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Headache: causes and treatment methods. Symptoms and causes of frequent headaches

Head pain is one of the most common complaints with which people come to see a neurologist. Perhaps, people of all age groups are familiar with acute discomfort in the temples or back of the head, a feeling as if the head is about to split into several parts.

And although headache is the cause of any disease only in in rare cases, she still requires treatment.
What can cause headaches and how to deal with them?

Causes of pain

We all experience a lot of events and phenomena in our lives every day, reacting to some of them extremely violently. One of the most common causes of headaches is emotional stress. This phenomenon usually appears 1-2 days after the stressful condition.

Another cause of headaches can be an infection. In this case, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. Often, headaches after poisoning or infection are accompanied by nausea.

Frequent and severe headaches also occur with injuries to the skull or brain - traumatic brain injuries of varying severity, tumors of the brain and its membrane. You should not ignore such causes of headaches as exposure to chemical substances(excessive amounts of alcohol consumed, the effects of lead or carbon monoxide), metabolic disorders (hypoxia and dialysis).

Treatment and prevention

What can you do in a situation where your head hurts unbearably, and you can’t go to the doctor right away? First, try to deal with unpleasant sensations without medications: for example, good sleep in a quiet place, a cool shower or a head compress. A cup of cool or hot tea made from lemon balm, mint or chamomile will also be beneficial.

If these remedies have no effect and you continue to have headaches, then take one of the following painkillers - aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen. Before use, carefully read the instructions and if you find any contraindications described on the package, do not take it. this tool. The above medications will not eliminate the pain forever, but will only relieve you of it for a while. Try not to abuse these medications: very soon the body will get used to the drug and it will stop working.

The following video talks about common causes of headaches:

If you experience frequent and intense headaches, consult a doctor immediately. Only a specialist can determine the real reason the appearance of pain in your head and prescribe appropriate treatment that will not just remove you from discomfort for some time, and once and for all it will relieve constant pain.
For prevention, use the following tips:

The sensitivity of a tissue to pain depends on the density of nerve endings on its surface. There are tissues that are completely insensitive to pain. In the head area nerve endings found in the skin subcutaneous tissue, in the muscles and tendon helmet, vessels of the soft integument of the head, periosteum of the skull, meninges, intracranial arteries and veins. When each of these structures is irritated, a headache occurs.

Types of headaches

Headaches can be vascular, resulting from muscle tension, as a result of increased intracranial pressure, neuralgic, mixed, and resulting from dysfunction of pain receptors (nerve endings).

Vascular

Irritation of vascular receptors occurs when the arteries are overstretched, which can occur as a result of low blood pressure (dilation of blood vessels and stagnation of blood in them), and with increased (increase in blood volume). Insufficient tone of the veins also causes stagnation of blood in them and irritation of pain receptors.

For arterial hypertension (increasing blood pressure) the headache becomes pulsating in nature, patients speak of a “pounding in the head.”

Arterial hypotension (low blood pressure) is characterized by dull pressing and bursting pain.

Venous headache occurs when the outflow deteriorates venous blood, dilation and overflow of veins with blood. It is dull, bursting and intensifies from prolonged stay in a horizontal position. It often appears in the morning and gradually goes away after getting up.

Muscular

Muscle headaches occur with prolonged tension or compression of the head muscles. The person experiences a feeling of squeezing or tightening by a bandage on the head, as if a hoop is being put on the head. This headache may first occur in the frontal or cervical-occipital region, then it quickly spreads to the entire head, transmitted from muscle to muscle through the tendon, which covers our head like a helmet.

Most often, such pain occurs after emotional stress. or excessive physical exertion. After rest and relaxation, the headache goes away.

Liquorodynamic

Liquorodynamic headache occurs when intracranial pressure is disturbed (both when it increases and when it decreases). In this case, an increase in intracranial pressure occurs in certain areas, causing tension there meninges, vessels and nerves inside the skull. The headache is bursting; patients experience pressure “from the depths of the brain.” This happens with such serious illnesses, such as tumors, abscesses (ulcers limited by a capsule), brain injuries, meningitis, etc.

Decreased intracranial pressure may occur after extraction of cerebrospinal fluid. The headache gets worse when standing.

