What causes headaches in people is not easily determined.Headache causes are a lot and vary from physical and psychological factors. Headaches are one of the most common medical symptoms. Everyone at some point in his or her life suffered from headache. Some people also suffer from chronic headaches.
The headache is also a major economic impact because no one can work properly when suffering from a headache. It is a sensation of pain coming from the nerves and muscles of the neck and around her head. Sometimes the pain comes from the meninges, the membranes covering the brain. The brain itself, even if it has a problem, it will not hurt and does not feel pain. The sense is, however pain in the head or any some part of it.
What causes headaches can be analyzed in two categories, the primary and secondary headaches. In the primary they have no association with a disease while in the secondary headaches are caused by a medical problem. When for example we get a cold we usually also have a headache, this is a secondary headache. The primary there is no specific cause can be due to various circumstances e.g. acute stress conditions that ultimately may cause a headache. The headaches depending on the pain are also separated into categories such as migraines, local headaches, etc. All headaches can be treated with various medications that help relax the region of the neck and head or suspend the feeling of the pain.
Secondary headaches are overcome when the illness that causes them is cured. The primary headaches do not have a specific way of dealing with them and we should give them special attention when they are intense or frequent to find what causes them.
Major causes of headaches
Headache cause #1: Stress
Stress is one of the main causes of headache. Stress is the major cause for a large percentage of headaches affecting people. The tension headaches are the most common form of headaches and stress is responsible for a large percentage of the cases.
The tension headaches are caused by increased tension of the muscles of the upper back, neck and head. People who have a tendency to depression or anxiety are likely to experience more tension headaches. Also women due to the increased obligations they have as workers, wives and mothers, they tend to experience more stress. For these reasons, they have more frequently than men, tension headaches.
Why does stress causes headaches?
The secretion of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisone accompanies stress. These hormones cause, among other things, increased heart rate and breathing, increased blood pressure and muscle tension.
Along with stress, the anxiety and depression conditions are exacerbating the problem of headaches. The negative emotions increase in the blood the biological factors accompanying stress while reducing endorphins and other substances that help relax and relieve the body.
There are many situations in daily life conditions that create stress and negative mental state. These include the pressures from the professional environment, marriage problems, problems with interpersonal relations, economic difficulties and the many obligations of any kind that burden every day life.
The daily problems, are leading through the stress and negative mental conditions such as depression and anxiety in headaches. Women are more vulnerable and therefore experience headaches more often than men.
Studies have shown that regular, small problems that cause stress in everyday life, have the greatest impact in causing headaches than the major life events like marriage, divorce or job loss.
How to cure headaches caused by stress?
It is important if the headache is persistent to get professional treatment from a specialist. The history of the patient, clinical examination and if needed some additional tests, can reveal whether the headaches are due to psychological factors or due to any other factors that need a special medical treatment.
When stress or negative psychological situations are the causes of stress, other specialists (psychologist, physiotherapist) can also help the patient to cure the headaches and manage stress. Understanding and learning to manage stress better, is the first step to cure headaches due to stress.
Particular importance should be given to patients with chronic stress. The chronic stress can cause heart disease, reduction of body defence mechanisms, vulnerability to infection, diabetes, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, and increased blood pressure.
For the relief of headaches due to stress, you can initially use analgesic drugs such as paracetamol, non-steroidal analgesics and aspirin.
Activities such as relaxation, meditation, yoga, reading a good book, watching a good film, taking advantage of the benefits of exercise (walking, cycling, swimming, running) can be also help you to manage the headache pain that is caused by stress. Exercise can also help to address depression and other negative psychological situations.
Other good methods to relief the headache pain are: massage in the head, neck, and shoulders, the hypnosis, placing ice in the head, a warm bath, treatment with small magnets or electric currents.
In short, remember that stress is responsible for a large percentage of headaches affecting people. The recognition of the problem and stress management techniques can reduce or eliminate headaches thus substantially improving the quality of life.
Headache cause #2: Insomnia
If you have a headache that wakes you at night while sleeping you have to ask the advice of your doctor. The causes that may cause such a headache are different. The doctor after taking your history and after a thorough clinical examination may suggest that you do some additional tests.
These types of headaches usually begin after the age of 50 and are more frequent after 65. This is a rare disease of unknown cause described for the first time in 1988. These type of headaches are also called ‘alarm’ because they tend to occur at the same time each night in the sleep of the patient.
The intensity is mild to moderate. They begin when the person sleeps. The patient wakes up every night at about the same time, usually between 1 and 3 in the morning. They last from 15 minutes to 2 hours. Sometimes lasting for more. The headaches in some people may be present during the day when the patient happens to sleep (power nap).
What causes headaches at night?
Excessive alcohol consumption causes headaches. In some people even a little spirit is able to trigger headache crisis. In some people alcohol causes headaches at night while in others it does not. It is therefore important to limit alcohol consumption to prevent headaches and to completely avoid beverages that cause headaches.
Stress and tension headaches are among the most common causes of headaches at night. The continuous stress leads to muscle tension and burnout. After one or more days of intense work, the headaches will become more common in the night.
Sometimes the accumulated stress and fatigue can trigger a headache at night, which is so intense that wakes up the patient. The insomnia that arises in this way is able to contribute to a vicious cycle of fatigue, exhaustion, stress and headaches overnight.
Hypoglycaemia namely the fall of blood sugar (glucose) in blood causes sweat and also is a cause of intense headaches. The diabetic patients taking insulin should be particularly attentive to the risk of hypoglycaemia.
Sleep apnea is another cause of headaches at night. People suffering from sleep apnea have strong and frequent snoring interrupted by short periods of silence and interruption of breathing due to the obstruction of air passages. The apnea (complete cessation of breathing) can last from seconds to minutes at a time. Then follows an intense sharp inhalation of air admission to the respiratory system. This cycle is repeated several times each hour during the night sleep.
The frequent interruptions of breathing except that they disturb the sleep of the patient they are also preventing normal blood oxygenation. Chronic poor blood oxygenation can have serious negative effects on the body and particularly in the heart and vascular system.
The problems caused by sleep and oxygenation of the blood also causes headaches at night. Patients with sleep apnea may also suffer from cumulative headaches. Patients who wake up at night and have a cumulative headache should ask their physicians to consider whether suffering from sleep apnea.
Other types of headaches
The summation headaches are extremely painful and 90% of cases occur in men. It lasts for more than one and a half hour. The patients for several months may have no symptoms but suddenly they may experience a headache daily for to three weeks.
The headaches are concentrated around one eye. Occur in succession or as a package. This is the most intense pain that someone may feel, they are also able to wake you up at night. The headaches are so strong that there are cases that men killed themselves to escape from this terrible pain.
Headaches are common to all people. What is important for each one is to identify what causes headaches and to find ways, either by self-improvement or by assistance from specialists, to cure the headaches.
