Daylight Saving Time can disrupt your sleep—and that disruption can directly affect headaches and migraines.

In this episode of The Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Jono Taves explains why sleep quality is one of the most important foundations for reducing headache and migraine frequency. As the clocks change and we lose an hour of sleep, many people experience increased fatigue, higher stress levels, and a lower tolerance for pain.

Dr. Taves breaks down how sleep influences your pain threshold, inflammation, neurotransmitters, and nervous system regulation, and why poor sleep can make headache triggers hit harder.

You’ll also learn practical strategies to improve sleep quality, including optimal sleep positions, breathing techniques, and simple habits that support a healthier circadian rhythm.

If headaches or migraines tend to worsen around daylight saving time, this episode will help you understand why—and what you can do to protect your sleep and raise your body’s resilience to pain.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why sleep is critical for headache and migraine recovery
• How poor sleep lowers your pain tolerance and increases inflammation
• Why daylight saving time can trigger more headaches and migraines
• The best sleep positions to reduce neck tension and pain
• How nasal breathing and sleep routines improve sleep quality
  
  

Simple ways to protect your circadian rhythm and nervous system

Novera: Headache Center

In this episode of The Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Jono Taves explains why having a clear migraine treatment plan is one of the most important factors in long-term healing.

Too often, headache and migraine sufferers are given medication without a clear explanation of why their symptoms are happening or how to move forward. Dr. Taves shares a personal story from his newborn son’s recent hospital stay to illustrate how powerful it is when a provider explains the “why” and lays out a clear direction.

You’ll learn:

• Why uncertainty makes migraines feel worse
• The difference between symptom suppression and root-cause care
• Why time can work for you instead of against you
• How the Three-Spoke framework identifies the source of pain, barriers to healing, and systemic health contributors

Why medication alone often fails to solve chronic headaches
If you’ve ever felt stuck, confused, or dismissed in your migraine care, this episode will help you understand why having a plan changes everything.

Novera: Headache Center

Can your vision be driving your headaches, dizziness, or brain fog—even if you have 20/20 eyesight?

In this episode of The Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves sits down with neuro-optometrist Dr. Michael Saxerud to explore how the brain processes vision and why visual dysfunction is often an overlooked root cause of headaches and migraines.

They break down the difference between eyesight and brain-based vision, and how misalignment between the eyes, vestibular system, and neck can create symptoms like:

• Headaches and migraines
• Light sensitivity
• Dizziness and nausea
• Brain fog
• Poor balance or clumsiness
• Reading fatigue and difficulty concentrating

Dr. Saxerud explains how tools like yoked prism lenses, peripheral occlusion (tape on glasses), and syntonic light therapy help recalibrate the brain’s sense of “self in space,” reducing stress on the nervous system and improving function

If you’ve been told your eyes are “fine” but you still struggle with headaches or visual discomfort, this episode will open your eyes to a powerful, non-medication approach to relief.

Novera: Headache Center

The supplement industry is a mess—and for people with headaches and migraines, choosing the wrong supplements can mean wasted money or even worsening symptoms.

In this episode of The Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves is joined by functional medicine nutritionist Hallie to break down how to choose supplements that actually work. They explain why most supplements are poorly regulated, how to spot high-quality brands, and which supplements are essential for people with headaches and migraines.

You’ll learn:

• Why many popular supplements don’t contain what they claim
• The importance of third-party testing and absorption rates
• The four daily “low-hanging fruit” supplements most people need
• How nutrient deficiencies can drive headaches and migraines
• Why medical-grade supplements often outperform big-box brands

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or skeptical about supplements, this episode gives you a clear, practical framework to make smarter choices—and support your body at the cellular level.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Live Nourished Coaching – Functional medicine nutrition and root-cause health coaching with Hallie
  https://livenourishedcoaching.com/
  
  
• Three International – Advanced, high-absorption nutraceutical supplements discussed in this episode

Novera: Headache Center

Gut health can be a hidden driver of chronic migraines—especially when it shows up as sugar cravings, inflammation, and hormone imbalance. In this episode, Dr. Taves and functional medicine nutritionist Hallie Brooks explain how gut dysfunction and microbiome imbalance can lower your migraine threshold, why sugar cravings are often biology-driven (not just willpower), and how PCOS/estrogen dominance can overlap with headache patterns.