Neuralgic headache

Neuralgic pain has a number of characteristic features, which in most cases can be easily distinguished from other types of headaches. The first sign of this pain is that the attack lasts several seconds or minutes, but the attacks follow one after another at short intervals, forcing the patient to suffer painfully for hours and days. The second sign of neuralgic pain is the existence of special zones (trigger or starting), irritation of which provokes an attack. Even just touching such an area can cause a headache. The third sign is that the pain radiates to neighboring or distant areas. The pain is usually sharp, piercing, sharp, “like a blow.” electric shock" At the moment of pain, the patient freezes, he is afraid to even open his mouth and blink once again.

Mixed headache

Sometimes during an attack, one type of pain is joined by another. For example, to vascular pain muscle joins. Mixed headache occurs, for example, with meningitis, when there is a disturbance in the flow of liquor, swelling of the membranes of the brain, increased intracranial pressure and other mechanisms of pain.

Psychogenic headache

Sometimes a headache occurs without any visible reasons. This pain is called psychalgia or hypochondriacal headache. Obviously, such a headache appears as a result of dysfunction of the pain receptors in the head. Most often this occurs against the background of a violation

A headache, be it spontaneous, growing, sharp, aching, throbbing or pressing, occurs in the life of any person, but it happens quite rarely without a reason. Almost always it warns about a malfunction in the body or its susceptibility harmful factors. It is quite difficult to identify the true cause of headaches, given large list diseases and disorders that provoke it, but this is quite possible if you take into account your own feelings and accompanying symptoms when diagnosing.

Causes of headaches

In most cases, a headache is a symptom that signals the influence of unfavorable factors on the body or the development of a hidden pathology that requires immediate treatment.

TO unfavorable factors, under the influence of which a headache appears, include:

sudden change in climate or weather conditions;
pollution environment harmful fumes, toxins, carbon monoxide;
low-quality food products containing high concentration monosodium glutamate and nitrites;
emotional fatigue due to frequent stressful situations;
alcohol abuse and hangover syndrome as a consequence;
long exposure to the sun.

Frequent pathological reasons occurrences of headaches are:

vascular diseases of the circulatory system and the development of arterial hypertension, hypotension, as a consequence;
liquorodynamic disorders and those that arise during the development and other diseases of the membranes of the brain structures;
neurological diseases, including neuralgia trigeminal nerve, vertebrogenic apparatus, infringement of the nerve processes of the cervical spine;
injuries of the brain and skull bones, as well as chronic post-traumatic conditions;
drug poisoning, food products, toxic substances;
inflammatory processes occurring in the visual and ENT organs;
illnesses of a viral or cold nature, accompanied by high fever and headache as a consequence.

Any headache that appears regularly, becomes protracted and is not relieved by painkillers should be alarming.

In this case, it is better to play it safe and see a specialist so as not to waste time and prevent the development of complications if painful sensations caused by a pathological process.

Types of headaches

To identify the cause of cephalalgia, you need to determine its type based on the corresponding signs. Most often in medical practice Headaches are classified into the following areas:

Headaches caused by vascular diseases

Due to narrowing, dilatation, inflammation or rupture of blood vessels, pressure occurs, which is often accompanied by nausea, dizziness and a decrease in the main reflex functions. This type of pain is typical for:

Is something bothering you? Illness or life situation?

migraine attacks;
blood pressure disorders (hypertension or hypotension);
temporal arteritis;
multiple sclerosis;
atherosclerosis of spinal vessels;
strokes.

Psychogenic headaches (tension pain, tension pain)

A squeezing and spreading headache of a constant nature causes the feeling of a hoop squeezing the head, and occurs against the background of prolonged physical and psychological stress in people who are not resistant to stress. IN calm state pain is mild or moderate when bending over, physical activity and nervous shocks its intensity will increase.

Headaches associated with liquorodynamic and intracranial pathologies

Painful sensations of a local or spreading nature are disturbing due to impaired circulation of cerebral fluid through the cerebrospinal fluid system, its excessive accumulation in the meninges and its occurrence as a consequence. The intensity of headaches increases at night and in the morning, painful sensations are often complemented by nausea, vomiting, decreased vision and hearing. This type of headache is typical for:

post-traumatic conditions;
congenital or acquired brain pathologies;
severe infections of brain structures (encephalitis,).

Cluster headaches

Intensive painful sensations unknown etiology, in most cases occurring in men. They arise suddenly and are unilateral. Attacks of varying duration occur at equal time intervals (days, weeks, months). The condition is getting worse associated symptoms– swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and lacrimation. .

Head pain not associated with disorders of brain structures

viral or infectious diseases in which aching headache occurs due to general intoxication of the body;
inflammatory processes occurring in the organs of hearing, smell, vision, oral cavity or facial nerves(in this case the patient feels a shooting or aching headache, giving off to a painful place);
excess dosage medical supplies, alcohol abuse;
caused by traumatic processes, low physical activity and limited movement.

