Headaches are considered to be one of the most commonly occurring ailments affecting millions of people across the globe on a daily basis. They are also the most neglected ailment despite the fact that they cause a great deal of discomfort and can be extremely agonizing. There are various types of headaches such as sinus headache, cluster headache, vascular headache, caervicogenic headache, organic headache etc. Different headaches have different causes and treatment criteria. But most of us end up taking pain killers or OTC medications to get temporary relief from them and move on with our daily chores.

A headache might not be a life threatening ailment but can certainly indicate an underlying disorder which can be quite serious. Persistent headaches are those headaches that occur more than three times a week and fail to go away despite taking analgesics and other pain relievers. If you happen to be getting recurrent headaches, it is advisable for you to go to a doctor and get it diagnosed before it is too late.

Managing Persistent Headaches:

The right way to manage a persistent headache is by maintaining a record in a diary in a specific format. This should comprise of the frequency of headaches, intensity and number of episodes in a day or week. This will help your doctor diagnose it correctly and provide appropriate treatment. Here are some pointers that can help you get to the root of the problem:

Record the frequency and degree of the headache along with the date and time of the onset of the headache.

Try analyzing the exact cause of the headache. For this, you can make a column and write if you were overstressed the day the headache occurred, if you sat or slept in the wrong posture for several hours, if you had an allergic reaction to any food or substance, if you were tensed about something or if you were not able to sleep well.

Keep track of what you ate prior to the onset of the headache. You must also mention if you missed your meal or if it got delayed.

You should also note down the weather conditions on that day. For instance make a note if the weather was humid, hot or very cold.

You must also make a note of any medications you happen to have taken before the headache occurred.

Causes of persistent headaches:

There are various causes that trigger a headache. It is essential for you to consult your doctor and try to figure out the exact cause and get treated accordingly. Some ailments that are known to cause persistent headaches are hypertension, migraines, rebound headaches, brain tumor etc. Headaches can also be precipitated because of stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, oversleeping, tension, prolonged working hours, sitting or sleeping in an odd position, head injury and allergic reaction.

It is not recommended to take OCT medications and analgesics such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen etc. for persistent headaches as they can result in rebound headaches and can even cause permanent liver damage.