Headache and nausea: Causes, treatment, and prevention

Headaches and nausea are common and sometimes occur together. A common cause of headache and nausea is migraine, which can also cause dizziness. Treatment and prevention will vary depending on the underlying causes.

This article explores the common causes of both headaches and nausea, and some underlying issues that are less common and more serious.

It also discusses treatments and ways to prevent the symptoms.

Headaches are very common, and most people will experience one from time to time. Nausea sometimes accompanies a headache, and a number of health issues can cause this.

Migraine is a common cause of both headache and nausea. According to a 2015 review, around 1 in 7 people in the United States experience migraine every year.

A migraine feels like a moderate or severe headache. The pain is often throbbing and located on one side of the head. During a migraine, a person may also experience:

• nausea
• vomiting
• sensitivity to light or sound

Other common causes of headache and nausea include:

• the flu
• a cold
• dehydration
• pregnancy
• food allergies
• excessive consumption of caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol

Types of headaches that can cause nausea

Different types of headaches can cause nausea. These include:

• migraine with aura
• migraine without aura
• cluster headache

Conditions that can cause nausea and headaches

Beyond migraine, common causes of both headaches and nausea include:

• dehydration
• the flu, stomach flu, or common cold
• stress, depression, or anxiety
• excessive use of nicotine, caffeine, or alcohol
• food allergies
• food poisoning
• strep throat
• tonsillitis
• premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• pregnancy

Another common cause of a headache and nausea is low blood sugar, which can result from:

• not eating enough
• drinking alcohol in excess
• hormonal deficiencies
• liver or kidney disease
• overuse of diabetes medications
• certain medications

Other causes of concurrent headaches and nausea are more severe and may require urgent medical treatment. Understanding the full range of causes is essential, as it can enable a person to seek the right treatment in time.

More serious causes

Headaches and nausea are symptoms of the following severe conditions and injuries:

• kidney disease
• meningitis
• malaria
• yellow fever
• hepatitis A
• traumatic brain injury
• skull fracture
• brain aneurysm
• brain tumor

Migraine is typically associated with nausea, however, the medical community is still unsure why.

One explanation is that migraine affects nerve pathways that stimulate the part of the brain that controls vomiting. A 2017 study found that people experiencing migraine with nausea showed activity in the rostral dorsal medullary area of the brain, which likely controls nausea.

Another theory relates to serotonin, a chemical in the brain that affects:

• nausea
• mood
• social behavior
• appetite
• digestion
• memory
• sex drive

Research suggests that people with migraine sometimes have reduced serotonin levels, which may also lead to nausea.

Treatment for headaches and nausea depends on the cause. If the cause is a migraine, the following may help:

• taking pain-relieving medication
• lying in a quiet, dark room
• laying a warm cloth on the forehead
• putting a cold compress on the back of the neck
• trying complementary treatments, such as aromatherapy, acupuncture, or acupressure
• taking antinausea medication
• getting fresh air
• trying meditation
• sticking to bland foods and small portions

Find out about natural remedies for migraine.

Share on PinterestIllustration by Joules Garcia

If a person has a severe, sudden headache and no history of migraine, they should speak with a doctor.

Contact a doctor right away if a headache and nausea follow a blow to the head.

Also, seek medical attention if headaches grow worse over time or accompany any of the following symptoms:

• loss of consciousness
• blurred vision
• a fever
• trouble speaking
• feeling dizzy or confused
• having a stiff neck
• vomiting that occurs sporadically for more than 1 day
• not urinating for more than 8 hours

It may not always be possible to prevent headaches and nausea. However, the following may help:

• stopping smoking
• reducing caffeine and alcohol intakes
• reducing the effects of stress through mindfulness, meditation, or yoga
• drinking plenty of water
• avoiding foods that have previously triggered a migraine episode
• eating a healthy, balanced diet
• practicing good hygiene to avoid colds, the flu, or the stomach flu
• taking plenty of breaks from looking at screens
• getting enough exercise

Learn more about tips for migraine prevention.

Migraine is a common cause of headaches that occur with nausea. Dehydration and low blood sugar are also frequently responsible.

Some causes are more serious. Several affect the brain, such as meningitis, brain aneurysms, and tumors. These issues typically feature additional symptoms.

Anyone who is worried or unsure about the cause of their headaches and nausea should speak with a doctor.

