Causes Of Headaches
Although headaches may be thought of as unconnected to specific ailments or health conditions, the causes of headaches are often an indication that something within our body is not right. A headache can be the obvious symptom of a bigger health issue.
The common causes of headaches are allergy, emotional stress, eye strain, high blood pressure, a hangover (excess alcohol), infection, low blood sugar, nutritional deficiency, tension, and the presence of poisons and toxins in the body.
Another way of putting this is the headache is a symptom that you notice due to an imbalance within your body.
While nobody likes a headache, it may be the first sign of a bigger health issue and therefore the inconvenience of the headache may be the “alarm” that forces you to make changes to your lifestyle.
It is therefore the causes of headaches that are important to know.
Defining A Headache
A headache is the term used to define any kind of ache or pain that occurs in and around the head, or even in the upper neck.
Headaches may occur independently, in the sense that they are unconnected to any health condition or disease, or they may at times occur as a symptom of some disease.
All of us experience headaches at some point and it is in fact one of the most common complaints we have. The headache treatments we use vary, if we use any treatment at all.
A migraine is a very painful type of headache. People who get migraines often describe the pain as pulsing or throbbing in a specific area of the head. During migraines people are very sensitive to both light and sound and they may also become nauseated and even vomit.
Serious or chronic headaches are endured by as many as 45 million Americans and up to 28 million will suffer from migraines. Migraines are three times more common in women than in men.
A headache is also the most widely treated health condition with home remedies and pharmaceutical headache treatments available, but in most cases the treatment is only treating the symptoms (the headache) and is not dealing with the underlying causes of headaches.
Although the causes of headaches may in most cases be unconnected to specific ailments or health conditions, they are often like a warning system from our body that something is not right. To eliminate headaches you need to establish what the underlying causes of headaches are and then address those health issues.
Leading Causes Of Headaches
Stress and lack of sleep are leading causes of headaches.
If you haven’t had adequate sleep for a few nights in a row you would most likely experience headaches.
Headaches may not necessarily be trigger by psychological factors such as emotional distress, stress and lack of sleep alone but these health issues are often symptoms of bigger health issues and therefore should be explored.
High Blood Pressure Linked With Headaches
It has been observed that people with high blood pressure (Hypertension) seem to suffer more frequent and severe headaches.
What is reason for this headache?
The science and physiology behind headaches is in favour of this observation, as well – increased blood pressure causes a process called autoregulation in the blood vessels that run through the tissue underneath the skull (where most headaches start). In other words, the autoregulation leads to constriction of these blood vessels, which is a very well known cause of headache symptoms.
This is a key reason that people relate headaches to stress.
Sinus Headaches And Migraines
Sinus headaches and migraines are one of the most common types of headaches although to classify a migraine as a headache would be an over simplification. Migraines are a lot more severe, and the experience of a migraine is not comparable to the normal headache.
Sinus headaches, which are the other common phenomenon, are triggered due to blockages of the sinus passages that create a build-up of pressure and also due to infections of the sinus like sinusitis.
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches generally occur due to causes like neck pain, stress, anxiety and depression and also because of muscle tightness or tension in the shoulders, jaws and scalp.
Tension headaches are most likely to affect you if you work excessively, if your social relationships are strained, if you follow irregular eating and sleeping patterns, or consume excessive amounts of alcohol.
As with almost any other health condition, the most effective treatment would be to eliminate the cause. Treatment with over the counter medications will simply provide relief and is therefore only a temporary solution. The problem does not automatically go away and it may become increasingly frequently.
Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are another type of headache that is not uncommon. Cluster headaches occur in cyclical patterns or clusters which is the reason for the name.
Cluster headache is one of the most painful types of headache. Cluster headache is sometimes called the “alarm clock headache” because it often will wake you in the middle of the night with intense pain in or around the eye on one side of your head.
Bouts of frequent attacks known as cluster periods may last from weeks to months, usually followed by remission periods when the headache attacks stop completely. During remission, no headaches occur for months and sometimes even years.
Fortunately the cluster headache is rare and not life-threatening.
Premenstrual And Menstrual Migraines
Premenstrual migraines occur between one and seven days before menstruation begins.
Menstrual migraines occur from the last day before your period begins up until four days after bleeding begins. True menstrual migraines do not occur on any other days of the month. About 14% of menstruating women experience true menstrual migraines.
While it is improbable that sex hormones can completely explain the difference, there is significant evidence that there may be a connection between migraines and fluctuations in estrogen levels in women. The problem appears to be the response of the central nervous system to normal hormonal fluctuations.
Headaches In Children
Headaches in children are not uncommon either and could have similar causes to other headaches; however if persistent, severe or your child is unresponsive to treatment you should seek medical attention promptly.
Under normal circumstances however mild natural headache treatments should suffice for headaches in children.
When dealing with headaches in children always check the forehead in case of a fever and seek medical advice promptly if there is any vomiting.
Headache Treatment
As you can see there are various types of headaches, with an even greater variety of causes of headaches – there is always an underlying cause of headaches.
In many cases we accept the headache as a normal part of our lives; however when headaches start to become more common or regular we should take notice of what our body may be telling us …. that there is a more serious health issue – the cause.
Headache treatment no matter what the cause or type of headache can however best be remedied through simple lifestyle changes, relaxation and restoring the natural balance within your body.
Herbal supplements are becoming increasingly popular as they are a natural way of restoring balance within your body. Two of the best herbal supplements are Ayurtox and Mystic Sleep.
Ayurtox helps remove body toxins and primes the body’s vital organs so that they can continue to rid the body of these body toxins and build up the body’s natural ability to protect itself from the future build up of these body toxins.
Mystic Sleep helps you attain quality sleep which helps you cope with stress, solve problems and recover from illness. When you sleep your body rests and restores its energy levels. Lack of sleep can cause and mental fatigue and anxiety and therefore lead to long-term physical and mental conditions including headaches.
I hope this helps you to understand the causes of headaches…
