How to understand why your head hurts. How to relieve headaches with home remedies and when to see a doctor? Prevention and relief for headaches

Apnea

With this disease, breathing becomes very shallow during sleep or even stops for a short time. Sleep apnea symptoms are snoring and frequent headaches in the morning.

You might have this problem if you:

• wake up often at night;
• feel during the day;
• sweat profusely during sleep;
• snore.

Sleep apnea can indicate more serious medical conditions, including heart problems and high blood pressure. If you notice these symptoms in yourself, see your doctor.

Lack of sleep

Experts advise adults to sleep 7-8 hours a day. According to Sleep Disorders and Headache American Headache Association, the pain is worse if you sleep less than 6 hours or more than 8.5 hours.

Here are some tips to help you improve your sleep quality.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time.
• Avoid nicotine and alcohol. They disturb sleep.
• Try not to stimulate your brain before bed: don't watch TV or surf the Internet.
• Do something soothing, such as meditation.
• Keep a list of what helps you sleep well and what gets in the way.
• Create a comfortable sleeping environment. The room should be dark and quiet.
• Take a bath to relax before bed.
• Exercise regularly.

2. Depression and anxiety disorder

Mood disorders often lead to chronic headaches. Naturally, this negatively affects the quality of life. In addition, anxiety is often accompanied by insomnia.

Scientists have discovered Headache, depression and anxiety: associations in the Eurolight project the connection between mood disorders and headache. They analyzed data from 6,000 participants from different European countries, and it turned out that abusal (drug) headache is most often associated with depression and anxiety. It arises from overuse of pain relievers. In second place is tension headache, in third - migraine.

It is believed that it is safe to take NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. - Ed.) For headaches no more than every other day. More frequent use already suggests that such a headache tends to become chronic. Painkillers will not correct this situation in any way, they will only aggravate it by masking the true nature of the pain.

Antidepressants are usually prescribed to treat mood disorders. Many of them help to sleep better, and some prevent migraines. Therefore, if you notice yourself or depression, be sure to contact a specialist. Don't try to heal yourself.

3. Alcohol and psychotropic substances

Researchers studied Prevalence and Risk Factors of Morning Headaches in the General Population the connection between headache and alcohol consumption, after analyzing the data of 19 thousand participants from different countries. Those who drank more than six drinks a day were more likely to suffer from morning headaches than those who drank only one or two drinks.

The head hurts even more often in those who take psychotropic drugs - Xanax, Valium, Zyprexu, which are often used to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia. Such study participants experienced morning headache 7-17% more often.

4. Bruxism

People with this condition grit their teeth and grind them while sleeping. Sometimes this is unconsciously repeated during the day. Bruxism is a movement disorder and causes severe headaches. It also increases the risk of sleep apnea.

Usually people are not aware that they are grinding their teeth in their sleep. The following symptoms will tell you that you have bruxism:

• loud gnashing of teeth that wakes up the one who sleeps with you;
• chips and cracks on the teeth that appeared for no apparent reason;
• painful sensitivity of the jaw or face;
• jaw muscles get tired;
• the jaws do not open or close as they should;
• ear pain;
• , toothache;
• it is not clear where the damage has come from on the inside of the cheeks;
• dull pain in the temples;
• sleep disorders;
• frequent headaches in the morning.

5. Serious health problems

A headache can be a symptom of a serious health problem, including a brain tumor, injury, high blood pressure, or. This headache is called secondary.

Here are the situations when you should see your doctor.

1. The headache recurs twice a week or more.
2. Previously, the head did not hurt, but now it often hurts. This is especially dangerous if you are over 50.
3. There is a sharp severe pain and stiffness in the neck.
4. The headache appeared after a head injury.
5. Along with the headache, there is a high fever, nausea, vomiting, and this is not explained by another disease.
6. The headache is accompanied by clouding or loss of consciousness, weakness, diplopia (you have double vision).
7. The nature or strength of pain changes dramatically.
8. Chronic headaches appear in a child.
9. The headache is accompanied by seizures or shortness of breath.
10. Frequent headaches occur in those with HIV or cancer.

conclusions

Many of the factors that cause morning headaches are closely related. Mental health problems like depression and anxiety often lead to alcohol abuse and sleep disorders. This, in turn, causes headaches. Therefore, first you need to identify the cause and try to eliminate it.