Dizziness and Fatigue: 9 Possible Causes

Many different conditions can make you feel both dizzy and tired. Sometimes these symptoms are temporary, or they might come and go.

Dizziness is a word that describes the sensation of spinning while being off-balance. To explain to your doctor exactly how you feel, you can use these more specific terms:

• disequilibrium is when you feel unsteady
• lightheaded means you feel faint or woozy
• vertigo is a spinning sensation when you aren’t moving

Many different conditions can make you feel both dizzy and tired. Sometimes these symptoms are temporary, or they might come and go. If you often feel dizzy and tired, see your doctor for a diagnosis. Untreated dizziness and fatigue can cause a fall. It can also increase your risk of getting into an accident while driving.

Your body needs sugar, also known as glucose, for energy. When your blood sugar level drops, you can become dizzy, shaky, and tired.

Low blood sugar is often a side effect of insulin and other drugs used to treat diabetes. These drugs lower blood sugar, but if the dose isn’t right your blood sugar can drop too much.

You can also get hypoglycemia if you don’t have diabetes. It can occur if you haven’t eaten in a while or if you drink alcohol without eating.

Other symptoms of low blood sugar are:

• fast heartbeat
• sweating
• shaking
• hunger
• irritability
• confusion

A fast-acting source of carbohydrates can relieve low blood sugar. Drink a glass of fruit juice or suck on a hard candy. Follow that up with a more nourishing meal to raise your blood sugar levels. If you often get hypoglycemia, you might need to adjust your diabetes medicine. Or you could eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. This will help keep your blood sugar level steady.

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against blood vessel walls as it circulates through your body. When your blood pressure drops you can have symptoms like dizziness or lightheadedness, and fatigue. Other symptoms include:

• nausea
• thirst
• blurred vision
• fast and shallow breathing
• pale, clammy skin
• trouble concentrating

The following conditions can cause your blood pressure to drop:

• heart problems
• medications
• serious injury
• dehydration
• vitamin deficiencies

Treating these issues can bring your blood pressure back up to normal. Other ways to increase low blood pressure are:

• adding more salt to your diet
• drinking more water to increase your blood volume
• wearing support stockings

Red blood cells carry oxygen to all your organs and tissues. When you have anemia, your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells, or these cells don’t work well enough. A lack of oxygen can make you feel dizzy or tired.

Other signs of anemia are:

• shortness of breath
• weakness
• fast or uneven heartbeat
• headache
• cold hands or feet
• pale skin
• chest pain

Bleeding, nutrient deficiencies, and bone marrow failure are all possible causes of anemia.

Migraines are intense, throbbing headaches that last from a few hours to a few days. Along with the headache, you may experience symptoms that include:

• vision changes, such as seeing flashing lights and colors
• nausea and vomiting
• sensitivity to light and sound
• lightheadedness
• fatigue

People who get migraines can experience dizziness and vertigo, even when they don’t have a headache. The vertigo can last for a few minutes to a few hours.

Avoiding migraine triggers like alcohol, caffeine, and dairy foods is one way to prevent these headaches. You can also take migraine medicines, which come in two forms:

• Preventive medicines like antidepressants and antiseizure drugs prevent a migraine before it starts.
• Abortive medicines like NSAID pain relievers and triptans relieve migraines once they start.

Learn more: The differences between migraines and headaches »

Certain medicines can cause dizziness and fatigue as side effects. These include:

• antidepressants like fluoxetine (Prozac) and trazodone (Desyrel)
• antiseizure drugs such as divalproex (Depakote), gabapentin (Neurontin, Active-PAC with Gabapentin), and pregabalin (Lyrica)
• blood pressure lowering drugs, such as ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and diuretics
• muscle relaxants such as cyclobenzaprine (Fexmid, Flexeril) and metaxalone (Skelaxin)
• sleeping pills such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Unisom, Sominex), temazepam (Restoril), eszopiclone (Lunesta), and zolpidem (Ambien)

If you’re on one of these medicines and it’s making you dizzy or tired, ask your doctor if you can lower the dose or switch to another drug.

Normally, your heart beats in a familiar “lub-dub” rhythm. When you have an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, your heart beats too slow or too fast. It might also skip beats.

Besides dizziness and fatigue, other symptoms of an arrhythmia include:

• fainting
• shortness of breath
• chest pain

Your doctor can treat heart rhythm problems with drugs like blood thinners or blood pressure medicines. Avoid substances like caffeine, alcohol, and cold medicines. These things can make your heart go out of rhythm.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition that causes overwhelming tiredness, even after you’ve slept well. Symptoms of CFS include dizziness and trouble keeping your balance.

