Are you worried about your Headache?
The type of headache being experienced, and its accompanying symptoms, should help your GP to determine a cause and subsequent treatment. Headaches are separated into two categories, primary and secondary.
Primary
Primary headaches are not a symptom of an underlying disease or condition and, although pain can be severe, they generally do not have a serious cause.
These headaches are caused by overactivity of the brain, nerves, and blood vessels in the head. They can be triggered by several things, including our diet, sleep schedule, or general stress in our day to day lives.
Common primary headaches include:
Migraines - Commonly on one side of the head, associated with throbbing or pulsating pain.
Tension - Most common, described as feeling like a tight band around the head.
Cluster - Most painful, occurs intermittently, often in the middle of the night.
Secondary
A secondary headache is a symptom of a health condition, where the headache itself is not the main problem. These health conditions vary in severity and range from hangovers to brain tumours.
Types of secondary headache include:
Ice cream headaches - often referred to as ‘brain freeze’.
Medication overuse - caused by taking too much pain medication.
Sinus - inflamed or congested sinus cavities.
Spinal - caused by low pressure or volume of spinal fluid.
Even if your symptoms are mild to moderate, headaches can greatly affect your everyday life. Thankfully, there are several things you can do at home to try and alleviate the pain and discomfort, as well as measures that you can take to prevent them from happening again in the future.
These include:
Staying hydrated - drink plenty of water
Rest - Particularly if you have a cold, or flu
Relax - Avoid stressful situations
Pain relieving medicines - Take paracetamol or ibuprofen
Avoid Alcoholic Drinks - This can cause you to become dehydrated
Avoid straining your eyes - Staring at screens can worsen your symptoms
If you are experiencing a sudden headache that is causing severe pain, you should seek immediate medical attention.
You should also seek urgent care if your headache is accompanied by any of the following:
- Confusion
- Fainting
- Fever
- Paralysis on one side of your body
- Difficulty seeing, speaking, or walking
- Nausea
- Weakness in arms or legs
- Vomiting
You should schedule an appointment with your GP if you are experiencing any of the following:
- Your headaches are occurring regularly, or more often than usual
- Your symptoms are more severe than usual
- Your condition worsens over time, despite home treatment
- Your daily life is being affected
- You are suffering mental stress because of your headaches
Here at VIDA we have expert clinicians on hand to help diagnose and treat your condition. To find out more about these services, we recommend visiting the following pages:
- Acute sinusitis (nasal and sinus infection)
- Alcohol (particularly red wine)
- Arterial tears (carotid or vertebral dissections)
- Blood clot (venous thrombosis) within the brain — separate from stroke
- Brain aneurysm
- Brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation)
- Brain tumor
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Certain foods (processed meats that contain nitrates)
- Changes in sleep or lack of sleep
- Chiari malformation (structural problem at the base of your skull)
- Concussion
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Dehydration
- Dental problems
- Ear infection (middle ear)
- Encephalitis (brain inflammation)
- Giant cell arteritis (inflammation of the lining of the arteries)
- Glaucoma (acute angle closure glaucoma)
- Hangovers
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Influenza (flu) and other febrile (fever) illnesses
- Intracranial hematoma
- Medications to treat other disorders
- Meningitis
- Migraine
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Overuse of pain medication
- Panic attacks and panic disorder
- Persistent post-concussive symptoms (Post-concussion syndrome)
- Pressure from tight headgear
- Pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)
- Skipped meals
- Stress
- Stroke
- Toxoplasmosis
- Trigeminal neuralgia