Lesson to learn: Stare less at screens, get fewer headaches!

If you're a human, you probably get a headache every once in a while. (And if you don't, get out of here because otherwise I'll give you a headache to think about.)

But if you're like me, you get headaches all the time, and sometimes they're worse than just the usual pain. Chances are you don't stare all day at a computer screen for a living like I do, because we live in a natural world free from technology, where grasses are green and...oh, never mind. You stare at a computer at least eight hours a day. 

Photo from www.improve-mental-health.com.
This is how I feel, too, except I'm usually
lying in the dark with a blanket over my
head.

I've found that my headaches are almost always triggered from computers or some kind of backlit screen. But sometimes I can't avoid it, especially if I can feel a headache or migraine coming on early in the afternoon. In that case, looking away at the screen as much as humanly possible and drinking a lot of water helps ease things a little bit. And of course there's always Tylenol or aspirin, though becoming dependent on those can actually cause headaches, too. (How annoying is that?)

Computers of course aren't the only triggers. Foods (such as alcohol and chocolate, unfortunately two delicious foods--and yes, I count alcohol as a food), noises and smells can all contribute to that lasting feeling of pain that makes you want to bury your head in the darkest place you can find (in bed with the covers all the way up works rather well) and lie perfectly still. 

Not sure what kind of headache you have? You can take a headache quiz here, and more information can be found here.

As for me, I've started keeping track of my headaches/migraines to see what's causing them and how many I have to determine whether they are hormone related and to take steps to prevent them. I think it's a great tool to share with your doctor, too, because they can make a better diagnoses than us mere patients.

And of course, there's always getting outside and away from all the technology on screens that surrounds us, but that will only happen when we're all rioting in the streets because our cellphones and computers have lost their Internet service. So I guess it's up to managing pain instead of preventing it.