You might also have symptoms that include:

• sleep problems
• trouble remembering and concentrating
• muscle or joint pain
• headache
• allergies and sensitivities to foods, medicines, or other substances

CFS can be hard to treat because it’s different for everyone. Your doctor will treat your individual symptoms with therapies like medicine and counseling.

An infection like a cold or the flu can inflame the vestibular nerve in your inner ear. This nerve sends sensory messages to your brain to keep you upright and balanced. Swelling of the vestibular nerve can cause dizziness and vertigo. You might also feel fatigued.

Other symptoms of vestibular neuronitis include:

• nausea and vomiting
• trouble concentrating
• blurred vision

A virus usually causes vestibular neuritis. Antibiotics won’t help, but the dizziness and other symptoms should improve within a few days.

Dehydration is when your body doesn’t have enough fluid. You can become dehydrated if you don’t drink enough water. This is especially true while you’re outside in hot weather or exercising.

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• dizziness
• fatigue
• little to no urine
• confusion

To treat dehydration, drink fluids like water or an electrolyte solution like Gatorade. If you’re severely dehydrated, you may need to go to the hospital for intravenous (IV) fluids.

If you’ve had repeated episodes of dizziness and fatigue, see your doctor to find out what’s causing these symptoms. Call your doctor or go to an emergency room right away if you have more serious symptoms, such as:

• fainting or loss of consciousness
• seizures
• blurred vision or vision loss
• severe vomiting
• heart palpitations
• chest pain
• confusion
• high fever
• trouble speaking

Your outlook depends on what condition is causing your dizziness and fatigue. If you have an infection, it should get better in a few days. Migraines and CFS are chronic. But you can manage them with medicines and other treatments.

In general, here are a few things you can do to prevent dizziness and fatigue:

What to do

• Drink plenty of water throughout the day so you don’t get dehydrated.
• Avoid or limit drinking alcohol.
• When you move from a lying or seated position to standing, get up slowly.

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To prevent a fall or accident when you’re feeling dizzy, don’t drive or operate heavy machinery. Stay seated or in bed until the dizziness passes.

Read this article in Spanish.

Weakness and dizziness. Reasons for what to do with a sharp weakness.

Gimranov Rinat Fazylzhanovich
Neurologist, neurophysiologist, experience – 33 years;
Professor of Neurology, MD;
Clinic for Rehabilitation Neurology. About the Author

Published: April 3, 2021

Updated: October 25, 2022

Feeling slightly dizzy and tired is a common sensation that almost everyone is familiar with. As a rule, this is a signal that you have survived a long and difficult day and it’s time to relax. But if the head is constantly spinning, and weakness is felt all the time, then the reasons for the manifestation of these symptoms can be dangerous.

The problem is complicated by the fact that such a deterioration in well-being is characteristic of a wide range of diseases. Some of them require immediate hospitalization [1].

If you suddenly feel dizzy and weak, you should carefully consider your condition and analyze if there are any other abnormal symptoms. And then see a doctor, because such attacks can be potentially life-threatening.

Article content:

• 1 Dangerous symptoms
• 2 Causes
• 3 Causes
  • 3.1 Infectious diseases of various types
  • 3.2 Disorders of the vestibular apparatus
  • 3.3 Injuries and diseases of the brain
  • 3.4 Neurological diseases of various types 90 025
  • 3.5 Hypothyroidism
  • 3.6 Cardiovascular disease
  • 3.7 Horse racing blood pressure
  • 3.8 Osteochondrosis of the neck
  • 3.9 Diabetes mellitus
• 4 When is fatigue and weakness not a pathology?
• 5 First Aid
• 6 Diagnostics
• 7 Treatment
• 8 List of used literature

Dangerous symptoms

Feel weakness, fatigue and slight dizziness – a natural reaction of the human body after an active day. Mental work, physical training and even outdoor activities lead to the fact that a person exhausts daily energy reserves. However, the very next day, after a good rest, the discomfort stops.

But if the head is constantly spinning, and a person feels weak and unwell, feels that there is no strength, other symptoms are weak or strong, then only a doctor is able to determine what kind of disease this may be.

