It’s the holiday season, and that means lots of merriment around decorating the house, watching movies with the kids, and attending family gatherings and festive parties. Unfortunately it also means crowded shopping malls, lots of time with the in-laws, late nights at parties, rich food, special alcoholic beverages, and overall just trying to fit a lot of extra holiday events into an already crowded daily schedule. The holidays might be a time of joy, but they’re also a time for stress headaches.

As many as 9 out of 10 people suffer from headaches, and the overwhelming majority of headaches are related to stress and tension. Tension headaches manifest as a dull ache, tightness, or pressure around the forehead and neck. They can be caused by poor posture, sitting at a desk for long periods of time, not getting enough sleep, or anxiety and emotional stress. With everything there is to do during the holiday season, poor sleep habits and high levels of stress are a common factor.

If you suffer from tension headaches during the holiday season or any time of the year, you might consider chiropractic care. Research shows that chiropractic care is an effective treatment for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck. “Spinal manipulation alleviates stress to the system and helps normalize spinal function, restoring essential spinal curves,” said Scott Foster, D.C.

Chiropractic care for headaches includes more than spinal manipulation. Here at Foster Chiropractic, we will help you with tips to improve your posture, to help prevent future headaches. We also look at your nutrition plan to help encourage a healthy lifestyle that is hopefully headache-free.

Other tips to help reduce your chances of getting stress headaches this holiday season include:

• If you’re having to sit at a desk or a sewing machine for long periods of time, take frequent breaks to walk around and stretch.

• Try to get regular sleep, keeping to the same routine of going to bed and getting up on weekends that you do during the week.

• Don’t skip meals, even if you’re out shopping.

• Keep up your regular exercise routine.

• Be okay with saying no to keep your commitments manageable.