Headaches and loud noise don’t really go well together. Whether you suffer from ‘normal’ headaches or migraines, noises can be hell on earth.

Noises and bright lights can be triggers for headaches, which is awful because the world around us is filled with sound and light. According to a study from Headache, around 80 percent of the people who suffer from headaches also get it with noise at 50dB. The same percentage said that the headaches are the same as their usual headaches.

Triggered

There’s a difference between ‘normal’ headaches (called tension-headaches, often described as like a tight band around your head) and migraines. The latter brings nausea, dizziness and a bigger sensitivity to lights and noises with them, along with the pain in the head. But, noises and lights can also be a trigger for a ‘normal’ headache. By the way, if you notice you have this: please go to your doctor if you haven’t done that.

So, what to do about this? Noises are so much around us that it almost seems impossible to escape from them. An easy solution is to wear earplugs all the time (most of the time, you can still hold a conversation with ‘em), but that alone may not quite cut it.

A counter intuitive solution

Of course, it’s logical: if something triggers your headache, avoid the trigger. Completely shutting yourself of from sounds though, can make your problems worse. The solution could actually be the opposite: engage with your triggers. This technique is often used in therapies with people who suffer from anxiety disorders, like phobias.

It’s called desensitization and basically the idea is desensitizing yourself from your triggers by actively exposing yourself to them. So you’ll gradually expose yourself to louder and louder noises, to decrease the pain in your head the next time you’ll hear them in normal life.

What do you think? Will you rather avoid your triggers or engage with them? Let us know! Oh, and please don’t try to do anything without consulting your doctor first.

Sources: WebMD, MigraineAgain, VeryWell, Headache