Quite often, headaches are simply caused by an inappropriate lifestyle. If you suspect that it is in him, first change something in your habits.

Any sane modern doctor will advise this in the first place if he traces the connection with the way of life.

Nikita Zhukov

If you are unsure whether to take your headache seriously, look at the 4-3-1-2 NSAID criteria. They signal the possible presence of serious problems. In this case, additional examinations are needed.

Navigation

Headache is the most common signal from the body that it has physiological malfunctions or organic problems. Even his one-time appearance deserves attention. People who have regular or severe headaches need to undergo a thorough diagnosis and identify the causes of the symptom. In 10-20% of cases, the symptom turns out to be one of the secondary consequences of serious violations in the work of organs. Such situations require the immediate initiation of adequate therapy. Otherwise, there is a high risk of developing chronic diseases or emergency conditions that can lead to a decrease in the quality of life, disability, and death.

Why does the head hurt

Pharmacies offer drugs for cephalgia, different in price, composition, type of action and rules of use. In some cases, they quickly relieve discomfort, in others they do not give the desired result. The effectiveness of funds depends not so much on their quality as on the suitability of a specific situation. The mechanism of development of pain in the head is different, and it is for it that the medicine must be selected.

There are five common causes of a symptom:

• muscle overstrain - the result of prolonged physical exertion or being in an uncomfortable position;
• decreased functionality of cerebral vessels - pathological narrowing or widening of blood channels, increased permeability or stretching of their walls. Excessive blood density, atherosclerotic plaques, tissue edema, tumors, blood clots increase the risks. They interfere with the normal blood flow, which disrupts metabolic processes;
• violation of the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid - most often it is the result of compression of certain areas of the brain by a cyst, hematoma, tumor, displaced bone;
• failures of a neuralgic nature - appear when nerve fibers are irritated (infringement, squeezing, malnutrition, infection);
• the action of psychogenic factors - the consequences of mental disorders in the form of depression, apathy, stress, genetic diseases, chronic fatigue.

One-time or regular pain in the head can occur under the influence of two hundred more factors. This list includes smoking, drinking alcohol, consuming unhealthy foods and caffeine.

Cephalalgia is the result of prolonged exposure to heat, in conditions of high humidity. Often, headache occurs due to a lack or excess of sleep, wearing improperly fitted glasses, contact lenses. The danger is presented by rigid diets, head injuries, hypothermia, slagging of the body.

Symptoms

Headache manifests itself in different ways. Its intensity, localization, character are influenced by provoking factors, the mechanism of development, stage, features of the course of pathology. An experienced physician is able to make a preliminary diagnosis based only on the specifics of the clinical picture.

The type of pain in the head depends on the causes of cephalalgia:

• vascular - most often the patient is tormented by pulsation or aching sensations. They are accompanied by dizziness, decreased vision quality. The symptom increases with a change in body position, physical activity, bending;
• liquorodynamic - the pain rolls in waves, resembles pressure from within. Supplemented by nausea, dizziness, weakness, general deterioration of health;
• neuralgic - acute and sharp cephalalgia of a local nature. Often, when you press on the affected area, the sensations intensify, become cutting or piercing, unbearable. The sensitivity of the skin in the problem area increases or decreases. The symptom does not respond well to taking conventional analgesics, may persist for several days or weeks;
• tension - constant, moderate or weak, aching. It is accompanied by irritability, dizziness, aching neck. It goes away quickly after a light massage of the neck area or rest;
• psychogenic - capable of acquiring a very different look, supplemented by obsessive states, a decrease in mental abilities.

In each case, a special therapy is required, selected by a specialized doctor. If you suddenly have a headache, you can try to cope with it using folk methods or taking analgesics. If there is no effect or the symptom resumes soon, it is worth seeking medical help.

