How do different types of headaches manifest. What are the most common triggers for headaches. Which treatments are most effective for various headache types. How can lifestyle changes help prevent headaches. When should you seek medical attention for headache pain.

Understanding the Different Types of Headaches

Headaches are a common ailment that affects most people at some point in their lives. While they may all cause discomfort, not all headaches are created equal. Understanding the different types of headaches is crucial for effective management and treatment.

Tension Headaches: The Most Common Culprit

Tension headaches are the most prevalent type, characterized by a feeling of painful pressure on the head and neck. They often result from muscle tightness due to stress, anxiety, or physical strain.

• Causes: Stress, missed meals, jaw clenching, lack of sleep
• Symptoms: Dull, aching pain, pressure around the forehead
• Treatment: Over-the-counter pain relievers, stress reduction techniques

Migraines: The Debilitating Headache

Migraines are the second most common type of headache, affecting more than 10% of the population. They tend to run in families and are more prevalent in women.

• Causes: Hormonal changes, certain foods, environmental factors
• Symptoms: Severe pulsing pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound
• Treatment: Prescription medications, lifestyle modifications

Cluster Headaches: The Less Common but Intense Type

Cluster headaches are less frequent but can be extremely severe. They occur in cyclical patterns or clusters and are more common in men and smokers.

• Causes: Unknown, but may be related to circadian rhythm
• Symptoms: Intense pain on one side of the head, often near the eye
• Treatment: Oxygen therapy, prescription medications

Identifying Headache Triggers and Prevention Strategies

Recognizing and avoiding headache triggers can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. Common triggers include:

1. Stress and anxiety
2. Lack of sleep or irregular sleep patterns
3. Certain foods and drinks (e.g., caffeine, alcohol, aged cheeses)
4. Dehydration
5. Environmental factors (bright lights, loud noises, strong odors)
6. Hormonal changes
7. Weather changes

Can keeping a headache diary help identify triggers? Absolutely. Maintaining a detailed record of when headaches occur, along with potential triggers and symptoms, can help you and your healthcare provider identify patterns and develop an effective prevention strategy.

Effective Treatment Options for Different Headache Types

The appropriate treatment for headaches depends on their type, frequency, and severity. Here are some common approaches:

Over-the-Counter Medications

For tension headaches and mild migraines, over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen can be effective. However, it’s crucial to use these medications as directed to avoid rebound headaches caused by overuse.

Prescription Medications

For more severe or frequent headaches, especially migraines, prescription medications may be necessary. These can include:

• Triptans: Specific for migraine relief
• Preventive medications: To reduce the frequency of chronic headaches
• Anti-nausea drugs: To alleviate migraine-associated symptoms

Alternative Therapies

Many people find relief through alternative therapies, which can be used alone or in conjunction with traditional treatments:

• Acupuncture
• Biofeedback
• Massage therapy
• Herbal supplements (under medical supervision)

Lifestyle Modifications to Reduce Headache Frequency

Adopting certain lifestyle changes can significantly impact headache occurrence and severity. Consider implementing the following strategies:

Stress Management Techniques

Reducing stress can help prevent tension headaches and migraines. Effective stress management techniques include:

• Yoga and meditation
• Deep breathing exercises
• Regular exercise
• Time management and prioritization

Sleep Hygiene

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and ensuring adequate rest can help prevent headaches. Tips for better sleep hygiene include:

• Sticking to a regular sleep schedule
• Creating a relaxing bedtime routine
• Avoiding screens before bed
• Ensuring a comfortable sleep environment

Dietary Adjustments

Certain dietary changes can help reduce headache frequency:

• Staying hydrated
• Avoiding known food triggers
• Eating regular, balanced meals
• Limiting caffeine and alcohol intake

The Importance of Proper Diagnosis: When to Seek Medical Help

While many headaches can be managed at home, certain situations warrant medical attention. It’s crucial to recognize these red flags and seek professional help when necessary.

Warning Signs That Require Immediate Medical Attention

Seek emergency care if you experience a headache accompanied by:

• Sudden, severe pain described as the “worst headache of your life”
• Loss of consciousness
• Confusion or difficulty speaking
• Fever and stiff neck
• Vision changes or eye pain
• Weakness or numbness on one side of the body

When to Consult a Healthcare Provider

Consider scheduling an appointment with your doctor if:

• Your headaches are becoming more frequent or severe
• Over-the-counter medications no longer provide relief
• Headaches interfere with your daily activities
• You need to take pain relievers more than twice a week

Advanced Diagnostic Tools and Techniques for Headache Evaluation

When headaches persist or present unusual symptoms, healthcare providers may employ various diagnostic tools to determine the underlying cause and develop an appropriate treatment plan.