If headaches bother you regularly, and the condition is aggravated by symptoms of a pathological nature, then you should consult a doctor.

Regardless of the cause and nature of the origin, doctors do not recommend enduring headaches and, in case of intense pain, prescribe painkillers in tablet form.

Depending on the type of headache and the cause of its origin, you can take one of the following medications:

Paracetamol. The safest painkiller and antipyretic drug, allowed for pregnant women and children. It relieves moderate headaches caused by colds or infectious diseases, inflammatory processes.
Migrenol. Combined medicine, in which the action of the main substance paracetamol is complemented by caffeine. The drug is prescribed to hypotensive patients to relieve pain attacks caused by a decrease in blood pressure, weather dependence, VSD, migraine.
Solpadeine. Painkiller containing codeine and caffeine. These substances enhance the effect of the main component of paracetamol, so the drug effectively relieves intense attacks of headaches.
Analgin. The analgesic effect of the drug is very pronounced, but its long-term use negatively affects the structure of the blood, reducing the production of leukocytes.
Ibuprofen. Pain reliever with minimal symptoms side effects treats cephalalgia of various etiologies.
Sedalgin Plus. An analgesic whose complementary substances are caffeine and vitamin B1. The drug effectively relieves attacks of pain caused by psycho-emotional fatigue, hypotension, migraines, colds or chronic fatigue.
Spazmalgon (Spazgan). An analgesic drug with a pronounced spastic effect. Prescribed for headaches caused by vascular spasms.
Brustan. A tablet combination product that combines two painkillers that complement each other - paracetamol and ibuprofen. Prescribed to relieve severe headaches when other drugs do not help.

Painkillers should not be taken continuously, combined with each other or mixed with alcohol. Selecting a specific drug and dosage depending on the degree of intensity pain syndrome and individual tolerance should only be carried out by a doctor.

Folk remedies

If headache attacks are mild and short-term nature, while the accompanying pathological symptoms are absent, then you can use simple but effective folk remedies to relieve discomfort.

Melissa tea with the addition of chamomile or valerian flowers. The drink dilates blood vessels and relieves spasmodic headaches.
Soothing tea with rosemary and mint. Taken to relieve headaches caused by nervous fatigue.
Inhalation or rubbing with essential oils of grapefruit, lavender, mint, rosemary or lemon balm. One of the oils or a mixture of them is applied in a small amount to the temples and gently rubbed. You can also light an aroma lamp, and essential oil To reduce the concentration, first dilute with water.
Compress from saline solution per region frontal lobes and temples. To do this, you need to dissolve tbsp in warm water (1 l). spoon sea salt, moisten a cloth in the solution and apply it to the sore area of the head.
An express method for relieving headaches in summer time are fresh leaves mint, lemon balm or knotweed, which should be applied to the back of the head or temples. In winter, you can use for these purposes cabbage leaf, which must first be mashed until the juice appears.
Inhalation with apple cider vinegar solution for migraine attacks. For this Apple vinegar added to water in equal proportions, the resulting composition is brought to a boil, after which, slightly tilting the head over the container, carefully inhale its fumes.

You should stop using folk remedies if the cause of the headaches is unclear and the patient has clearly expressed pathological signs. In this case, you need to see a doctor immediately and only after diagnosis accurate diagnosis agree with him on the appropriateness of using folk remedies.

It’s not for nothing that headaches are considered one of the main signs of impaired functioning of the body. The nature of its manifestation often helps to establish a diagnosis.

Of course, you still can’t do without a comprehensive examination, but the causes, signs and symptoms of headaches are closely interrelated with each other.

A correct definition illness is already a big step towards healing.

Signs and symptoms

Probably every person has experienced a headache at least once in their life. Many people suffer from it regularly. And only 10% of the lucky ones do not know such misfortune. Statistics are not in favor of health, but on the other hand, a headache warns a person. If you do not listen to the work of the body, then serious illnesses will often develop in the future.

Signs and symptoms of headaches usually appear in a complex manner, but there are also differences. Essentially, it all depends on the cause of the disorder. What should you pay attention to?

First of all, on related events and various changes:

As can be seen from this list, headaches come in different forms. Therefore, it is worth considering each symptom separately.

Dizziness and fainting

Cardiovascular disorders often provoke dizziness and fainting with headaches. It could be like high blood pressure, and reduced. In the brain, any changes in the state of blood vessels are perceived negatively due to the high sensitivity of nerve cells.