The most common reasons why a head hurts

Doctors identify dozens of factors, the action of which can lead to the appearance of cephalalgia. This list includes not only head diseases, but also pathologies of distant localization. Five conditions are worth mentioning separately - they account for about 95% of all cases of a symptom. You should not diagnose yourself on your own, even when the clinical picture is obvious. Some diseases follow a similar scenario, but require different approaches to treatment. It is better to visit a specialist initially and strictly follow his instructions.

Tension headache

If, for no apparent reason, a headache persists for a long time, this diagnosis should be considered first. Feelings occur in the afternoon or after a long stay in an uncomfortable position. They look like pressure from a tight hairstyle or tight headgear. Most often, the pain covers the skull like a hoop. Initially, only one side of the head or the frontal part hurts, gradually the symptom spreads along the perimeter. It is complemented by dizziness, decreased mental activity, and impaired attention.

To get rid of the problem, it is enough to breathe fresh air, rest, drink a soothing tea. Prolonged, persistent sensations indicate a violation of blood flow. In this case, you may need to take medications to protect nerve cells, increase brain activity, improve circulation (nootropics, neuroprotective agents).

Migraine

A neurological disease of a vascular nature is more often diagnosed in women of childbearing age. It manifests itself in the form of cephalalgia, nausea and vomiting at the peak of sensations, an increased reaction to external stimuli. The head usually hurts on one side, the sensations are pulsating, intense, intensified by loud sounds, pungent odors. The attacks last from 2-4 hours to 3 days. In a quarter of cases, they are preceded by an aura. Depending on the case, the head hurts every few months or up to several times a week. Complex therapy is required, aimed at alleviating the patient's condition and preventing subsequent exacerbations.

Histamine headache

The disease is also called Hortonian or cluster cephalalgia. It is especially susceptible to middle-aged men, strong physique, drinking alcohol, with an impressive smoking history. The pain has one-sided localization, radiates to the eyeball, lasts from 15 minutes to 2 hours. Sensations are sharp, sharp, burning. They prevent the person from going about their usual activities and respond poorly to any type of medication. The onset of an attack may be preceded by lacrimation, nasal congestion, dull pain in the head, drooping of the upper eyelid in one eye.

Occipital headache

With the localization of cephalalgia in the back of the head, there is a high probability of a violation of the process of blood flow to the brain. Often this happens due to problems in the cervical spine. The picture in this case is complemented by dizziness, soreness and crunching in the neck, decreased skin sensitivity, numbness in the fingers. The patient has a headache mainly in one place, but sensations are given to the ear, jaw, eye or shoulder from the affected side. The symptom gets worse during the day and gets worse over time. It is exacerbated by sudden movements, tilting, turning the head.

The therapy involves combating pathological changes in the spine with the help of chondroprotectors, massage, physiotherapy, exercise therapy. Additionally, the patient is prescribed medications to normalize the functioning of the cerebral vessels, protect nerve cells from toxins, and improve circulation in the tissues.

Arterial hypertension

With increased pressure, the head can hurt in different places.

Cephalalgia is bursting or pulsating, constant or growing. It is accompanied by nausea, flashing of flies in front of the eyes, reddening of the face, changes in the frequency and quality of breathing, increased heart rate. To confirm the diagnosis, it is sufficient to measure blood pressure. Treatment is carried out strictly under the supervision of a physician. The fight against hypertension is not limited to medication. Changes in the diet must be introduced, measures are taken to reduce blood cholesterol levels.

Diagnostics

The peculiarities of the manifestation of diseases allow the doctor to make a preliminary diagnosis. Then various research methods are applied to confirm or refute the suspicions. Only after that a therapy regimen is developed, aimed not at cephalalgia, but at its cause.

Headache diagnostics can include the following activities:

• MRI and / or CT;
• Ultrasound of the vessels of the brain and neck;
• EEG, REG;
• x-ray of the head and neck;
• lumbar puncture.

General and biochemical blood tests are mandatory. They help to assess the composition of biological material, its viscosity, cholesterol level, and exclude the presence of infection in the body.