Imaging Studies

Imaging technologies can help rule out structural abnormalities or other serious conditions:

• CT (Computed Tomography) scans
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• fMRI (Functional MRI) for migraine research

Laboratory Tests

Blood tests and other laboratory analyses may be conducted to check for underlying health issues that could be causing headaches, such as:

• Infections
• Hormonal imbalances
• Toxicology screenings

Specialized Headache Assessments

For complex cases, specialized evaluations may be necessary:

• Neurological examinations
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity
• Lumbar puncture in rare cases to analyze cerebrospinal fluid

Emerging Treatments and Research in Headache Management

The field of headache research is constantly evolving, with new treatments and approaches being developed to provide better relief and prevention strategies.

Neuromodulation Devices

These non-invasive devices use electrical or magnetic stimulation to alleviate headache pain:

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
• Vagus nerve stimulation
• Supraorbital transcutaneous stimulation

CGRP Antagonists

A new class of drugs targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has shown promise in migraine prevention and treatment.

Personalized Medicine Approaches

Research is ongoing to develop tailored treatments based on an individual’s genetic profile and specific headache characteristics.

Is headache research advancing rapidly? Indeed, with ongoing studies and clinical trials, our understanding of headache mechanisms and potential treatments continues to grow, offering hope for improved management strategies in the future.

Holistic Approaches to Headache Management

Many individuals find relief through holistic approaches that address overall well-being rather than just treating the headache symptoms. These methods can be particularly beneficial when used in conjunction with traditional medical treatments.

Mind-Body Techniques

Practices that focus on the connection between mental and physical health can be effective in managing headaches:

• Mindfulness meditation
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Biofeedback training
• Progressive muscle relaxation

Physical Therapies

Addressing physical imbalances and tension can help alleviate headaches:

• Chiropractic care
• Osteopathic manipulation
• Physical therapy focusing on neck and shoulder exercises
• Targeted massage therapy

Nutritional Approaches

Dietary interventions and supplements may help prevent or reduce headache frequency:

• Magnesium supplementation
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) for migraine prevention
• Omega-3 fatty acids for inflammation reduction
• Elimination diets to identify food triggers

Can a holistic approach effectively complement traditional headache treatments? Absolutely. Many patients find that combining conventional medical treatments with holistic methods provides more comprehensive relief and better overall health outcomes.

In conclusion, managing headaches effectively requires a multifaceted approach that considers the type of headache, individual triggers, and overall health. By understanding the various types of headaches, identifying personal triggers, and exploring both traditional and alternative treatment options, individuals can develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce the frequency and severity of their headaches. Regular communication with healthcare providers, staying informed about new research and treatments, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are key components in the ongoing journey of headache management. Remember, while headaches are common, they don’t have to be a regular part of life. With the right approach, most people can find significant relief and improve their quality of life.

Headache Pain | NIH News in Health

March 2014

Print this issue

What To Do When Your Head Hurts

En españolSend us your comments

Most of us get headaches from time to time. Some are mild. Others cause throbbing pain. They can last for minutes or days. There are many different types of headaches. How you treat yours depends on which kind you have.

Headaches might arise because of another medical condition, such as swollen sinuses or head injury. In these cases, treating the underlying problem usually relieves headache pain as well. But most headaches—including tension headaches and migraines—aren’t caused by a separate illness. 

A headache may feel like a pain inside your brain, but it’s not. Most headaches begin in the many nerves of the muscles and blood vessels that surround your head, neck, and face. These pain-sensing nerves can be set off by stress, muscle tension, enlarged blood vessels, and other triggers. Once activated, the nerves send messages to the brain, and it can feel like the pain is coming from deep within your head.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. They can cause a feeling of painful pressure on the head and neck. Tension headaches occur when the muscles in your head and neck tighten, often because of stress or anxiety. Intense work, missed meals, jaw clenching, or too little sleep can bring on tension headaches.

Over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen can help reduce the pain. “Lifestyle changes to relax and reduce stress might help, such as yoga, stretching, massage, and other tension relievers,” says Dr. Linda Porter, an NIH expert on pain research.

Migraines are the second-most common type of headache. They affect more than 1 in 10 people. Migraines tend to run in families and most often affect women. The pain can be severe, with pulsing and throbbing, and can last for several days. Migraine symptoms can also include blurry vision and nausea.

“Migraines are complex and can be disabling,” Porter says. Certain smells, noises, or bright flashing lights can bring on a migraine. Other triggers include lack of sleep, certain foods, skipped meals, smoking, stress, or even an approaching thunderstorm. Keeping a headache diary can help to identify the specific causes of your migraines. Avoiding those triggers or using prescription medications could help prevent or lessen the severity of future migraines.

Be careful not to overuse headache medications. Overuse can cause “rebound” headaches, making headaches more frequent and painful. People with repeating headaches, such as migraines or tension headaches, are especially at risk. Experts advise not taking certain pain-relief medicines for headaches more than 3 times a week.

A less common but more severe type of headache comes on suddenly in “clusters” at the same time of day or night for weeks. Cluster headaches may strike one side of the head, often near one eye, with a sharp or burning pain. These headaches are more common in men and in smokers.

In rare cases, a headache may warn of a serious illness. Get medical help right away if you have a headache after a blow to your head, or if you have a headache along with fever, confusion, loss of consciousness, or pain in the eye or ear.

