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Most of us suffer from a headache now and then. Headaches are terrible, painful, and not fun at all. They interfere with your everyday life and the things you need to get done. Headaches are the most common health complaint in the United States. Many people have headaches for no apparent reason, but others develop headaches because of certain medical conditions and life situations. However, if you suffer from headaches on a regular basis, there is hope for relief from these pains.
There are many causes and treatments for headaches, not to mention treatments that prevent the occurrence of headaches in the first place. Furthermore, an entire field is devoted to pain management to relieve and manage pain, including headache pain. Our pain management NYC center is here to help. Headache causes are explored in-depth in this post which aims to cover everything on headache causes and types to help you know how to ease and even prevent them.
The Causes of Headaches
Headaches are a common problem for many people. They can be painful and make you feel tired, grumpy, and even nauseous. Headaches are common, and many people suffer from them without ever knowing exactly what causes them or how to treat them. Headaches can range in intensity from mild to severe and can last for a few minutes or a few days.
Headaches can be caused by many things, but it's important to see a pain specialist if you're having headaches more than two or three times a week. There are many different types of headaches that can be caused by a variety of factors. Here are some of the most common causes:
Stress. Stressful situations and events can contribute to headaches.
Hormone changes. Women who experience migraine headaches often get them during their menstrual period or around the time they are ovulating. In addition, menopause can bring on headaches and depression.
Certain medications. Many drugs can cause headaches as a side effect. These include sleeping pills, cough medicine, and pain relievers such as ibuprofen and aspirin.
Poor sleep habits or sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep can make you more prone to headache pain, particularly if you're waking up several times a night with difficulty falling back asleep again.
Stress and tension. A headache is often caused by stress or tension, which can be mental or physical in nature. For example, if you're concentrating on something difficult at work or school, you might feel some stress, which could cause a headache.
Muscle strain. Another common cause of headaches is muscle strain — particularly the muscles in your neck (cervical spasm). For example, people who sit in front of the computer for long periods of time can develop this type of headache because it puts pressure on their neck.
Poor nutrition or dehydration. Diet may play an important role in headache pain as well as overall health and well-being. Dehydration is another common cause of headaches, especially around physical exertion or when sweating excessively because of hot weather or exercise conditions such as humid temperatures or high altitudes (such as at high-altitude airports).
They can also be caused by inflammation of blood vessels in the brain (vasodilation), muscle spasms in your head or neck, allergies like hay fever or food allergies (food sensitivities), hormonal changes in women during their menstrual cycle or pregnancy, sleep deprivation or lack of exercise. A sinus infection can also cause pain behind one eye and pressure on one side of your face that feels like it's coming from inside your head.
The Different Types of Headaches
Headaches are one of the most common health complaints. The medical term for headaches is cephalgia. Headaches usually affect people of all ages, although their intensity varies from person to person and from time to time. They can be a minor nuisance or a debilitating condition.
To diagnose headaches, doctors first ask questions about your medical history and conduct a physical exam. Sometimes they order diagnostic tests, such as imaging scans or blood tests. The following are some common types of headaches:
Tension headaches. The most common type of headache is the tension headache, which is usually felt at the back of the head or neck. Tension headaches can be caused by stress, anxiety, and other emotional factors. Muscle spasms in the head and neck may also cause them.
Migraine headaches. Another type of headache is a migraine, which causes throbbing pain on one side of the head. Migraines typically cause moderate-to-severe pain on one side of the head and can include sensitivity to light and sound, along with nausea and vomiting. In addition, some people experience an aura — flashing lights or other visual disturbances — before a migraine begins.
Cluster headaches are very different from migraines because they usually occur in cycles, only on one side of the head, and tend to strike during a specific time of day, with periods of weeks or months of pain and remission between episodes. Each cluster lasts one to three months, but some people have clusters that last longer than a year.
Summing Up
Headaches, whether mild or excruciating, are a common pain experienced by people around the world. Unfortunately, headaches can hamper your ability to get things done, and in this case, it is best to visit a pain management NYC specialist who can determine if your symptoms are related to a more serious condition. In addition, there are various kinds of headaches and causes associated with them, so before you run to the medicine cabinet for relief, you should know what kind of headache you have.