Vivid additional signs of the development of pathology, requiring immediate treatment to the clinic, are:

1. headaches lasting more than a day;
2. fever;
3. feeling of nausea and vomiting [2];
4. changes in blood pressure;
5. severe decrease in performance;
6. a sharp deterioration in intellectual abilities;
7. lethargy, stupefaction;

1. chronization of the condition, situations are dangerous when the ailment does not go away after a long good rest.

Causes

Quite often, patients of the clinic report: “I feel bad, I feel dizzy and weak for the second day or a week. ” But each person in this definition will lay different feelings. For some, they are directly related to physical discomfort, while others notice a sharp decrease in mental abilities, a slowdown in work.

Special attention should also be paid to any accompanying symptoms in order to establish whether the patient has a serious illness or not [3] .

Causes

Quite often patients of the clinic report: “I feel bad, I feel dizzy and weak for the second day or a week”. But each person in this definition will lay different feelings. For some, they are directly related to physical discomfort, while others notice a sharp decrease in mental abilities, a slowdown in work.

Special attention should also be paid to any accompanying symptoms in order to establish whether the patient has a serious illness or not [3] .

Let’s take a closer look at situations that can cause such discomfort to a person.

Infectious diseases of various types

Dozens of different types of infections and viruses are known, the infection of which manifests itself in the very first days with dizziness and fatigue, a feeling of sudden weakness. It is extremely important to track other manifestations: changes in body temperature, pressure, headaches and discomfort in the muscles, changes in the skin. This will help to calculate the degree of danger of the patient’s condition and the need for urgent treatment to the hospital.

Disorders of the vestibular apparatus

Temporary irritation or developed diseases of the vestibular apparatus are manifested, including dizziness, fatigue, lack of coordination, unsteadiness when walking. Depending on the specific cause, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting may occur. At the same time, both Meniere’s disease and excessive regular alcohol consumption can negatively affect the system.

Injuries and diseases of the brain

Including the development of neoplasms. The brain is the most important and at the same time sensitive organ of our body. Even not a strong blow to the head can lead to the gradual development of serious pathologies [4].

Problems with blood vessels, the occurrence of tumors, intracranial aneurysms negatively affect the state of the cortex.

As a rule, growing tumor presses on nearby tissues, causing various symptoms.

Including headache, severe weakness, problems with the perception of space around. The attacks are especially strong in the morning after waking up.

Neurological diseases of various types

The nervous system organizes and coordinates the work of our entire body. Problems that have arisen in different departments can lead to a decrease in the ability to navigate in space, a constant feeling of fatigue and weakness, dry mouth, bouts of pain and other unpleasant manifestations.

Hypothyroidism

The disease affects the functioning of the thyroid gland, weakens it. Thyroxine and triiodothyronine gradually cease to be produced, the correct metabolism is disturbed. A person will constantly experience a feeling of fatigue, weakness, slight dizziness.

Cardiovascular diseases

Directly affect our well-being. Violation of the work of the heart, defects of the organ and blood vessels are not so rare.

Deformation or loss of elasticity of the arteries directly affects the supply of the brain with the necessary amount of blood, and with it nutrients, including oxygen. With disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system, all organs suffer, and the brain in the first place [5].

At first, this is manifested by rare bouts of dizziness. Later, it can lead to the appearance of chronic diseases and a sharp decrease in mental abilities.

Jumps in blood pressure

Both a sharp increase and a decrease in blood pressure can cause unpleasant symptoms. Both conditions are extremely dangerous. With reduced levels, the brain lacks the necessary oxygen. With numbers above the norm, vascular damage occurs and a negative effect on nearby brain tissues occurs.

Osteochondrosis of the neck

Pathological changes in the vertebrae lead to the fact that nerve endings are subjected to negative influence, pressure. The vessels responsible for supplying the brain with oxygen (vertebral arteries) also suffer, they are pinched. With a long course of the disease, the patient will experience hypoxic encephalopathy: weakness, fatigue throughout the body and dizziness.

Diabetes mellitus

Fluctuations in blood glucose levels caused by the manifestation of the disease lead to a constant feeling of being tired and weak.

Symptoms may persist for weeks even if all the necessary recommendations of doctors are followed. And they get worse when the prescribed treatment is not followed.

For example, when insulin is administered excessively, a dangerous condition occurs – hypoglycemia.

When is fatigue and weakness not a pathology?

Except in cases where poor health is manifested due to a developed disease, it is not uncommon for a person to feel unwell due to the regular negative impact of environmental factors.

