This is one of the most common ailments – everyone has had a headache at least once in their lives. Whether it’s from fever, nervousness, fatigue or a hangover, headache it is definitely a frequent companion of various ailments. However, if it plagues us too often or for too long, and its cause is unknown to us, it may even indicate a serious illness.
Regardless of the type of pain we feel: bursting, dull or throbbing, it is most often associated with the circulatory system. The brain cannot hurt us because there are no nerve endings in it that feel this type of stimuli. However, they can hurt the surrounding tires, which contain many blood vessels. While they are expanding, we may feel pain.
Where does headache most often come from?
According to statistics, the most common cause is tension headache, which is a disease. The causes of tension headaches are usually:
- An uncomfortable position that causes muscle tension
- insufficient sleep,
- Hunger,
- Most often – emotions, especially stress initiating the secretion of hormones (including cortisol and catecholamines), which increase muscle tension, increase blood pressure and accelerate heart rate.
The body defends itself against these symptoms by dilating blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke. It is these dilated vessels that cause headaches.
With this type of feeling, it is best to reach for tablets containing ibuprofen, paracetamol or acetylsalicylic acid. Although they usually help immediately, like any medicine, they can be addictive and have a negative effect on the stomach, so it is worth trying to fight the pain in other ways. Drinking coffee can be effective, because the caffeine contained in it constricts blood vessels, as well as neck or head massages, relaxation exercises, acupressure, aromatic baths to relieve muscle tension.
When does pain mean illness?
- Eyesight defects – if we do not wear well-chosen glasses or lenses, they can cause pain in the frontal and parietal area as a result of eyeball tension.
- Hypertension – occurs when the pressure rises, it is usually felt in the morning, usually in the occiput area.
- Sinusitis»> sinuses – dull pain in the area of the paranasal and frontal sinuses, intensifies when bending the head.
- Facial nerve neuralgia – severe, paroxysmal pain on one side of the face. They last 1-2 minutes, occur several times a day.
- Sick teeth – pain radiating from the maxillary sinuses to the whole head.
- Degenerative changes of the spine – pain usually in the occiput area, most often after tilting the head back.
- Concussion – appears after a head injury, accompanied by drowsiness, nausea and dizziness (immediate visit to the doctor is necessary).
- Meningitis – stiff neck, nausea and fever. You should also go to a specialist right away.
- Brain aneurysm – double vision, severe pain, vomiting and weakness in the limbs. If you experience these symptoms, contact your doctor as soon as possible.