This year, April 17th may be the most stressful day of the year -- at least for those who file taxes. The extended filing period may cause many individuals to breathe a sigh of relief, but others may have to reach for the nearest bottle of aspirin to combat their inevitable headache.
Stress is one of the leading causes of migraine headaches, according to many experts, and the tax season is known to be particularly stressful. Procrastination coupled with the fear of being audited is a major cause of stress for many people.
"I always advise my patients to recognize and deal with stress as soon as they feel it coming on," said Dr. Lawrence Newman, director of The Headache Institute at New York's St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in a statement. Preventative steps such as "medication and behavior" are necessary, he suggests, to increase your chances of avoiding a migraine.
Newman offers some additional tips to ward off migraine attacks during the last few days of the tax season, including:
-- Identify your migraine triggers, which commonly include stress, certain foods, and loss of sleep, bright lights and alcohol;
-- Keep your migraine medication handy;
-- Get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep at night;
-- Eat regularly -- hunger is a frequent cause of headaches;
-- Release tension and anxiety by following a regimen of relaxation exercises and stretching techniques.