Often the causes of dizziness and weakness in the form of small attacks or prolonged sensations for several days are the following factors:

1. Regular overwork. Both physical and intellectual, psycho-emotional.

1. Chronic sleep deprivation. With a lack of time to rest for days, weeks, a person’s sleep is disturbed. The phase responsible for the restoration of psychological and physical resources is disrupted. Because of this, immediately after waking up, he feels tired, dizzy and constantly tired.

1. Anemia, anemia. There are many reasons for this pathology. There is a lack of iron necessary for good health in the blood.

1. Excessive physical fatigue after unusually heavy or prolonged exercise.

1. Drop in blood glucose levels due to starvation or unbalanced diet. As a rule, it occurs when trying to follow a strict diet.

1. Stressful situations. When from a temporary phenomenon they become permanent, then its symptoms appear in almost any part of the body. And they affect the work of all organs. In particular, the patient will feel depressed, tired, his performance will decrease.

It is extremely dangerous to self-medicate and use only folk remedies for such signs of the disease. The patient may worsen his state of health and lose time, which will lead to the formation of complications of concomitant pathology.

Due to the variety of causes, it is up to a doctor after a careful examination to decide what means and why there is a condition with symptoms of slight dizziness, intense thirst, weakness, body aches, lethargy and occasional difficulty standing all day or several days in a row.

First Aid

If an attack starts suddenly, it is extremely important not to panic, but to know what to do and take the necessary measures immediately to eliminate it. In most cases, you can manage on your own:

• try to calm down;
• take a comfortable position, sit in a relaxed position or lie down;
• drink a glass of cool water;
• find a point on a stationary object and focus your attention, vision on it;
• measure your blood pressure and take medicine if necessary;
• eat something sweet.

If bad health haunts you every day or in the evenings, you constantly get the feeling that you are staggering, weakness, pain in the head, dizziness, then only a medical doctor will tell you what it could be, what the illness is connected with and what to do with this cause. consultation.

If the attack is sudden and accompanied by a speech disorder, clumsiness that suddenly appeared, numbness of the hands and feet, then it is urgent to call an ambulance, describing the symptoms in detail.

Diagnosis

Since such signs can accompany a variety of illnesses, the primary examination plays a significant role when contacting a doctor. Due to the accuracy of the information provided by the patient or his relatives, the doctor will be able to identify the problem [6].

After the initial examination, laboratory and apparatus tests are prescribed to confirm the conclusion of a neurologist or therapist:

• A set of tests may be prescribed: the level of minerals in the body, the condition of the kidneys, blood composition, liver function indicators, the presence of infection in the body.
• Measurement of blood pressure at rest and after strenuous activity.

• An ECG showing the condition of the heart.
• MRI if there is a suspicion of the development of diseases of the brain or its vessels.
• X-ray examination of the cervical spine.
• Ultrasound, dopplerography of brain vessels inside the skull.

After receiving the results, your doctor will refer you for a consultation with a doctor who deals with the problem.

Treatment

Every person facing poor health is concerned about a number of questions: what to do if often, almost every day, dizziness and weakness appears, what and why does this occur?

It is extremely important to complete the full course of treatment without adding anything to it without the consent of the attending physician. Not canceling or changing drugs and procedures ahead of time, even if you feel better [7].

By deviating from the recommendation, you may cause the disease to return. Or make the treatment useless, which will lead to serious complications.

Effectiveness has been proven by combination therapy that combines multidirectional methods:

• Medication and supportive drugs aimed at solving a specific problem. As a rule, nootropics and antidepressants, sedatives and vitamin complexes are prescribed if a serious illness is not detected. Or they prescribe highly specialized drugs that affect the root cause of the disease state.

• Physiotherapy includes a range of procedures that can be prescribed, depending on the specific diagnosis. Additionally, the doctor prescribes a set of physical therapy exercises for the development of balance, gymnastics courses, massages.
• Psychotherapy, if unsatisfactory health is associated primarily with mental problems and constant stress.

In severe cases, when serious injuries or neoplasms become the reason for the deterioration of health, doctors resort to surgical intervention. Such methods are used only if conservative treatment cannot give the desired result.

References

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Feeling of heaviness in the head – symptoms and treatment

When visiting a doctor, some patients complain of heaviness in the head. It can be caused by harmless causes that do not require special treatment. But often the unpleasant condition is combined with other symptoms. Therefore, it should not be ignored, but it is better to consult a therapist. Only a full examination will help determine the disease and avoid complications.

