When Should You Worry About a Headache? Signs, Causes, and More

Most headaches are not caused by serious problems or health conditions. However, sometimes headache pain is a sign that something is wrong.

Headaches are common — nearly everyone experiences one every now and then. While headaches can be uncomfortable, painful, and even debilitating, you usually don’t have to worry about them.

Read on to learn the signs and symptoms that will help you know when you do need to worry about a headache.

If you experience regular, recurring headaches, you may have what’s known as chronic daily headache. This applies to people who experience headaches at least 15 days each month.

A variety of headache types can become chronic daily headaches, including:

• cluster headaches
• tension headaches
• migraines

Many people who experience chronic daily headaches also deal with psychiatric issues like anxiety or depression. In that case, treating the underlying anxiety or depression can go a long way towards improving headaches.

A headache that wakes you up from sleep is known as a hypnic headache. It’s often also referred to as an alarm clock headache.

Hypnic headaches tend to happen at the same time several nights a week. This type of headache pain can be described as:

• dull
• stabbing
• throbbing
• burning
• pulsating

Hypnic headaches tend to be more common in those over age 50 and affect more women than men. Overall, they’re a rare type of headache.

Throbbing pain is a common headache symptom that’s associated with many types of headaches, including:

• tension headaches
• migraines
• sinus headaches
• cluster headaches
• caffeine-withdrawal headaches
• hangover headaches

This pounding or pulsating pain is often localized to one area. It can make it difficult to go about your typical daily life and leave wanting to lay down and rest until the pain subsides.

Learning your personal headache triggers and taking steps to avoid them can help prevent this type of headache in the first place.

Also known as a new daily persistent headache, this type of headache develops rapidly and comes with unrelenting pain that lasts for at least 24 hours. It can even continue for days or even months at a time. The pain may worsen or even improve slightly from day to day, but it’s still there.

This type of headache is rare, but for those who experience it, the symptoms can be debilitating. A new daily persistent headache often doesn’t respond to traditional headache treatment options, and may not resolve on its own for several months.

A headache typically causes pain in your head, face, or neck area. Get urgent medical attention if you have severe, unusual pain or other signs and symptoms. Your headache may be a sign of an underlying illness or health condition.

Your headache pain may be serious if you have:

• sudden, very intense headache pain (thunderclap headache)
• severe or sharp headache pain for the first time
• a stiff neck and fever
• a fever higher than 102 to 104°F
• nausea and vomiting
• fainting
• dizziness or loss of balance
• pain that wakes you from sleep
• pain that gets worse when you change position
• persistent face tingling and auras
• confusion or difficulty understanding speech
• droopiness on one side of your face
• weakness on one side of your body
• slurred or garbled speech
• difficulty walking
• hearing problems
• pain that begins after coughing, sneezing, or any type of exertion
• constant pain in the same area of your head
• seizures
• unexplained weight loss
• swelling on your face or head
• a bump or injury on your head
• an animal bite anywhere on your body

Normal headaches are usually caused by:

• dehydration
• muscle tension
• stress
• lack of sleep
• nerve pain
• fever
• caffeine withdrawal
• drinking alcohol
• eating certain foods

They may also happen as a result of toothache, hormonal changes or pregnancy, or as a side effect of medication.

Migraine pain can come on without warning and can be severe and debilitating. If you have chronic migraine, talk to your doctor about treatment to help you manage this pain.

Some headaches can be a sign of a serious illness or health problem, such as:

• severe dehydration
• tooth or gum infection
• high blood pressure
• heatstroke
• stroke
• head injury or concussion
• brain infection
• preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy)
• cancer
• brain tumor
• brain aneurysm
• brain hemorrhage

Call 911 if you think you or someone else may be having headache pain because of a medical emergency. Serious, life-threatening illnesses that cause headaches and need urgent attention include:

Stroke

In the United States, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds. About 87% of strokes happen because blood flow to the brain is blocked.

A stroke is preventable and treatable. Prompt medical attention is important for successful treatment. Call 911 if you have stroke symptoms. Do not drive.

what to do if you suspect a stroke

Act F.A.S.T. if you or someone else may be having a stroke:

• Face: Does one side of their face droop when you ask them to smile?
• Arms: Can they raise both arms over their head?
• Speech: Do they slur their speech or sound strange when they talk?
• Time: If you see any signs of stroke, call 911 immediately. Treatment within 3 hours of having a stroke increases the chances of a better recovery.