Drugs that can treat headaches

If possible, you should consult your doctor before taking any medication. When a sudden headache occurs, it is better to start fighting the symptom with the safest and most affordable approaches - rest, walk in the fresh air or airing the room, tea with lemon and sugar. Massage of the head and neck area, inhalation of aromatic oils or rubbing them into whiskey give a good effect.

If you still have a bad headache, you can use the following drugs:

• NSAIDs - "Ibuprofen", "Aspirin";
• analgesics - "Paracetamol", "Pentalgin";
• antispasmodics - "No-Shpa", "Baralgin";
• hypotensive - only after measuring blood pressure and preferably those that were previously prescribed by a doctor;
• nootropics - "Piracetam", "Phenibut".

Specialists have developed a simple and affordable program for the prevention of cephalalgia. To never have a headache, it is enough to lead a healthy lifestyle, walk a lot in the fresh air, play sports, observe the daily regimen and refuse to use harmful products. You should also be attentive to your health, and promptly address complaints to doctors. You can not self-medicate - it is recommended that you agree with a healthcare provider to take any medications.

It's hard to find someone who doesn't have a headache at least from time to time. A single occurrence of a symptom is not a cause for panic. Unpleasant sensations after a hard day or stress indicate the body's need for rest and relaxation. Sometimes colds or inflammatory diseases begin with cephalalgia. With a pain in the head, the body reacts to poisoning with toxins, slagging, changes in weather conditions. The main thing is not to grab the pills every time, even if it is not clear what triggered the symptom. Independent experiments pose a great risk to the body and complicate the process of making a diagnosis for doctors.

Every person has a headache from time to time, but, as a rule, it quickly passes and does not remind of itself for a long time. But what if your head hurts very often? For what reasons does the pain become chronic?

Why does my head constantly hurt

Regular stress

Everything is useful in moderation, and little stress is necessary for the body. But everyday worries put a person on a constant "alert" mode, which is fraught with overstrain and headaches. You can learn about an imminent attack in advance by observing your bodily reactions. For example, during an unpleasant conversation with an almost ex-husband, a woman can clench her teeth, breathe often and shallowly, strain her muscles, and after a few hours she can fall asleep with a pressing headache. If we add to such "conversations" the problems that have piled up at work and with children, then the repeated daily attacks will not seem at all surprising.

Lack of sleep

Sleep is a "chance" for a person to restore not only physical, but also mental strength. Therefore, before sacrificing a night's rest, you should carefully consider whether it is worth it. Is it really necessary to go on a voyage to nightclubs every night, and in the morning with a headache to head towards the educational institution? Or is it really the next project for work that is so important as to risk your health? An adult needs to sleep at least 6 hours, otherwise regular lack of sleep will result in the same regular attacks of headaches.

Hormones

Rarely have not heard the jokes that women have headaches every day. The reasons for this malaise, however, are understandable. The female body from time to time has to deal with "lovely" periods, when the level of hormones rises and falls. Estrogen and progesterone "jump" with premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy, menopause. During menopause, when sex hormones cease to be produced at all, many women are faced with not only constant, but also very severe headaches.

Eye strain

Daily long sitting in front of a computer, incorrectly selected glasses lead to regular headaches. This is due to overstrain of the eye muscles. By the way, watching films in 3D format can also provoke a headache attack.

Long-term medication

Sometimes it's not hard to guess why the head often hurts. The reasons lie in drug abuse, that is, the regular use of painkillers. Abuse headache lasts at least 14 days, intensifying after the use of an analgesic "boring" to the body. To get rid of this type of pain, you need to stop taking pain relievers. If necessary, doctors also prescribe a course of antidepressants, since abusal headache and depression are often observed in the same person.

Head injury

Headaches usually appear in the first 2 weeks after injury and last up to 8 weeks. These are the so-called acute headaches. They are purely symptomatic and directly related to physical damage to the head. As the person recovers, the seizures disturb the person less often, while becoming less intense.

If more than 8 weeks have passed after the injury, and the attacks continue, then we are talking about chronic post-traumatic headache. It develops on a nervous basis and mainly occurs in people who have suffered minor trauma. Chronic headaches can continue for several years after the injury, in some cases becoming more intense.

