.

Headache can also be due to multiple causes– physical conditions coupled with psychological conditions. To know the root cause of the headache whether it is stress-related or due to any other causes is very important.

The reasons for stress related headaches could be working in a not properly ventilated room, walking or standing in the hot sun for long hours, eye strain due to lots of reading, too much watching of television from the close range and things alike. The modern materialistic civilization throws many more causes for stress related headaches. Traveling in overcrowded railway compartments, waiting for long hours at the air-port due to delayed flights could also be the reason for the headache.

“It is better to have a world united than a world divided. But it is better to have a world divided, than a world destroyed,” said Mr. Winston Churchill at the time of The Second World War. The relation between headache and stress is somewhat like that!

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As you age, the stress level also increases due to a variety of situations you face. If you are facing such situations for the first time in life, naturally the intensity of the stress is more. When you become more experienced to handle such situations, gradually the stress level decreases.

You, as a youngster, start smoking for fun initially. Fun or no fun, nicotine is such a hard addiction, that it won’t spare anyone. Soon your habit dominates you. You can’t give up smoking. The guilty feeling haunts you because you know the disadvantages of smoking. You know its capabilities to cause serious damages to important parts of your body like heart and liver. You are warned from all sides against your smoking habit but you are helpless. You are the slave of nicotine and that causes you stress. This type of stress could be the cause of severe headache. Your personality is tossed in between these situations. For most smokers, the unpleasant game of musical chair between stress, headache and smoking continues.

The peculiarity of the stress headaches is that they begin to attack you slowly. You feel dullness with pain on both sides of the head, which is the indication of beginning of the stress headache.

Pain associated with the stress headache is difficult to cope. With the help of the descriptions that you give, your physician will be able to identify the type of headache you are suffering from. If the descriptions given by you arouse any suspicion in the mind of the physician, he may ask you to undergo tests like blood test, brain scan or x- rays.

The more you are into the smoking habit, the more room you will give for stress and headache. Since smoking is your daily exercise now, stress and headache are also your permanent companions. Here is the chance of your slipping into the addiction of taking over the counter medications for curing your hopeless position. These medications again are tricky, they are not sincere to the cause for which they are supposed to have been manufactured and thus you are entrapped into a vicious circle.

The only option that can save you in this situation is the positive lifestyle change such as eating right, doing regular exercises and drastically reducing your smoking, if not give up altogether. You have no other alternative, but to improve your habits.

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Fumes are a way of life. They can also cause headaches. With the amount of air pollution nowadays - it is amazing that we don’t all walk around with a permanent headache!

Just think for a moment about what is in the air we breathe. In the outdoors, cars are producing fumes. Factories are belching out fumes, soot, ash and many chemicals. Garbage is burned - releasing fumes. Chemicals are sprayed on our crops. Asphalt is rolled out - releasing fumes. Welding gives off fumes.

Indoors, the list is even longer.

Just take a look at this list for common fumes that we inhale regularly in our own homes:

• Tobacco smoke
• Perfume
• Oven fumes
• Insect sprays
• Cleaning products
• Paint
• Flowers
• The smell of a new car
• The smell of a new carpet

Solvents:

• Turpentine
• Thinners
• Acetone (found in nail polish remover)

All of these fumes and odors can trigger headaches.

Why do fumes give me a headache?
It is the irritation caused by the fumes that gives you problems. The fumes can contain irritants or toxins which irritate the delicate lining of your nose, throat and chest.

The blood vessels in the nose react to the irritation by enlarging and pressing on nerves, which gives you the headache.

Bad smells can be good for you

Unpleasant odors can be a warning signal that this substance is not going to do you any good. Think of rotten meat and sour milk.

The headache associated with fumes is also a warning sign. It is your body’s way of telling you that it doesn’t like this substance and to get away from it as quickly as possible.

The silent killer

Everyone has heard of carbon monoxide. It’s particularly dangerous because you get no early warning system with it. It’s clear, so there is no haze or smoke to warn you. It’s odorless, so no smell to alert you.

How do I know if there’s carbon monoxide in my home?

You may be one of the lucky ones who suffer from headaches as a first sign. Sadly, many people don’t get that warning and become dizzy and black out. The most important thing you can do for you and your family’s safety is to get a carbon monoxide detector. Do it today.

OK - what else should I do?

If you are having headaches in your home, which go away when you are out in the fresh air, make these checks. It could save your life.

As well as headaches, do you suffer from

• Tiredness
• Muscle pains
• An upset stomach
• General lethargy
• Dizziness
• Other unexplained illness

Check the flame on your appliances. If it’s an orange color you have a problem. Unfortunately, blue doesn’t mean it’s safe either. Get your appliances checked every year.

Is your flue blocked? If in doubt, get it checked.

Horizontal gas grills can be a problem, especially if it’s an older model. Again, get it checked

How’s your ventilation? Check air bricks and trickle vents. If there isn’t enough ventilation, your appliances will give off carbon monoxide.

If you’re a tenant, does your landlord have a safety certificate and get the appliances checked annually. He must do this - we’re talking about your health and life here. Insist upon it being done.

Regardless of the source you need to remove it. Once you do, your headache-at least the one caused by fumes-should disappear.

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