How to deal with headaches when you are pregnant

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Headaches are a very common disease among a lot of people. Most of the times they don't create any serious problems and can be treated with simple pain killers. There are cases though where headaches become more frequent and intense and can affect the way of life.

Headaches are especially common in women and more specifically to pregnant women. It is normal for women to experience headaches during pregnancy. This situation creates discomfort and complaints. Headaches may happen during the whole pregnancy period but the first 3 months of pregnancy are reported as the period where most women experience headaches.

Why do women experience headaches during pregnancy?

The major cause of headaches during the first 3 months is due to the sudden change in the hormone levels together with the increase in the blood volume circulating the body. Other factors that can exaggerate the headaches are stress and uncomfortable positions. Other causes of headaches during pregnancy may include one or more of the following factors:

Not getting enough sleep
Decrease in the levels of blood sugar
Not drinking enough water
Drinking large amounts of caffeine

Women who regularly experience migraine headaches, also known as the female headache, may have fewer migraines during the pregnancy period while some women report that they had the same or sometimes more migraine headaches when they were pregnant. It should be noted that when you are pregnant you should not take any medication or painkillers. This may create problems to the fetus. Always consult your doctor before taking any medication.

While headaches during the first 3 months are related to the factors explained above, during the last months of the pregnancy period headaches are due to poor posture and tension from carrying the extra weight.

How to deal with headaches during pregnancy?

The best way to get relief from headaches is to find ways to prevent them. Preventing headaches can be done if you follow the tips below:

Sit comfortable
Get enough of rest and try to relax as much as possible
If your doctor approves, try to exercise
Eat well. Remember that you now have to feed your baby as well

If you cannot manage to prevent headaches then there are ways to deal with them effectively. As noted above, when you are pregnant you should not take any medication to treat your headaches but you should try other more natural ways to get relief from them.

Some natural ways to get relief from headaches are:

For sinus headache, put a warm compress on your face and lie down.
For tension headache, put a cold compress at the base of your neck
Get a massage. Massage is always the easiest and more natural way to treat headaches
Take a warm bath

You should also avoid the following foods and beverages that are known to trigger headaches and in particular migraine headaches:
Chocolate, alcohol, yogurt, cheese, peanuts, sour cream

Finally, in the cases that the above methods do not work as expected and you notice that the headaches are becoming worse and more intense then you should definitely consult your doctor to give you a professional advice and treatment.