| Smoking can trigger headaches in several ways. | | | | up smoking, says that it is the cigarettes that are |
| - Nicotine in tobacco can cause blood vessels in the | | | | causing the stress. Every time you stub one out, you |
| brain to enlarge and press on nerves, causing a | | | | are creating a need for the next one, to alleviate the |
| headache. | | | | stress of waiting. Many people who have used his |
| - Smoking can also stimulate the nerves at the back | | | | method to stop smoking say that they are much less |
| of the throat, which can make a headache worse. | | | | stressed since they stopped smoking. |
| - Some people are highly sensitive to smoke and the | | | | What is the treatment for headaches caused by |
| irritation to their nose and throat can also enlarge blood | | | | smoking? |
| vessels - giving rise to headaches. | | | | The painkillers and medications are the same as for |
| Second hand smoke | | | | any other headache or migraine. The best treatment |
| Cigarette, tobacco, cigar and pipe smoke is often | | | | of all is to stop smoking. Or for your family and friends |
| worse than other forms of fumes because the smoke | | | | to stop smoking. |
| takes a long time to dissipate. This gives it longer to | | | | With smoking now being banned in many areas of the |
| cling to clothes, hair, drapes and furniture. This leads to | | | | world, it will encourage a lot of people to kick the habit. |
| prolonged contact with the smoke and means a longer | | | | Restaurants and bars, which were traditionally 'good' |
| time for irritation to occur. This in turn increases the | | | | place to smoke, are increasingly smoke-free. |
| likelihood of a headache being triggered. | | | | This will make a lot of difference to those who suffer |
| What can be done about it? | | | | headaches as a result of smoke. A study done in |
| If smoking triggers migraines or headaches for you, | | | | New Jersey (which had not yet started to ban |
| ask friends and loved ones not to smoke near you. If | | | | smoking) showed that the levels of air pollution indoors |
| possible, encourage them to give up smoking | | | | were more than nine times that of New York, which |
| altogether - it will improve their health as well as yours. | | | | had started its ban. |
| Smoking and cluster headaches | | | | Ok - you've convinced me. But I can't just go cold |
| Smoking appears to be a particularly strong trigger for | | | | turkey... There's lots of help available to help with |
| cluster headaches. Yet many cluster headache | | | | nicotine cravings and to make giving up smoking easier |
| sufferers are also smokers. | | | | to achieve. Try any of the following: |
| Improvement can be gained without even giving up | | | | - Nicotine patches |
| cigarettes. In a study of sufferers, those who cut | | | | - Nicotine chewing gum |
| down their smoking by less than a half a pack a day | | | | - Nicotine inhalers |
| decreased their incidence of headaches by 50%. | | | | - Nicotine microtabs |
| That's some improvement! | | | | - Hypnotherapy |
| Smoking and stress | | | | - Acupuncture |
| Many people don't want to stop smoking as they | | | | - Allen Carr's EasyWay |
| believe that it helps them to deal with stress. As stress | | | | Not only will you be removing a prime cause of |
| can also be a migraine or headache trigger, this is a | | | | headaches, you will improve your overall health. Now |
| great argument for them not to stop. Why swap one | | | | that you have two reasons, use one or both, as the |
| trigger for another? | | | | incentive to quit. |
| However, Allen Carr, who runs the EasyWay to give | | | | |