According to headache central, there are numerous things around you that cause headaches.

• Environmental influences such as barometric changes before a storm, odors, etc. are all triggers. Even your own perfume or cologne may be a trigger substance in certain circumstances. You must be observant and keep a headache diary to look for patterns. Click here to learn about environmental triggers.

• Things you eat that trigger headaches. Keeping track of what you eat is a very important aspect of headache avoidance because various foods and substances are more likely to cause headache. Click here for information on foods that relate to headaches.

• Things you take that trigger headaches. The medications you take to help ease your headaches, or those used for other illnesses may actually be the cause of your headaches. Click here for information about medications triggering headaches.

• Lifestyle factors that can cause headaches. The way you live your life can make you more vulnerable to headaches. Click here to see some of these lifestyle considerations.

STRESS - Though avoiding all bad stress is impossible, we can still try to reduce it's influence on headache. Stress from confrontation is a commonly described example of stress producing acute headache response. Not all stress produces headache and not all headaches are due to stress. Chronic, long-term stress can produce headaches over the long run. Examples include people with unsatisfactory jobs or difficult interpersonal relationships.

SLEEP SCHEDULE - Waking and sleeping times can be critical. Sleep deprivation is a common headache trigger, as is oversleeping. To make it more complicated, many people with poorly controlled headache disorders have a lot of trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep.

MEALTIMES - Besides what you eat, another eating issue to consider is the regularity of meals. Skipped meals or irregular eating schedules can sometimes increase the likelihood of headaches. There are times when glucose loading or missed meals will produce a relative drop in blood sugar levels and a headache can develop.

HABITS - Smoking cigarettes or being with smokers can increase your chance for a headache. Although cessation of smoking is not a guarantee that headaches will stop, it will be easier to get the headaches under control without the additional trigger of the smoke, the impurities and the carbon monoxide levels found in the blood of all smokers. Drinking alcohol is another habit that can adversely affect the headaches in several ways. Alcohol itself can be a trigger and excess use can produce the classical "morning after" headaches. You must also consider that it may interfere with the proper absorption of headache preventative medications and can be very dangerous.