For months I was getting a dull headache almost every afternoon, right around two or three o’clock. I blamed stress, then my pillow, then the weather. I tried everything except the one thing that turned out to be the actual cause.

I was dehydrated, and I did not realize it.

The habit that fixed it

I started keeping a full water bottle on my desk and drinking from it all morning instead of waiting until I felt thirsty. Within a week the afternoon headaches mostly stopped. Thirst is a late signal, so by the time you feel it, you are already behind.

It was not the whole story, though. I also started paying attention to two other things.

What else I changed

• Screen breaks. Staring at a monitor for hours strains the eyes and the neck. I now look away from the screen for twenty seconds every twenty minutes.
• Less glare. I tilted my monitor so the window was not reflecting straight into my face, which cut the eye strain in half.

For a while I was reaching for painkillers three or four times a week. Now it is maybe once a month, and only when I actually need it. The lesson stuck with me: sometimes the fix is not a product or a prescription, it is a glass of water and a screen break.

If your headaches are frequent, sudden, or severe, that is a different story and worth a doctor visit. Mine were none of those, just dehydration wearing a disguise.