Causes of heaviness in the head

The brain is the most energy-consuming human organ. With active thought processes, it consumes half of all the energy that is in the body, and needs a good blood supply. If it changes, it affects the work of the nervous system and general well-being. Therefore, the feeling of heaviness in the head is associated with blood vessels, blood supply to the brain and the synthesis of biologically active substances in it – neurotransmitters. These settings can be changed for various reasons.

Physiological factors

Often a feeling of heaviness in the head, which is accompanied by drowsiness, weakness, occurs in people with overwork. This may be fatigue from physical exertion, but this symptom is more pronounced with mental or emotional overstrain.

Those who constantly sit in front of the computer until late and do not observe the daily routine can face weakness and a heavy head. The reason for poor health in this case is a violation of the synthesis of the hormone melatonin, which is produced at night during sleep and coordinates the work of the nervous and endocrine systems. Melatonin deficiency also leads to even more sleep disturbance. But this condition is not dangerous if you give the body a rest.

Physiological causes of heaviness in the head include motion sickness and motion sickness in land transport. It may be accompanied by dizziness, nausea, but disappears after getting used to the pitching.

Tension headache

A feeling of heaviness may be accompanied by a pressing, squeezing headache. This condition usually occurs after stress, emotional stress or long-term maintenance of an uncomfortable posture. Doctors believe that the main cause of pain is a reflex spasm of the neck and neck muscles, which irritates certain types of neurons and causes pain and changes the synthesis of neurotransmitters in the brain.

The disease can appear at any age, but women aged 20-40 are more likely to suffer from it. Tension headaches do not tend to get worse with exercise, loud noises, or light. This is what distinguishes it from a migraine. Sometimes the disease becomes chronic and leads to complications – difficulty falling asleep, sweating, abdominal discomfort, tachycardia.

Arterial hypertension

High blood pressure is an increase in the measurement result above 140/90 mmHg Art. This disease is called arterial hypertension, and it is life-threatening due to the gradual development of cardiac pathology.

Symptoms may appear after physical exertion or severe emotional distress. A person complains of pain and heaviness in the occipital region, flies before the eyes, weakness and fatigue. For many, discomfort is aggravated by lying down or doing housework.

If the symptoms of hypertension recur frequently, accompanied by swelling in the legs, shortness of breath, palpitations, this is a dangerous signal. With a sharp and prolonged increase in pressure, cerebral circulation can worsen, and some people develop a stroke. This condition is life-threatening and requires emergency medical attention.

Infectious processes

A feeling of heaviness in the head may be associated with acute infectious diseases. With a cold, pyelonephritis, inflammation of the appendages in women, due to the influence of viruses and bacteria, an intoxication syndrome develops. It is characterized by:

• high body temperature;
• weakness, drowsiness, fatigue;
• muscle and joint pain;
• loss of appetite.

These symptoms usually last 2-3 days, and then decrease or disappear under the influence of treatment.

Nausea, heaviness in the frontal or occipital region, photophobia, can be caused by a brain infection – meningitis. It starts with a runny nose and is no different from a cold in the early stages. But if the disease is not treated, it leads to severe damage to the brain, heart, kidneys.

ENT diseases

The ears, nasal cavity and throat are closely related. Therefore, a runny nose can give a complication to the organ of hearing. In some cases, with swelling of the nasal mucosa and improper treatment, the infection accumulates in the sinuses of the skull, located on the sides of the nose or in the frontal region. Mucus accumulates in them, pyogenic microorganisms multiply. But the bone cannot stretch, and the fluid presses on the walls of the sinuses. Therefore, there is a severe headache, a feeling of heaviness and fullness. The person feels that the symptoms are aggravated by leaning forward or changing the position of the body abruptly.

Heaviness in the head, dizziness and disorientation in space appear with Meniere’s disease. Unpleasant sensations do not bother constantly, they are more like seizures. This disease is associated with the pathology of the inner ear, in which the vestibular apparatus is located.

Pathologies of the cervical spine

Arteries supplying the brain run along the cervical vertebrae. Therefore, in the pathology of this section of the spine, a violation of cerebral blood flow appears. Signs of the disease are more pronounced if a person is in an uncomfortable position for a long time, for example, sitting hunched over a computer or sleeping in a bus with his head bowed or thrown back.

