Caffeine Headaches
Caffeine - what it does to you!Since you're reading this you probably already know that caffeine is a stimulant found in drinks such as coffee, tea, colas and other soft drinks. It is also found in Excedrin.Is caffeine a natural headache relief or not?
 But that's not all. It also acts as a vasoconstrictor (constricts your blood vessels), as a diuretic pulling fluid out of you, and it may even increase blood pressure. Caffeine can cause other reactions in some people. Though usually not classified as an addictive drug, caffeine can be addictive in the sense that you can experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop consuming it. A caffeine headache connection - The Good NewsCaffeine has long been used as a remedy for different types of headaches. (historians will tell you that early on Coca-Cola was sold as a headache remedy!) But why might it help?Migraine sufferers may be especially interested in the way caffeine constricts blood vessels. Blood vessels increasing in size, is one of the common occurrences when you're having a migraine. Many migraine medications focus on getting the blood vessels back to their normal size before they wreak havoc on the nerves around them. Many migraine sufferers find that a coffee or coke early on in their headache will help calm things down. A caffeine headache connection - Now for The Bad NewsIn our bodies, many of the things that can help can also hinder different types of headaches. As a stimulant, especially combined with sugar, caffeine can pick you up but may also drop you quickly.One of the worst things a migraine prone person can do it to take in large amounts of sugar and caffeine on an empty stomach, which can make your blood sugar levels do some pretty wild things, and may light the fuse to that caffeine headache. As a diuretic, caffeine may also rob your body of some of the things it really needs. For example, research is showing that migraine sufferers may need to increase the amounts of magnesium in their bodies. But caffeine may be pulling it out of your body when you're trying to put it in! What caffeine does to your blood vessels may be good and bad too. Although it may help to constrict your blood vessels, the caffeine headache connection may be in the way it can backfire and also start expanding them! Medications add to the problem combining aspirin with coffee, or drugs containing caffeine, can heighten the bad effects. Caffeine may also cause unneeded anxiety, especially if taken in large quantities and without proper food and sleep. Stress can lower your "resistance" to migraine triggers, and compounded with the steady drip of the coffee pot your stress may be much worse! Studies on Caffine and HeadachesA study was done with children and teenagers to check the link between drinking colas and headache, and to see if there is a headache caffeine link.Each participant was a heavy cola drinker, averaging about 1.5 litres a day. All had chronic headache, none had a history of migraine. All of them gradually stopped drinking cola over 1-2 weeks, and over 91% were headache free during the next 24 weeks! The others had occasional migraine instead of daily chronic headache. What You Can Do About These Headaches and MigrainesSome experts believe that it's not so much the quantity of caffeine as it is the frequency, or how regularly you take it.For a migraine sufferer, it's especially true that whatever changes you make in your diet, you should make gradually. Try to even out the amount of caffeine you take to the same amount every day. All things in moderation, right? For truly natural headache relief, The Beyond Headaches Lifestyle is about normalizing your systems so that you can enjoy the pleasures in life without living in fear of the next attack. Learn how thousands have successfully eliminated their headaches and migraines by taking a moment now to view the Beyond Headaches Tour and find natural headache relief for yourself or a loved one.
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Virtually all headache experts agree that there's a connection between caffeine and caffeine headaches. But what does that mean for you? Because they don't agree about much else. So Let's cut through the opinions and find out exactly what you need to know about the caffeine and headaches issue...
Being a stimulant, caffeine works on the central nervous system and makes you more alert. 