Concussion

If you experience a trauma to the head, you may have a concussion or a mild brain injury. Get immediate medical help if you have symptoms of a concussion after a fall or a blow to the head. Signs of a concussion include:

• headache
• dizziness
• nausea or vomiting
• blurred vision or double vision
• drowsiness
• feeling sluggish
• balance problems
• slowed reaction time

Heatstroke

If you overheat in warm weather or during excess exercise, you may experience heatstroke. Look for these warning signs of heatstroke:

• headache
• dizziness
• nausea
• vomiting
• muscle cramps
• dry skin (no sweating)
• pale or red skin
• difficulty walking
• fast breathing
• fast heart rate
• fainting or seizures

If you suspect heatstroke, move into the shade or an air-conditioned space. Cool down by drinking cool water, putting on wet clothes, or getting into cool water.

Preeclampsia

Headaches in the third trimester of pregnancy can be a symptom of preeclampsia. This health complication causes high blood pressure. It can lead to liver and kidney damage, brain injury, and other serious problems. Preeclampsia usually begins after week 20 of pregnancy.

This blood pressure condition happens to up to 8 percent of pregnant women who may be otherwise healthy. It is a leading cause of death and illness in mothers and newborn babies.

symptoms of preeclampsia

Get urgent medical treatment if you are pregnant and have symptoms such as:

• headache
• stomach pain
• difficulty breathing
• nausea and vomiting
• burning pain in your chest
• blurred vision or flashing spots in vision
• confusion or anxiety

Treatment for serious headache pain depends on the underlying cause. You may need to see a neurologist (a brain and nervous system specialist). Your doctor may recommend several tests and scans to help diagnose the cause, such as:

• medical history and physical exam
• eye exam
• ear exam
• blood test
• spinal fluid test
• CT scan
• MRI scan

You may need intravenous fluids (through a needle) to treat conditions like severe dehydration and heatstroke.

Your doctor may prescribe daily medications to treat a health condition like high blood pressure. A serious infection may be treated with antibiotics or antiviral medication.

If you have serious headache pain due to a chronic condition like migraine, your doctor might recommend prescription drugs to help prevent or reduce migraine pain.

If you have high blood pressure, take medication as prescribed to help lower it. Follow a low-sodium diet to keep your blood pressure from spiking. Check your blood pressure regularly on a home monitor. This can help prevent serious headaches caused by high blood pressure.

You don’t have to worry about most headache pain. Headaches have many causes, and most of them are not serious. However, in some cases, headache pain can be a symptom of a serious health condition or illness.

If you’re concerned about headache pain, talk to your doctor. Describe any other symptoms you have along with headache pain. Seek immediate medical attention if your headache pain is different or more severe than you have felt before.

Eye Strain Headache: Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention, More

Many of us know what it’s like to have a headache. Depending on the cause, it can trigger sharp, dull, or throbbing pain. Headaches range in severity and can affect any part of your head.

One uncommon cause of headaches is eye strain.

This can happen when you focus on a task, like using a computer, for too long. It can also occur when your eyes try to focus in light that’s too bright or dim. Essentially, eye strain is when your eyes get tired due to overuse.

Eye strain is also associated with symptoms like:

• sore eyes
• watery or dry eyes
• temporary double or blurry vision
• sensitivity to light
• trouble concentrating
• neck, shoulder, or back aches
• difficulty keeping your eyes open

If you have eye strain, it doesn’t mean your eyes are injured or damaged. Your headache and other symptoms should ease or go away completely once you rest your eyes.

Still, eye strain headaches can be frustrating and disruptive. They might make it difficult to focus on work, school, or other projects.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at why eye strain causes headaches, how you can find relief, and ways to prevent these kinds of headaches from derailing your day.

There are many kinds of headaches. The most common types include:

• migraine
• cluster headache
• tension headache

These headaches require different treatment and care than an eye strain headache. That’s why it’s important to know how to recognize an eye strain headache, which is mild when compared with other headache types.

Signs of an eye strain headache

• Develops after prolonged eye activity. Eye strain headaches appear after you focus on something for a long time. They won’t develop when you wake up or if you haven’t been reading, watching, or focusing on something for a period of time.
• Pain gets better with rest. Typically, an eye strain headache will subside once you rest your eyes.
• No digestive discomfort. Unlike other types of headaches, eye strain headaches are rarely associated with vomiting or nausea.
• Pain behind your eyes. The pain is usually located behind or around your eyes. The area might feel sore or tired.

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When you look at objects or screens at a close range, the muscles in and around your eyes need to work harder to focus. Over time, these muscles can get sore and tired, just like any other muscle in your body.

Similarly, squinting for a long period of time may trigger spasms in your facial muscles and the muscles around your eyes. These spasms can lead to eye strain headaches.

