Dealing with regularly occurring headaches is annoying and can affect your daily life, depending on the severity. Generally, headaches cause aching and pressure on both sides of your head that ranges from mild to severe. The good news is there is relief for you if you deal with headaches often.
Is A Headache A Pain in Your Brain?
Even though it seems like it, a headache is not a pain in your brain. The brain itself cannot feel pain but can inform you of areas in the body that are experiencing pain. The majority of headaches occur in the muscles, nerves, and blood vessels that are in a person’s head and neck. When the muscles or blood vessels tighten or swell, it puts pressure on the nerves, which send a message of pain to the brain, causing a headache.
What Type Of Pain Is A Headache?
Many different types of headaches can occur and can be more complicated than people realize. With over 150 types of headaches, knowing what your triggers are can be very helpful in figuring out treatment options. Headaches can be described as throbbing, pounding pain located at various parts of the head. Migraines can have isolated head pain in certain parts, but also can have accompanying pain in different parts of the body, along with other symptoms.
What Is The Definition of Headache?
By medical definition, a headache is a general pain in any region of the head. They can present as throbbing pain, dull ache, or sharp, shooting pains. They can occur on one or both sides of the head, be in one isolated location, or feel like your head is in a vice grip.
When Should You Be Concerned About A Headache?
Experiencing headaches, especially severe ones, can be unnerving. Although they can be extremely painful, they generally aren’t a sign that there is a serious medical problem. However, if you are experiencing frequently occurring headaches or migraines, it may be a good idea to discuss with your doctor. If you have a severe headache that comes on quickly and also has symptoms like speech trouble, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, or trouble falling, it may be wise to seek immediate medical attention.
What Are Headaches A Sign Of?
Headaches can be scary, but often there is a root cause that can be remedied. Headaches can be caused by dehydration, fever, caffeine withdrawal, muscle tension, nerve pain, or even certain foods. In extreme cases, headaches can be a sign of:
- Head injury
- Stroke
- Preeclampsia
- Cancer
- Brain tumor
- Aneurysm
- Brain hemorrhage
- Tooth or gum infection.
Generally, a headache is not a cause for alarm. In extreme cases, headache pain can be a sign that something serious is wrong. If you’re concerned about the severity or frequency of your headaches, be sure to inform your doctor.
What Does The Location of A Headache Mean?
The location of the headache pain or pressure can be key in figuring out what type of headache you’re experiencing and how to treat it. With about half to three-quarters of all adults experiencing headaches within a year, they are a very common occurrence.
A tension headache feels like it’s radiating all over your whole head, almost like there is a tight band around your head. Migraines generally occur on one side of the head, either the left or the right. Migraines often have additional symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and light sensitivity. When the headache pain is occurring on one side of the head, and there is pain behind or around your eyes, that is often a type of cluster headache.
Is Dehydration A Cause Of Headaches?
When you aren’t properly hydrated, you can experience mild to severe headaches. Dehydration headaches can often be described as throbbing or a pulsating sensation on the head. In people that experience migraines, about 36% have said that dehydration was a trigger for their migraines.
When it’s hot, and you haven’t consumed enough water, you can become dehydrated pretty quickly. Simply drinking enough water is a great way to prevent headaches and can actually help your headache go away.
What Are Different Types Of Headaches?
There are over 150 different types of headaches, so figuring out what type of headache you’re dealing with may sound difficult, but there are few headaches that occur more commonly than others. What are some types of headaches?
- Tension headaches are the most common type of headaches that occur in teens and adults. While they cause mild to moderate pain, they generally aren’t accompanied by any other symptoms.
- Migraine headaches are more severe in pain and are often described as throbbing or pounding. When people are suffering from migraines, they not only have head pain but can also experience nausea and vomiting, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity. They can last all day, and some migraine sufferers report feeling almost like a hangover sensation the next day.
- Cluster headaches are the most severe form of headaches, with intense burning or stabbing pain behind one eye. The pain can be so bad that some sufferers pace when experiencing a cluster headache. They often occur in groups, which is why they are called cluster headaches.
- Chronic daily headaches are described when you experience a headache 15 days a month for three months.
- Sinus headaches have pain deep and constant in the bridge of the nose, forehead, and nasal cavities. The cause of pain is inflammation in the sinus cavity. A true sinus headache is usually caused by an infection deep in your sinuses and is accompanied by a nasal discharge.
- Post-traumatic headaches occur 2-3 days after a traumatic head injury. Lightheadedness, vertigo, memory problems, trouble concentrating, and irritability can accompany the head pain.
Dealing with headaches can be debilitating when you’re experiencing severe headaches or even migraines. There are many causes, but there are also many treatment options. If you’re dealing with headaches or migraines, be sure to work with your doctor to discover the triggers and come up with a proper treatment plan.
Resources:
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/headaches.html
https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/migraines-headaches-basics
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324890
https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/when-call-doctor-migraines-headaches
https://www.healthline.com/health/headache/when-to-worry-about-a-headache
