How Nutrition Can Play a Role in Your Headaches

14 November 2016
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A lot of people suffer from chronic tension headaches, and visiting a chiropractor regularly might be a good solution to this problem. A chiropractor offers spinal manipulation, which is very useful for relieving the pressure in areas of your neck that can lead to headaches, but a chiropractor can also help in several other ways. Here are several other ways a chiropractor might be able to help you naturally relieve the pain you experience from chronic headaches.

Encourage You to Drink More Water

Water is something that is vital for your body. In fact, approximately 60% of your total weight is attributed to water. Without enough water, your organs would not have the fluids they need to operate properly. Dehydration is the state in which your body does not have enough water in it, and this is something that can happen from not drinking enough water.

When you are dehydrated, even mildly, it can lead to headaches or worsen the symptoms of headaches. One of the reasons this happens is due to the fluid that surrounds the brain. When your body is dehydrated, there is not enough fluid in this area. This can lead to your brain bumping into your skull, and this can cause headaches. The fluid around your brain serves as a cushion to your brain.

Water is also very helpful for flushing toxins out of your body, and having toxins in the body can be another cause of headaches. To avoid all this, you should drink more water. If you are a man, you should drink around 13 cups of water per day. Women need to drink around 9 cups of water per day. Keep in mind that you do not have to drink only water. Any beverages you drink will help keep you hydrated and can be counted in this total.

Eat Healthier Foods

A chiropractor can also help you create a personalized nutrition plan that might also be helpful for reducing headache pain. One part of a nutrition plan for headaches is learning the importance of eating more often. One thing that can trigger headaches is skipping meals. If you do not eat regular meals and snacks each day, you should start. The meals do not have to be large, but you should be regularly putting food into your body.

A second thing to consider is the effects of caffeine. For many people, caffeine is something they cannot live without, and consuming caffeine can actually help relieve headache pain. For other people, caffeine may trigger headaches. The other thing to realize about caffeine is that it is a stimulant. Because of this, it can reduce the effectiveness of medications used to treat headaches.

Your chiropractor might also recommend eating the following foods, which can all be helpful in eliminating or decreasing headaches:

  • Salad – Salad contains a lot of water, and adding extra water to your diet can reduce headaches.
  • Vegetables – Cooked vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach are all safe foods to eat for headache sufferers. These foods do not contribute to headaches, and may help you feel better.
  • Bananas – Another good food to eat for headaches is bananas. These are high in magnesium, which is something that helps relax blood vessels.

A good step you could take is keeping a log of the foods you eat and the way you feel. This is a great way to find out whether there are certain foods that are triggering your headaches. For example, dairy products commonly trigger headaches for some people. If you get a headache every time you eat dairy, you will learn to eliminate it from your diet.

If you are tired of dealing with headaches every day, visit a chiropractor such as Vanderloo Chiropractic. Chiropractors offer natural treatment options for headaches and other types of pain in the body.