About 25% of all blood is consumed by the brain. And if its qualitative composition is disrupted, then this also leads to dizziness. For example, a low red blood cell count reduces oxygen supply. But too saturated blood can cause harm due to high viscosity and difficult flow through the capillaries.

Sometimes the patient is even suspected of hypoxia, and oxygen starvation is fraught with irreversible consequences (tissue death, mental disorders and etc.).

But most often, dizziness and fainting occur with prolonged abstinence from food. A lack of nutritional compounds has a detrimental effect on the condition of all body tissues, and the brain is no exception. Therefore, you need to follow a diet wisely and after consultation with a specialist.

If dizziness is a consequence of migraine, then patients also experience other signs: pronounced pulsation of the vessels of the head, weakness, fatigue, disturbance of attention and coordination of movements. Women usually suffer from this pathology, so they should consult a doctor if frequent repetition seizures.

Nausea and vomiting

After a person wakes up from fainting, he often experiences a feeling of nausea. In this case, the headache becomes severe, and the state of health deteriorates greatly. It feels like a bandage has been pulled around the head. Often people even complain about certain spots before their eyes and decreased hearing.

But it rarely comes to vomiting. And if this has happened, then you should pay close attention to this sign. It is quite possible that this is how meningitis, an inflammation of the brain, manifests itself. This is very serious illness which can lead to death. With meningitis, the patient experiences the following symptoms:

severe headache;
regular vomiting;
increased pressure inside the skull;
increased sensitivity of the scalp;
delirium, hallucinations.

It is imperative to go to the hospital even if you have the slightest suspicion of meningitis. But headaches with vomiting also occur in cases of injury, such as a concussion. Strong blows or falls often lead to such a consequence. Many athletes are familiar with concussions, although ordinary life things like this happen.

Vomiting may also indicate subarachnoid hemorrhage, which occurs due to rupture of blood vessels in the brain. If a person is not provided timely assistance, this will affect his future life (mental disorders, regular headaches, hormonal disorders). Sometimes doctors simply do not have time to save the patient from death.

Thus, we can conclude: headache and vomiting are dangerous symptoms. If they occur together, you must immediately call doctors, otherwise it may be too late.

Temperature

Headache and fever are frequent accompaniments of an infectious disease, such as influenza or sore throat. Probably all people have encountered such illnesses. Pain manifests itself in different ways. Usually it begins in different parts of the head, gradually merging and intensifying.

The rising temperature also creates discomfort, but in no case should it be brought down when the thermometer readings are in the range of 37-38°C: such conditions are most conducive to activation immune system against microbial attacks.

If the temperature exceeds the permissible limit, then it is recommended to take an antipyretic drug based on paracetamol or drink tea with lemon and raspberries, and then sweat a lot under the blanket. Treatment for respiratory infections depends on the type of disease, but doctors also recommend restoratives.

In particular, it is necessary to use vitamin complexes, because they directly affect the synthesis and activity of immune cells.

Women are familiar with the fact that fever and headache sometimes occur simultaneously during menstruation. This is due to bleeding, but doctors consider this phenomenon not a pathology, but a normal physiological reaction of the body. If your head hurts too much, you can take an analgesic (Citramon, etc.).

Weakness

Consequence high temperature weakness often occurs, in which a person loses muscle tone, he wants to lie down and relax. If weakness occurs as a result of metabolic disorders due to injury, then the patient is additionally recorded:

tingling of the limbs;
feeling of numbness in fingers and toes;
feeling of heaviness in the back of the head.

Of course, such symptoms manifest themselves individually, but it is worth paying attention to them. Headache with frontal sinusitis is localized in the temples and back of the head, although initially it is the frontal area (forehead) that is of concern. In this case, muscle tone inevitably weakens.

But weakness can be caused by stroke, meningitis, giant cell arteritis and other serious diseases. The symptom is observed especially often in children and adolescents, but without examination it is difficult to name the exact cause of the disorder.

Noise and pain in the ears

Headache, dizziness, weakness, tinnitus - all this indicates a malfunction vestibular apparatus. This system reacts very sensitively to insufficient blood supply, which in itself is a pathology. Often, tinnitus is an early symptom of high intracranial pressure, but we should also not forget about the accompanying symptoms - nausea and vomiting.

Neck and throat pain

The intervertebral region contains many arteries and veins. It is the pressure in these vessels that makes it difficult for venous blood to flow out of the head. The consequence is intracranial hypertension. This condition is also called cervical migraine, because the pain begins from the spine and gradually spreads to the area of the crown, back of the head and temples.

