What Is Your Body Telling You?

Watch out for your body’s health symptoms and the time of the day they occur

So you’re always getting a minor niggle like a headache, or achy joints, at the same time of day? Then pay attention to when the symptoms occur because it might help you figure out what’s causing it. The symptoms of many conditions are often related to a certain activity or a particular time. They can be the clues you need to solve your mystery health problem. Are any of these familiar to you?

If you cough after meals

IT COULD BE CAUSED BY ACID REFLUX

While many of us associate this with heartburn, not everyone gets discomfort, and a cough can be the only symptom in some people. “GORD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease) is actually one of the top three causes of chronic cough,” says Professor Alvin Ing. The cough occurs when the contents of the stomach move up into the oesophagus, or even enter the lungs directly, which can irritate the nerves. Diagnosis of GORD-related coughing isn’t always easy, and it can be confused with asthma. If it is suspected your GP may prescribe acid-reducing drugs to see if symptoms disappear.

If your head hurts in the morning