To identify the cause of your eye strain headache, consider what you were doing before your symptoms developed. This will help you determine how to reduce discomfort.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common causes of eye strain headaches.

Prolonged use of digital screens

Looking at a digital screen for a long time is the most common cause of eye strain. In this case, the condition is called digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome.

When you focus on a screen, you tend to blink less often. This can lead to dry eyes, which may cause irritation.

The following scenarios might also worsen digital eye strain:

• excessive glare or reflection on your screen
• low contrast between the screen text and background
• digital screens placed at incorrect distances
• poor posture

You’re more likely to develop digital eye strain if you look at a screen for 2 or more hours without taking a break.

Prolonged focus on a single task

It’s possible to develop eye strain without using a digital screen. Your eyes can get tired after continual focus on a single activity for a long time. These include:

• long-distance driving
• reading a book
• working on a project, like sewing or drawing

Vision problems

Uncorrected vision can also cause eye strain. You might need prescription glasses or contact lenses to help you see things clearly. If you already wear them, you may need a different prescription.

If your vision is uncorrected, your eyes will need to work harder to try and form a clear image. This can make your eyes tired and lead to eye strain headaches.

Bright or dim lights

It’s difficult to see clearly in light that’s too bright or too dim. You might need to squint your eyes to see.

You may have experienced this while driving a car on a sunny day without sunglasses, or walking into a dark room. As your eyes try to focus, they can become tired and strained.

You can reduce your chances of getting these kinds of headaches by taking some simple steps. Here’s what you can do.

Prevention tips

• Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Take frequent breaks while using digital screens. The 20-20-20 rule involves looking at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
• Blink often. Dry eyes can worsen your eye strain symptoms. Blinking often will help moisten your eyes. You can also use artificial tears to help prevent dry eyes.
• Avoid using screens in the dark. Your eyes will need to work extra hard to focus in the dark. The light from your screen should be similar to the light in the room to make it easier on your eyes.
• Adjust your screen. Place your screen at least 25 inches away from your eyes. Position the screen slightly below eye level to avoid straining upward. Try not to position your screen too far below eye level, though, because it could strain your neck muscles.
• Use proper lighting. Point your indoor light source, like a lamp, away from your eyes. To reduce screen glare, make sure the light source shines away from your computer screen.
• Avoid prolonged use of contact lenses. This could cause eye irritation and strain.

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In addition to modifying your habits, you can also relieve eye strain headaches at home by taking the following steps.

• Wear prescription glasses. Using reading or computer glasses may provide relief. If you have glasses to correct your vision, be sure to use your most recent prescription.
• Close your eyes. Simply resting your eyes for several minutes can ease your symptoms.
• Use artificial tears. Dryness can make your eye strain worse. Using artificial tears may help moisten your eyes and offer relief.
• Take an NSAID. If you have a stubborn eye strain headache, an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) may help.

Often, simply making lifestyle changes — like those suggested in this article — can reduce the occurrence of your eye strain headaches.

Visit a doctor if your headaches persist even after making these changes. You should also see a doctor if you have these symptoms along with your headaches:

• sudden vision changes
• nausea
• vomiting
• dizziness
• severe eye pain

Be sure to get regular eye exams, even if you have good vision. Your eye doctor can check for other problems like eye muscle imbalance.

When your eyes work too hard, your eye muscles may contract too much. These contractions can trigger an eye strain headache. Often, these headaches cause pain and discomfort behind your eyes.

You may develop an eye strain headache after focusing on a task for too long. Fortunately, you can usually find relief just by letting your eyes rest. It also helps to wear glasses or contact lenses that are the correct prescription.

If lifestyle changes don’t help, visit a doctor. They can determine whether an underlying condition is causing your headaches.

How to relieve a headache if there are no medicines at hand / “Interlocutor”

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How to relieve a headache if there are no medicines at hand / “Sobesednik”

25.02.2009 № 7. Lipovets Irina.

In the off-season, when the weather changes every day, headaches torment even those who rarely complain about their health. And therefore, he does not tend to carry a bunch of medicines for different occasions. What to do? You can try to cope with a headache without drugs – a few effective tricks suggested Therapist Nikolai Pravednikov, employee of the Invitro Independent Laboratory.

Face + mirror

Do some simple exercises in front of the mirror to relax your facial muscles. Raise your eyebrows quickly – first the right, then the left, then both. Close your eyes and squint them to the right, to the left. Deeply frown. Press your fingertips on your eyebrows, move them to the bridge of your nose. Let your facial muscles relax after each exercise.