But headaches do not always occur due to pinched blood vessels. And at the same time, the neck can still bother you, just like the throat. These symptoms usually indicate infectious lesion mucous membranes of ENT organs. Headache in such circumstances is inevitable, and it is especially pronounced with sinusitis.

Unpleasant sensations also arise due to spasms of the neck muscles. The vertebral roots located at the base of the head have a movable connection to the skull. If the movement is incorrect, it is likely that a spasm will occur in the cervical region, but often the pain spreads to the throat and the back of the head.

Ripple

If a person experiences throbbing pain, then first of all this indicates vascular diseases. Such disturbances are perceived very acutely by the patient, because the constant pulsation gives no peace at all. As a rule, doctors in this case diagnose vegetative-vascular dystonia or hypertensive encephalopathy, but mastocytosis, carcinoid syndrome, and many other diseases are also likely. Aggravating factors are usually alcohol, histamines or high levels of adrenaline in the blood.

A throbbing headache is often observed with respiratory infections, because most of them provoke an increase in blood pressure. The patient feels regular tremors in the temples or other areas, but the phenomenon goes away after getting rid of primary disease. Sometimes throbbing pain accompanies a migraine, and in some cases the symptom occurs as a reaction to stress: nervous tension is usually accompanied by surges in blood pressure.

Feeling of pressure and squeezing

About 90% of the world's population periodically experience a pressing headache. It appears in all age categories, but 25-30 year olds suffer most often. Doctors call the symptom tension pain, which occurs after physical or emotional stress.

A pressing headache resembles the feeling of a helmet or a hat that is too small. It spreads both throughout the head and in certain areas: temples, back of the head, crown, etc. Often the pressure is transferred to the eyes. Regularly recurring pain of this type makes life very difficult for a person.

And not just any pill will help in such a situation. For example, Citramon is contraindicated because it increases blood pressure. When choosing medications, it is better to consult a doctor to avoid any complications.

Pressing pain may be a sign of brain abscess or encephalitis, which develop due to the pathogenic activity of microorganisms. Unwanted guests enter the skull in various ways, and often from sore ear or another source.

The symptoms directly depend on the location of the pain, but such a disease is very dangerous: the impact of microbes on nerve tissue can lead to mental disorders with irreversible consequences.

To some extent, the causes of headaches have already been superficially touched upon. However, this kind of information requires a specific approach. So, a headache is a sign of a disorder physiological processes. What causes such failures? There are many reasons:

Hypertension

Often people go to the hospital just because of a headache, but as a result they learn about chronic high blood pressure - hypertension. Frequent vasoconstriction negatively affects the nerve endings: at first, discomfort occurs only occasionally, but over time the pain becomes constant and dull.

If the disease is completely advanced, then patients often experience nausea and vomiting, a feeling of pulsation in the temples, which is also transmitted to the eyes. You can cope with hypertension, but to do this you will have to completely reconsider your diet and daily routine.

Hypotension

Headaches are caused by both high and low blood pressure. With hypotension, the blood vessels dilate excessively and affect the nerve endings. And if such an event is repeated often, then the person begins to feel a headache of the following nature:

pulsating;
pressing;
paroxysmal;
stupid;
monotonous.

Sometimes pain occurs only in the temples, back of the head or eye area. But much more often it covers the entire head. There are even cases of fainting and vomiting due to a sharp decrease in pressure.

Osteochondrosis

Disruption of the spine is usually associated with changes in its structural elements - intervertebral cartilaginous discs. With osteochondrosis, any sudden movements are dangerous, because they provoke disc shifts and pinching blood vessels.

If pathological process happens in cervical spine, then the head in the back of the head will inevitably hurt. On initial stage the pain is diffuse in nature, i.e. appears only in small areas. But the progression of osteochondrosis leads to more severe symptoms.

With this disease, it is difficult for a person to rotate his head without discomfort. Sometimes there is even a crunching sound in the neck, which causes painful shooting pains. The veins pinched by the vertebrae do not allow blood to exit normally from the skull, as a result of which the pressure inside it also increases.

Osteochondrosis is very difficult to treat, so it is better not to bring the body to such a deplorable state.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia

Low stability of cardio-vascular system often expressed in vegetative-vascular dystonia (VSD). This disease usually appears when nervous overstrain, and it is characterized by a decrease in the intensity of blood flow. Insufficient supply of nutrients and oxygen to the brain causes headaches.