Obesity

Overweight is a sure step towards a whole bunch of diseases. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, cancer ... Such a patient is a real "find" for a doctor: there is always something to treat. Obesity headache is often a symptom of some kind of disease, fortunately, there is plenty to choose from.

Constantly headache and nausea: is it dangerous

Regularly recurring headache attacks accompanied by nausea can be symptoms of serious pathologies.

Meningitis

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the spinal cord and brain that is fatal in more than half of cases. Due to the edema of the meninges, there is an increase in intracranial pressure and increased irritation of pain receptors. The surest sign of meningitis is a severe bursting headache without a clear localization, accompanied by increased skin sensitivity. Even patients in a coma feel pain when they touch the scalp. The headache can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, regardless of whether the person has eaten or not.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease characterized by damage to the optic nerve. More often it is observed in the forties and older, but the disease "all ages are submissive." Angle-closure glaucoma is sometimes disguised as migraines, meningitis, flu or toothache. This is due to her symptoms: nausea, headache, general weakness. Loss of vision due to glaucoma is irreversible, so any discomfort and pain in the eye area should be a reason to visit a doctor.

Brain cancer

A brain tumor is always accompanied by a headache, the attacks of which are more often observed at night and in the morning after waking up. This is due to the fact that a malignant formation, developing, releases toxins that disrupt blood circulation. When a person sleeps, due to stagnation of blood, the brain swells. Waking up, the patient takes an upright position, and the headache gradually subsides. As the disease progresses, nausea and dizziness begin to appear. Vomiting in brain cancer occurs suddenly, sometimes without prior nausea. Over time, the patient's condition only worsens: the pain becomes stronger, hallucinations appear, confusion of consciousness, inappropriate behavior.

In any case, if you not only have a headache for several days, but also regularly feel sick, you must definitely see a doctor.

Headache often: what to do

Many people don't even wonder why they have a headache every day, but just drink pain reliever. Of course, Analgin, Paracetamol, Nurofen or Spazmalgon will help relieve pain, but you should not abuse drugs.

Try applying a cold compress or regular fresh cabbage leaf first. Such folk remedies are well-deserved. Aromatherapy lovers can turn to essential oils for help. Chamomile, marjoram, rose, lavender or lemon oil can relieve headaches. They need to massage the temples until the condition improves.

If attacks continue regularly, you should definitely see a doctor. There are times when a person is conscientiously "treated" with mint or chamomile tea, and upon random examination in the hospital discovers that it is too late to remove the tumor. It is important to understand that headache is almost always a symptom of an illness. Healthy people, even during periods of severe stress, do not suffer from a deterioration in well-being.

Many people habitually swallow pills when they have a headache. However, not everyone knows that the effect of this may be the opposite: headache attacks will become more frequent. In addition, often the cause of headaches should not be looked for in the head at all. Perhaps this is just an "SOS" signal by which other organs in our body notify us that they need help.

It prevents us from living!

Of course, you don't have to take pills. There are many simple, non-medical ways to manage your headache. But for this it is very important that you determine what kind of headache you have, what kind, and then start effective treatment.

What kind of your pain

So, let's try to decipher the "Morse code" of our headache. The fact is that our head hurts in many diseases, and hurts in different ways. For example, it is known that 80 percent of all headaches are vegetative headaches. They often occur in people who are exposed to constant stress or have comorbid conditions, such as thyroid dysplasia or hormonal shift. The most common types of headaches are:

... pressure,
... migraine,
... "Histamine" headache,
... occipital,
... post-traumatic,
... vascular,
... caused by overvoltage.

There are also other types of headache, provoked by more serious factors, such as: cerebral hemorrhage, fever, high intracranial pressure, severe hypertension, inflammation of some arteries in the brain.

Some people have headaches after eating foods such as ice cream, tomatoes, cheese, Chinese food, etc. You should identify the foods that are causing you headaches yourself and not consume them. If you stop drinking tea or coffee, or quit smoking, and because of this you have a headache, put a cold compress on your head and try to get some sleep in a dark room. A cold compress will narrow the dilated blood vessels in your brain, and sleeping in a dark room can help you relax.