Heaviness in the head can cause cervical osteochondrosis. This is a disease in which the intervertebral disc is flattened or destroyed. Therefore, the vertebrae put more pressure on each other, and nerve processes can be pinched in their openings. Osteochondrosis is accompanied not only by heaviness, but also by headache and neck pain, numbness in one part of the face.

Neurasthenia

Increased irritability, nervousness, emotional instability are signs of neurasthenia. Usually, at the end of the day, a person complains that something is pressing on his head, and the sensations are reminiscent of tightening a hoop or belt, sometimes this is accompanied by dizziness.

Some doctors consider this to be a sign of asthenic neurosis. This is a condition that can accompany a cold, chronic infectious diseases, severe pathologies of the kidneys, heart, and lungs. Sometimes chronic stress provokes symptoms.

Patients with neurasthenia may respond poorly to loud sounds, noise, large crowds. Often they complain of aching or pressing pain in the heart, but the pathology is not confirmed by ECG or ultrasound.

Rare causes

A person himself can provoke the appearance of heaviness in the temples during intoxication. It is hard to raise your head for those who abused alcohol the day before. This condition is called alcohol withdrawal and is accompanied by dry mouth and thirst, headache, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. The eyes may become red, and a characteristic smell of ammonia comes from the respiratory tract.

Those who do repairs or work in the paint and varnish industry may complain of heaviness in the occipital region due to intoxication.

After a bruise of the skull, a concussion, a feeling of heaviness will also appear. Depending on the degree of brain damage, it may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and loss of consciousness.

Rare causes include polycythemia. This is a malignant tumor of the blood, in which the progenitor cells of red blood cells divide intensively. Heaviness in the head, tinnitus, dizziness are early symptoms of the disease.

Diagnosis

If heaviness in the head bothers you all the time or it is accompanied by additional symptoms, you should consult a general practitioner or neurologist. This doctor will conduct an initial examination and, if necessary, refer you to another specialist.

The following methods are used for diagnosis:

• Blood test. If an infection is suspected, it helps to find signs of inflammation. For many patients, doctors prescribe a biochemical study to determine the state of the cardiovascular system and electrolyte balance.
• ECG. It is necessary if you suspect a pathology of the heart, which is accompanied by a severe violation of blood flow.
• Radiography. The doctor will direct you to X-rays of the spine if poor health can be associated with osteochondrosis of the cervical region.
• EEG. The examination allows you to evaluate the work of the brain and find the level at which violations have appeared.
• CT or MRI. It is necessary for suspected mass formations in the brain or severe vascular pathologies.

You may also need a consultation and examination with an ENT doctor, and in case of neurasthenia, a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.

Treatment

If there is a feeling of heaviness in the back of the head or frontal area, it is better not to self-medicate, but to consult a doctor. Otherwise, you can make a mistake with the diagnosis and allow the appearance of complications. The treatment of each cause of discomfort in the head will be individual.

Help before diagnosis

If heaviness in the head appeared after a nervous strain, you should try to calm down, lie down or take any comfortable position. Feeling sleepy can indicate overwork, it should not be ignored, but you can try to get enough sleep. In some cases, herbal sedative preparations based on motherwort and valerian will be required. But you need to remember that toni can cause drowsiness.

Regardless of the reasons for feeling unwell, it is recommended to give up alcohol, limit the use of coffee and strong tea, walk more often in the fresh air and get more rest. While working at the computer, it is useful to periodically do physical exercises.

Conservative therapy

If a person has dizziness due to a cold, runny nose, body temperature has risen, you need to start with simple methods. On your own, you can use vasoconstrictor nasal drops for no longer than 3-5 days. They will easily remove the swelling of the mucous membrane and help prevent the development of sinusitis, speed up recovery. At high temperatures, you can improve the condition with the help of antipyretics.

If you have hypertension, you should consult a general practitioner. He will select medications that will help maintain normal pressure. They must be taken continuously.

Conservative methods are also used to treat osteochondrosis. Neck pain can be relieved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They can be taken in the form of tablets, used in the form of a cream or ointment, and injections in the acute period. It is difficult to cure osteochondrosis, but the condition can be alleviated if massage, physiotherapy and other methods are included in the complex treatment.

Surgery

Surgery is rare. If pressure in the head due to Meniere’s disease, the doctor may suggest a special surgical intervention, which is aimed at improving the outflow of endolymph from the inner ear.