There are many types of VSD that have similar symptoms. In turn, the headache can be dull, aching or bursting. Sometimes patients complain of a feeling of pulsation in the temples and eyes. In essence, VSD is a consequence psychosomatic disorder, therefore, to treat the disease, you will have to pay attention, first of all, to the nerves.

Tumor

Almost 0.5% of all headaches are caused by a tumor in the skull. Hematoma develops according to various reasons, but it usually manifests itself in unilateral pain. As the tumor grows, the unpleasant sensation intensifies.

Sometimes the symptoms of this disorder are observed in early stage, but much more often a person learns about his illness only many years later. And although it is still possible to help the patient, it is quite difficult to do so.

The tumor provokes headaches, attacks of which have characteristic symptoms:

pain is severe and constant;
usually begins after waking up;
lasts 3-4 hours, and sometimes longer;
often accompanied by a feeling of pulsation;
Possible double vision and numbness skin;
muscle tone decreases;
worsens with coughing, sneezing and even defecation.

Alcohol

Dizziness and headache often accompany alcohol intoxication. This is due to the fact that red blood cells stick together due to the action of ethanol. As a result, their passage through the blood vessels is hampered, and the tissues do not receive the required amount of oxygen.

The brain reacts sharply to such an event, and if a person has consumed a lot of alcohol, then nerve cells They simply die and are excreted in the urine. In some cases, memories of the past day are even completely erased, which is a consequence of the death of the cells responsible specifically for memory.

Under conditions of oxygen starvation, it increases intracranial pressure, which provokes headaches. Sometimes there is throbbing, but more often there is a feeling as if the head is splitting. The effects of ethanol never go away without leaving a trace, so it is worth observing the measure during the feast.

Tobacco

The influence of tobacco is caused by carbon monoxide, which is formed during combustion. It binds tightly to red blood cells, causing the cell to lose the ability to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide. And although this does not reduce the number of red blood cells in the blood, the number of functional units becomes much smaller. Oxygen starvation occurs. At frequent smoking When using tobacco, the headache becomes oppressive, but after getting rid of the addiction the situation returns to normal.

Physical and emotional stress

Excessive physical exercise often provokes muscle tension in the neck, which radiates to the head area. Weightlifters are familiar with this feeling, and this syndrome is also called “weightlifters’ headache”:

pronounced pulsation;
lasts for several hours and even days;
reminds me of a migraine.

Emotional stress provokes other pain. Many people encounter it after any events affecting the condition. nervous system(quarrels, stress, etc.). Sometimes a person is not even able to fall asleep for a long time due to monotonous, dull and constant pain, a feeling of tightening of the head. Pulsation usually does not appear, however, a prolonged unpleasant sensation is quite enough to vitality decreased by an order of magnitude.

Migraine is considered a neurological disorder. Scientists put forward various hypotheses about the origin of the disease, and this moment the role of heredity in the etiology of the disease has been proven. It is also reliably known that physical and emotional stress contribute to the occurrence of migraines.

Although the matter is not limited to this: both food and hormonal drugs, and alcohol, and even a change in weather. Getting rid of migraines is very problematic, because specific treatment costs a lot of money.

Heat

High ambient temperatures are welcomed during the holidays. But the time spent in the sun should be controlled, otherwise you can easily get heatstroke. Exposure to heat leads to dilation of blood vessels and increased sweating, and loss of fluid is the cause of headaches.

People who are predisposed to migraines are especially affected, but everyone else needs to be careful: overheating the body increases the risk of developing headaches by 8%.

Orgasm

It is hardly possible to call a headache after or during orgasm a pathology. Rather, it is an exacerbation of receptors, which increases the sensitivity of all organs, incl. and brain. Women are more likely than men to experience similar phenomenon, however, there is no need to worry: this sensation quickly passes without causing any negative influence.

Every person needs to closely monitor their own health. And an ally in this is a headache, which signals disorders in the body. If you ignore this symptom, the result may be the development of a serious illness. Is it better to diagnose at an early stage than to wait for the situation to worsen?

Education: Donetsk National University, Faculty of Biology, Biophysics.

Petrozavodsk State University Faculty of Medicine

Specialty: general practitioner

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Cephalgia, which occurs from time to time, can significantly reduce a person’s quality of life, regardless of its severity. Constant headaches – more anxious and dangerous symptom. It can occur not only as a result of lack of sleep or overexertion, but also be a sign of a serious illness. Ignoring the phenomenon and trying to cope with it on your own with the help of analgesics can lead to an aggravation of the situation and the transition of the disease to chronic form. In some cases, permanent cephalgia turns out to be a harbinger emergency condition, for example, stroke.

