Headaches are a very common condition that most people experience. The main symptom of a headache is pain in your head or face. There are several different types of headaches, and there can be different reasons that cause them. Even though most headaches aren’t dangerous, certain types can be a sign to serious health conditions.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE HEADACHES?
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
WHAT CAUSES A HEADACHE?
Stress
Stress can cause tight muscles, especially in the shoulders, neck, and head, which often leads to tension headaches. When tension headaches become frequent, the pain in the shoulder and neck muscles is felt by the brain as pain in the head. Stress also affects a person’s tolerance for pain, which will make the pain feel worse. That’s why stress seems to be the main reason people have headaches.
2. Changes In Your Life (environment, change in sleeping and eating habits)
Environmental factors such as bright light, smoke, humidity, intense scents, or cold weather are associated with migraine headaches. Also, people who suffer from cluster headaches often say that their headaches occur with specific changes in their lives. For example, people with cluster headaches reported that their headaches increase when it’s spring or fall. It seems like certain types of headaches are linked to changes in weather conditions.
3. Lack Of Sleep
Lack of sleep is associated with migraines and tension headaches. For people with migraine, sleeping can help them reduce or even get rid of their pain.
TYPES OF HEADACHES
There are actually more than 150 types of headaches! So today I will explain only a few, mostly the common and known ones.
Headaches can be divided into two main groups: Primary and Secondary headaches. Primary headaches occur when pain isn’t caused by something your body is dealing with (like a disease).
On the contrary, health problems are the main reason for secondary headaches.
-PRIMARY HEADACHES
Tension headaches are the most common type. These headaches often cause pain around the head, face or neck. People usually describe it as a tight bind around their heads. Doctors generally don’t consider tension headaches to be dangerous. These kinds of headaches can be treated with pain-killers.
However, migraine is worse than a regular headache.
Migraine is a headache disorder that causes intense pain deep in your head. It’s especially active on one side of your head. Migraine attacks may last between 4 and 72 hours. These attacks can limit your ability to carry out your daily routines and even leave you in bed for days!
Cluster headaches are severely painful headaches that occur in clusters. You experience cycles of headache attacks, which are followed by headache-free periods. Each headache can last from 15 minutes to 3 hours! Cluster headaches can occur one to eight times per day. After one resolves, another one will start. Pain from these kinds of headaches is typically felt on the same side of the head, centered behind one eye. It’s like a burning feeling around one eye. Pain from cluster headaches can be extremely severe. Considering that this type of headache can be experienced up to 8 times a day, it is truly inconceptible how much it can affect someone’s life!
-SECONDARY HEADACHES
Infections of the nose, throat, and ear may cause headaches. Sinus infections (sinusitis) can cause sinus headaches. Sinus headaches make your face hurt. You may feel a constant ache in your cheekbones, forehead, and nose. But you don’t need to worry because these kind of headaches aren’t permanent; they disappear when you recover.
Another example is spinal headaches. They are intense headaches, which one can feel the pain in their forehead, upper neck, and back of their head. Spinal headaches are caused by the leakage of spinal fluid. Most of these headaches can be treated at home. However, untreated ones may cause dangerous health issues like subdural hematoma (it’s a type of bleeding inside your head) and severe seizures.
Medication overuse headaches, also known as rebound headaches, can feel like a tension-type headache, or they may feel more intensely painful, like a migraine episode. Medications are designed for a specific target in the body. However, they can also affect other areas. Unwanted side effects may occur with all medications, including prescription and over-the-counter medications.
TREATMENT
As stated before, various reasons may cause headaches. So the best way to treat your headache starts with finding the reason behind it. By doing this, you can find the best treatment for yourself. However, the best way is to see a doctor. A doctor will spot the problem way better than one can and show the correct path.
To sum up, there are many reasons behind headaches. High percent of people suffer from headaches every day, including you! However, we generalize it and usually don’t think more. So if you are thinking that your headaches feel different and more painful than usual, you should consider seeing a doctor.
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