Acupressure

Find the points on the temples that respond to pressure with pain and massage them slowly. These are the so-called reflexogenic zones – their stimulation causes vasodilation and improvement of cerebral circulation, as a result, if the headache does not go away completely, then it subsides. In the same way, you can massage the bridge of the nose.

Eye massage

Close your eyes and massage your eyeballs in gentle circular motions – clockwise and in the opposite direction.

Foot bath

You can soak your feet in moderately hot water. This is a distraction – the blood will rush from the head to the legs, the pain will subside. But! This procedure should not be done by those who have high blood pressure!

Warm-up for the neck

Headaches are relieved by neck massage – especially in cases where pain is associated with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. In addition to the massage, there are a few simple exercises to be performed slowly: tilt your head alternately to the right and left shoulder, press your chin to your chest, tilt your head back.

Rubbing

Place your palms on your ears, warm them up, and then rub until you feel a good warmth. Gently pull them in different directions, up and down.

Massage for two

This technique is used in su-jok therapy – despite being exotic, it is quite effective. The one who has a headache should completely undress, lie on his stomach on a flat surface – on a couch, on a sofa, on a table or on a rug. His task is to focus and mentally determine the place where the headache is most severe. The second person should find a point on his buttocks corresponding to the area where it hurts the most, and press on it. It is important that the muscles of the buttocks are completely relaxed.

reasons. How to relieve a headache. Headache remedies

Headaches can be caused by many factors, but the most common cause is head and neck muscle tension, which can be caused by stress, fatigue, bad posture, awkward posture when working on a computer or phone, not getting enough sleep, as well as prolonged reading or eye strain in low light. These simple tricks will help you quickly get rid of a headache without medication.

Massage: how to do it correctly, duration, massage zones

Head and neck massage. Gently massaging the head and neck can help relax muscles and reduce tension, leading to better circulation and less pain. If it is not possible to go to a chiropractor, then you can do a head and neck massage yourself.

Head and neck massage by yourself.

Compress and headband: how to do, where to apply

The use of a cold or hot compress will quickly relieve muscle spasms and facilitate the functioning of cerebral vessels. A cold compress can reduce inflammation and soreness, while a hot compress can help relax muscles. You can apply cold and hot compresses both on the focus of pain and around it.

Ginger

Ginger. Photo © shutterstock

Drinking ginger tea is also effective for headaches. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce soreness and improve circulation. It contains a variety of bioactive compounds, including gingerols, shogaols, and zingiberenes, which may have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving effects on the body. In addition, ginger can help dilate blood vessels, improve circulation, and reduce tension in the muscles of the head and neck, which can also lead to headache relief.

Almond oil: for face and head

Almond oil can help reduce soreness and improve circulation when applied to the forehead and temples. Almond oil helps with headaches due to its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. It contains many beneficial biologically active substances, including vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, phytosterols and antioxidants. The omega-3 fatty acids found in almond oil can help reduce localized inflammation. In addition, vitamin E, which is also found in almond oil, is a strong antioxidant and reduces inflammation and pain.

Lavender oil

The use of this oil helps to reduce soreness and calm the nervous system. Apply a few drops to whiskey or take an aromatic bath. It cannot directly help in relieving headaches, but it contains many useful biologically active substances, including linalool and linaluyl acetate, which are natural sedatives. Lavender oil can help reduce tension and stress that cause headaches. It improves circulation, reduces inflammation, and reduces muscle tension, which can also lead to pain relief.

Juniper and eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus oil. Photo © Shutterstock

Juniper contains terpenes that can help reduce inflammation and pain in the head. Eucalyptus oil contains camphor, which is a natural anesthetic and helps relieve headaches. In addition, eucalyptus oil can help improve blood circulation and reduce tension, which also leads to a reduction in headaches.

For headaches, you can add a few drops of the oil from this mixture to warm water and inhale the vapors, or apply the oil to your temples or massage your neck.

Peppermint tea recipe how to brew

Peppermint contains menthol, which is a natural anesthetic and antispasmodic that can help reduce pain and relax the scalp muscles. In addition, mint has anti-inflammatory properties: it reduces local inflammation. The antibacterial properties of mint also reduce the risk of headaches caused by infection. Peppermint tea can also help improve circulation and reduce tension, leading to less headaches. How to make mint tea?

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Place dried or fresh mint in a teapot or mug (1-2 teaspoons per cup).
3. Top the mint with boiling water and let steep for about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add honey or lemon to taste.
5. Strain the tea through a strainer or cheesecloth.

Fresh mint tea can be drunk hot or cooled and drunk as an iced tea.