Causes of constant headaches

Cephalgia, which occurs without disturbing the general condition of a person, is often ignored by him. Many people do not believe in the seriousness of a “non-dangerous” symptom and the possibility of it effective treatment. They learn to endure, using analgesics and physical therapy methods as first aid. As a result, their health gradually deteriorates, clinical picture is supplemented. Only after this do they go to the doctor to find out the causes of the constant headache.

People whose work is closely related to computers, books, microscopes and looking at small details may often have headaches. It's connected with constant voltage muscles eyeball, drying out of the mucous membrane due to infrequent blinking, which leads to the development of inflammation.

Also, the cause of cephalalgia is often the refusal to use glasses or wearing the wrong pair. The sensations arise in the afternoon, they are intrusive and growing. Localized in the frontal part of the head, spreading to the temples. Complemented by weakness, mood swings, and fatigue.

Head injury

Persistent headaches result from traumatic brain injuries. The occurrence of a symptom after a head impact, even if several days or weeks have passed, should be reported to the doctor and further diagnostics carried out.

Pain can have any location, shape and degree of intensity. It is often accompanied by dizziness, weakness, nausea and vomiting, decreased quality of vision, and fainting. Particularly dangerous are cases when cephalgia is complemented by impaired consciousness or altered perception of the patient.

Taking medications

Headache is side symptom use of many pharmaceutical drugs. It usually goes away after stopping drug therapy. Abuse of medications or violation of the schedule for taking them can cause persistent and painful abusive cephalgia. The sensations are pressing or squeezing, they respond poorly to treatment and persist for several weeks or even months.

Most often, persistent headaches are caused by taking the following medications:

Modern research methods will not help make such a diagnosis. It becomes obvious only after identifying the connection between medication and headaches. To confirm suspicions, the patient is advised to stop taking medications for a while. Symptoms of the disease should subside within a couple of months after this.

Hormonal disbalance

Causes of headaches associated with change hormonal levels, can be physiological and pathological. The first include pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause. The symptom is mild or moderate in severity, lasts several days or weeks, and goes away on its own. The pain does not have a specific localization; often it covers the entire head. The symptom is accompanied by moodiness, mood swings, and fatigue. If there is no suspicion of the listed conditions, you should visit an endocrinologist and check the functionality of the glands internal secretion, in particular, the parathyroid gland.

Normally, a person should sleep 8-9 hours a day. Doctors recommend not dividing this time into several segments, but getting good rest at night. In this case, the body will work like a clock, and the risks of headaches will be minimized.

Constant headaches due to violation of the regime can be caused by:

lack of sleep - during rest, the brain tissue is actively cleansed of toxins. If you regularly do not get enough sleep, these processes will fail, the organ will begin to be poisoned by its own waste products, which will provoke cell destruction and headaches;
excess sleep - excess normal indicators sleep leads to oxygen starvation brain due to lack of access fresh air into the room. Blood sugar levels also drop. The body, which has not received food for more than 9 hours, begins to give signals that it is hungry;

Should not be abused nap. Attempts to take a nap during the day are usually accompanied by taking an uncomfortable position, lack of fresh air in the room, high level noise. All this does not contribute to the rest of the body and brain, but only increases the risk of discomfort.

After conception, a situation may arise when the mother’s body is poisoned by the waste products of the fetus. Cephalgia is accompanied by nausea, weakness, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, and dizziness. This does not mean that a constant headache indicates some kind of problem with the child. You just need to endure the period, if possible, refusing to take medications in favor of physiotherapy and medications traditional medicine. The list of acceptable medications and manipulations is selected by the doctor.

Brain hematoma

The rupture of a vessel inside the skull leads to the formation of a cavity filled with blood. Depending on the degree of tissue damage and the size of the formation, the patient may experience severe headache, nausea and vomiting due to the pressure of the mass on the membranes, and confusion. Depending on the location of the hematoma, a person may experience problems with vision, speech, memory, and hearing. Absence timely assistance leads to loss of consciousness, coma and death.

Meningitis

Inflammation of the meninges as a result of their infection is characterized by constant pain in my head that don’t allow me to study business as usual. They do not respond to taking analgesics and antispasmodics, or physiotherapy methods. The patient experiences nausea. He may start vomiting, which does not bring relief. Due to sensations and stiffness neck muscles the patient takes a forced position - on his side, with his head thrown back, eyes closed and legs pulled up to the stomach.

