I have been battling tension headaches for the past few weeks. Today's is particularly bad-- 12 hours straight of headache and the 6 aleve that I have taken throughout the day haven't helped. My headaches are most likely caused, at least in part, to me subconsciously clenching my teeth when I sleep, and sometimes when awake. This behavior is particularly frustrating because it seems that I should be able to stop it. I have already left one job in part because of the stress headaches. Now what am I to do?
This brings me to a bigger issue- the chemical dependence that Americans find themselves in so easily. Two years ago I was taking a preventative prescription medication to address my tension headaches. There is also the option of wearing a small mouth guard while I sleep that prevents me from clenching my teeth. The problem lies in this: the medicine is covered by my insurance, the mouth guard is not (and actually most dental plans do not cover such devices). So what am I to do? Spend $5 on a co-pay for the meds, or $350 for the mouth guard?
Sounds like I will be adding another pill to my daily chemical fix.
