Dealing with throbbing headache pain can disrupt your daily life and keep you from participating in activities you love. The cause of your headache may not always be apparent, so it’s best to be aware of what can trigger a headache in order to avoid them.

Many triggers are common knowledge: bright lights, loud noises, caffeine, food, or sleep deprivation. However, there are other triggers you may not be familiar with. Keep reading to learn more about these surprising triggers that can cause headache pain.

1. Your Cell Phone

If you’re holding your phone between your ear and your shoulder for calls that last longer than a few minutes, you could be straining your neck which can lead to tension headaches. Use a hands-free device or the speaker option to talk on long calls instead.

Using your cell phone in general could also be causing your headaches. As you read the screen on your cell phone, you typically blink half the normal amount that you should which can cause your eyes to strain, become tired, and your vision to blur. Together these issue can cause a headache.

Also, while you’re looking at the cell phone screen with your neck bent and your eyes pointed downward, the facial, neck, and shoulder muscles tighten. This type of tension can result in a headache.

You don’t have to stop using your cell phone altogether to prevent a headache, but be sure to take breaks every 20 minutes or so and stare at something stationary off in the distance. If you have been using your cell phone and begin experiencing a headache, it’s a good idea to take a break for an hour or so until you start feeling better.

2. Your Desk Chair

Some people sit at a desk around eight hours a day. With this much sitting, it’s important to have a comfortable, supportive chair that isn’t causing your muscles to strain. If a desk chair is too big for you, it may not be supporting your back. The result of straining your back can be a headache. Make sure to adjust the chair properly so that your feet are flat on the floor and your back is aligned with the chair’s back. You can also adjust the firmness of the chair to fit your individual needs.

3. Your Coffee

While certain headache medications contain caffeine, having too much can give you a severe headache. If you are drinking more than two eight-ounce cups of coffee per day, it can lead to withdrawal headaches on the days that you don’t drink coffee. By cutting back by one cup per day, you can reduce your caffeine dependency. Once you have done that, try drinking decaf every now and then.

4. Disrupted Sleep Schedule

There are many benefits to waking up at the same time every day. Staying on a schedule helps you wake up more easily and feel more energized throughout the day. Sleeping late can throw off the chemical levels in the brain that can cause migraines.

If you’re interested in learning about how chiropractic adjustments to relieve your headache, click here to download our free eBook, Your Total Guide to Finding and Choosing a Chiropractor. This eBook explains the process of chiropractic adjustments and how you can find the right chiropractor for you.