Live harmoniously and there will be no pain!

It's no secret that all our illnesses, including headaches, are, as a rule, provoked by the unhealthy lifestyle that a person leads in the modern world. Here are a few rules, adhering to which, you can forget about such an unpleasant phenomenon as a head "splitting" from pain.

Pay attention to your diet. A headache can be caused by excessive consumption of heavy and acidic foods, very cold water. Poor digestion does not ensure complete digestion of food, and this also causes headaches.

Change your lifestyle. Suppression of natural desires, sleeping during the day, not getting enough sleep at night, drinking alcohol, talking very loudly, being in the cold, especially at night, are very common factors in headaches.

Choose a place to stay. The environment can also affect your condition. Headache can be caused by such factors as unpleasant odor, long journeys by transport, being in a dusty space, in a smoky room, in smoke. Therefore, try to spend more time outdoors, take long walks in the fresh air.

Avoid stress. Often a psychological factor plays a decisive role in the occurrence of painful attacks in the head. Mental stress, long tears, or fighting tears can cause headaches.

Calm down your barometer. Some of us have headaches during temperature changes, changing seasons, two to three days before a significant change in atmospheric pressure. Such people are able to predict a storm or cyclone no worse than any barometer and are called meteorological. A similar phenomenon often occurs with vegetative-vascular dystonia, and it is most effective to treat it with non-drug methods of vascular training. Regular contrasting (but not ice-cold) shower, physical education, “inverted” yoga poses (headstand, and for those who find it difficult - shoulderstand) will put the arrows of your internal “barometer” in the “clear” position.

There are several types of headaches: severe, throbbing, pressing, dull, bursting, etc. Below are the main dull pains in, as well as a few tips for these unpleasant sensations. Dull and monotonous pain spreads throughout the head, most often it occurs in the late afternoon. This is usually caused by overvoltage in the vessels of the brain. To improve your well-being, massage the back of your head, lightly massage your temples and stretch your neck muscles. Then take a comfortable position, close your eyes, relax and imagine that you are somewhere on vacation, and all the problems and worries are far away and at the moment do not concern you at all. Spend 12-15 minutes in this state. Aching dull pain in the head is accompanied by weakness, possibly dizziness, appears closer to the middle of the day of minor physical activity. Most likely, the reason is that you are weather dependent. Your body is very sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind direction, which contributes to the formation of vasospasm. Determine your blood pressure using a tonometer or by the nature of the headache: with a low one, it occurs in the temporal region, with an increased one - in the occiput. At low pressure, it is recommended to lie down a little with raised legs, and at high pressure, on the contrary, with a raised head. Massage (suitable for any pressure change). With the pad of your right index finger, touch the center of your forehead. Then lift your finger vertically above the hairline by 1 cm, press the indicated point and hold your finger in this position for 2-3 seconds, then gently lower your finger to the point between the eyebrows (above the bridge of the nose), press and hold again for 2-3 seconds. Do this massage for 1 minute, then break for 3 minutes and repeat again. If you do not feel any improvement in 10-15 minutes, call your doctor. Dull pressing pain occurs in the left or right side of the head, sometimes accompanied by pain in the eyes, while your face turns pale or red. The cause is irritation of the trigeminal nerve, which occurs due to overwork, excessive excitement, sometimes when the weather changes. Create a twilight in the room and get into a comfortable position. Take a small terry towel and a basin of hot or cold water with you (if you have redness on your face, you need cold water, otherwise hot water). Wet a towel, wring it out and, placing it on your face, leave it on for 5-7 minutes. Then wet the towel again, squeeze and place on your face. Repeat this procedure for 30-40 minutes. Dull headache in the morning. This may be due to lack of sleep or caffeine dependence. Try to increase your sleep time, and reduce the number of cups of coffee you drink to 1-2 per day. If methods without medication do not help you, see your doctor and get tested. Depending on the severity of your condition, an experienced doctor will prescribe the necessary medications or herbal tinctures.