At Novera, we teach that lasting migraine relief requires addressing three essential components. This episode is a deep dive into Component #3: overall health.

Novera: Headache Center

If you’re looking for long-term migraine relief (not temporary fixes), this episode breaks down the three essentials you can’t overlook.

In this episode of The Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explains Novera Headache Center’s Three-Spoke Framework for true, root-cause migraine relief:

1. The source of pain (often the neck, jaw, and shoulders)
2. Why you got here (hidden barriers like airway issues, hypermobility, or past injuries)
3. Your general health threshold (sleep, stress, gut health, hormones)

You’ll learn why triggers like food, weather, exertion, or hormones don’t fully explain migraine pain—and why addressing only one piece of the puzzle often leads to short-term relief that doesn’t last.

Novera: Headache Center

How treatable are your headaches or migraines — and what determines how quickly you can see relief?

In this episode, Dr. Jono Taves breaks down why all headaches are treatable, but not all follow the same recovery timeline. Drawing from over a thousand real patient cases, he explains how symptom frequency, pain patterns, and overall health help predict how the body responds to care.

Dr. Taves walks through the key differences between constant daily headaches and intermittent migraines, explains the role of central sensitization, and shows why headaches that start in the neck often respond more quickly when the mechanical source is addressed. He also clarifies why many headache diagnoses are based on symptoms rather than root cause — and how that affects long-term outcomes.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your headaches are “too chronic,” “too complex,” or “too ingrained” to improve, this episode offers clarity, realistic expectations, and hope grounded in clinical experience.

Novera: Headache Center

If you experience stabbing, burning, or behind-the-eye pain—and have been told it’s trigeminal neuralgia or a migraine—this episode will help you understand what may really be happening. Dr. Taves breaks down the trigeminal nerve, its three branches, and how the trigeminal pathway connects facial pain with the upper neck and brainstem.

You’ll learn why the trigeminal nerve is often blamed for migraines and facial pain, why pain perception isn’t always a reliable indicator of tissue damage, and how neck dysfunction can trigger the brain to interpret pain as coming from the eye, temple, jaw, or forehead.

This episode also explains why common migraine models often label neck pain as “secondary,” and why a more complete view of referral patterns and neuroanatomy may unlock real long-term relief.

Novera: Headache Center

Many people with headaches and migraines don’t realize their eyes may be contributing to symptoms. In this episode, Dr. Taves speaks with optometrist and dry eye specialist Dr. Pam Theriot about the growing connection between screen time, dry eye disease, eye strain, and headache symptoms.

Dr. Theriot explains how prolonged screen use reduces blink rate dramatically—from about 21 blinks per minute to around 7—which prevents the eyelids from releasing oils that protect the eye’s tear film. Over time, this can lead to chronic dry eye disease, fluctuating vision, and discomfort that may feel like pressure or pain behind the eyes. 

The conversation also highlights why dry eye disease is affecting younger patients than ever, how workstation setup impacts eye strain, and practical daily habits to protect long-term eye and head health. Dr. Theriot shares actionable strategies including the 20-20-20 rule, screen positioning tips, and a simple at-home test to check for dryness. 

If you struggle with headaches, eye strain, or migraines—especially in a screen-heavy lifestyle—this episode offers a holistic, preventative approach to improving both eye comfort and overall wellness. 

Novera: Headache Center

In this episode of The Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves breaks down a question many people ask after years of suffering: What is a migraine — and why does the definition matter?

Dr. Taves explains how migraines are diagnosed in today’s healthcare system, what symptoms typically qualify someone for a migraine label, and why migraine is often categorized as a primary headache—meaning it’s treated as something with no clear cause and managed mainly with medication. 

He also explores why that model can be limiting for patients who want long-term improvement, and why focusing only on the diagnosis can prevent deeper investigation into what may be driving symptoms like head pain, nausea, light/sound sensitivity, and neurological changes. 

This episode challenges common assumptions about migraines and offers a hopeful perspective: if symptoms have an underlying cause, they may be more treatable than most people realize. 

Novera: Headache Center