Stressful situations

To understand why your head often hurts, sometimes it’s enough to evaluate your general state. Constant psycho-emotional overload provokes tension headaches. It is characterized by pain that occurs in the afternoon and gradually increases.

Alcohol consumption

Regular consumption of alcoholic beverages leads to changes in the structure of blood vessels, changes in blood pressure, poisoning of brain tissue with toxins and breakdown products of alcohol. The cephalgia is constant, aching, irritating. It is accompanied by dizziness and nausea, redness of the skin and mucous membranes.

Vertebrogenic pain

Painful sensations in the head appear due to problems arising in the cervical spine. They can be the result of vascular spasm, damage to the nerve roots, hypoxia or intoxication of the brain due to decreased patency of the blood channels.

Cephalgia can be unilateral or symmetrical. It is accompanied by dizziness, numbness of the skin, the appearance of spots before the eyes, problems with balance and hearing.

Pain due to infections

Flow in the body infectious diseases of different nature leads to the appearance of signs of intoxication. Headache occurs against the background of increased temperature, general deterioration of health, weakness, fatigue, and drowsiness. Depending on the type of pathology and the degree of its severity, the clinical picture may be supplemented by nausea and vomiting, intestinal disorders, a change in consciousness. Persistent cephalalgia medium degree severity and uncertain localization persists until the infectious agents are eliminated.

Constant migraine pain

Unilateral cephalalgia of a pulsating nature, which appears after an aura or without any warning signs, is characteristic of migraine.

In some cases, the condition does not respond to therapy, causing symptoms to persist for several days. In this case, the severity of sensations is weak or average. They can pass in response to the reception potent drugs or on their own.

Vegetovascular dystonia

The disease, which occurs as a result of malfunctions of the nervous system, is very often accompanied by constant headaches. It is difficult to escape from unpleasant sensations in the forehead, temples, crown and back of the head, nausea and dizziness, weakness and ringing in the ears. Even rest and medication do not guarantee desired result. For many patients, symptoms disappear only at night.

The pain is localized in the temples and back of the head, but can spread throughout the entire skull. It is intense, bursting or pulsating. Does not allow you to close your eyes and rest or be distracted in any way. May be accompanied by loss of coordination, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Arterial hypertension can lead to the development of a crisis or stroke, so it cannot be ignored.

Treatment of persistent headaches

Chronic cephalgia is an indication to see a doctor. First, you should visit a therapist, who will make a preliminary diagnosis and, if necessary, refer you to a doctor of a narrow specialization. Diagnosis of diseases that cause persistent headaches begins with an examination, medical history, and general analyzes. Sometimes you have to do computed tomography, MRI or apply approaches that allow you to assess the functioning of the vessels of the neck and head.

If you have a constant headache, treatment may be as follows:

taking medications – you should not choose medications for headaches on your own; it is better to trust your doctor. Depending on the cause of the disease desired effect may provide not analgesics, but antispasmodics, NSAIDs, antihypertensives or sedatives, nootropics, muscle relaxants and other medications;
carrying out massage – treatment of the head or collar area can be carried out with the help of an assistant, a special device or on your own;
the use of physiotherapeutic procedures - in the fight against headaches, high or low temperatures, currents, magnetic waves;
surgical intervention - sometimes it is possible to get rid of headaches only after surgery (hematomas, tumors, vascular pathologies);
reflexology – stimulating biologically active points with fingertips or needles allows you to quickly get rid of constant pain.

Patients who, due to the complexity of the situation, need to take medications on an ongoing basis, fear for the development of side effects. Some of them are trying to replace pharmacy products with traditional medicine. This treatment option should be agreed with your doctor. Usually natural medicines act as a complement to traditional approaches.

Prevention of headaches

Treatment of chronic cephalgia requires significant time and financial costs. Constantly taking pills for headaches can provoke the development of a number of complications in the body and adverse reactions. Conducting a simple and effective prevention state will allow you not to encounter such problems. It includes maintaining a daily routine and night sleep in the amount of 8-9 hours a day. To strengthen the body, it is recommended to switch to a healthy diet, refuse bad habits, workout.

Even minor headaches can cause serious problems with the psyche, if they bother you constantly. If a symptom occurs, do not delay visiting a specialist. Additionally, it is recommended to undergo an annual preventive examination with a therapist and neurologist in order to reduce the risks of developing diseases that are characterized by the symptom.