“Know what kind of headache you have and, if you can’t manage it yourself, seek help,” Porter says. “Remember there are preventive behavioral steps and medicines that can help manage headaches. But if the pain is severe or lasting, get medical care.”

NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison
Building 31, Room 5B52
Bethesda, MD 20892-2094
[email protected]
Tel: 301-451-8224

Editor: Harrison Wein, Ph.D.
Managing Editor: Tianna Hicklin, Ph.D.
Illustrator: Alan Defibaugh

Attention Editors: Reprint our articles and illustrations in your own publication. Our material is not copyrighted. Please acknowledge NIH News in Health as the source and send us a copy.

For more consumer health news and information, visit health.nih.gov.

For wellness toolkits, visit www.nih.gov/wellnesstoolkits.

Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatments, and More

Written by Hedy Marks

• Symptoms
• Causes
• How It’s Diagnosed
• Treatments

Occipital neuralgia is a condition in which the nerves that run from the top of the spinal cord up through the scalp, called the occipital nerves, are inflamed or injured. You might feel pain in the back of your head or the base of your skull.

People can confuse it with a migraine or other types of headache, because the symptoms can be similar. But treatments for those conditions are very different, so it’s important to see your doctor to get the right diagnosis.

Occipital neuralgia can cause intense pain that feels like a sharp, jabbing, electric shock in the back of the head and neck. Other symptoms include:

• Aching, burning, and throbbing pain that typically starts at the base of the head and goes to the scalp
• Pain on one or both sides of the head
• Pain behind the eye
• Sensitivity to light
• Tender scalp
• Pain when you move your neck

Occipital neuralgia happens when there’s pressure or irritation to your occipital nerves, maybe because of an injury, tight muscles that entrap the nerves, or inflammation. Many times, doctors can’t find a cause for it.

Some medical conditions are linked to it, including:

• Trauma to the back of the head
• Neck tension or tight neck muscles
• Osteoarthritis
• Tumors in the neck
• Cervical disc disease
• Infection
• Gout
• Diabetes
• Blood vessel inflammation

Your doctor will ask you questions about your medical history and about any injuries you’ve had. They’ll do a physical exam, too. They’ll press firmly around the back of your head to see if they can reproduce your pain.

They may also give you a shot to numb the nerve, called a nerve block, to see if it gives you relief. If it works, occipital neuralgia is likely the cause of the pain. You might also have blood tests or an MRI scan if your doctor thinks your case isn’t typical. 

You have to get the right diagnosis to get the right treatment. For example, if you have occipital neuralgia and you get a prescription for migraine medication, you may not get relief.

The first thing you’ll want to do is to relieve your pain. You can try to:

• Apply heat to your neck.
• Rest in a quiet room.
• Massage tight and painful neck muscles.
• Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, like naproxen or ibuprofen.

If those don’t help, your doctor may prescribe medications for you, including:

• Prescription muscle relaxants
• Antiseizure drugs, such as carbamazepine (Tegretol) and gabapentin (Neurontin)
• Antidepressants
• Nerve blocks and steroid shots. The nerve block that your doctor might do to diagnose your condition can be a short-term treatment, too. It may take two to three shots over several weeks to get control of your pain. It’s not uncommon for the problem to return at some point and to need another series of injections.

An operation is rare, but it might be an option if your pain doesn’t get better with other treatments or comes back. Surgery may include:

• Microvascular decompression. Your doctor may be able to relieve pain by finding and adjusting blood vessels that may be compressing your nerve.
• Occipital nerve stimulation. Your doctor uses a device called a neurostimulator to deliver electrical pulses to your occipital nerves. They can help block pain messages to the brain.

Occipital neuralgia is not a life-threatening condition. Most people get good pain relief by resting and taking medication. But if you still hurt, tell your doctor. They’ll want to see if there’s another problem that’s causing your pain.

Top Picks

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

Back to list

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.

We remove a headache in scientific ways. Part 1. Causes of a headache – RISE on vc.ru

Everyone has come across it. A headache prevents you from doing your favorite and useful things, from interesting work to social communication. Each of us may have our own special methods of how to relieve a headache. But over time, they either stop working or require additional effort. The reason lies in the source of pain and really evidence-based methods that can remove this pain.

3476
views

In touch RISE , community about nootropics and productivity enhancement. In this material, we will analyze the main causes of headaches, the mechanisms involved in them, and consider ways to stop pain. The material was written using a podcast from Stanford University neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.

Major causes of headache

Each of us may have his own peculiarity of the body. Someone has low blood pressure, and the approaching rain is signified by a lead band around the head. Someone experiences pain inside the head when a deadline approaches or there is a quarrel in the family. What is the reason?

Tissue spasm

Tissue between the brain and skull. Source: Brain Neurosurgery Textbook

If you want to get rid of a headache, it is important to understand exactly where its source is located. The same is true when it comes to anxiety. You can’t fight it without knowing the reasons. When it comes to spasm, and muscle tension, this headache feels like a tight bandage around the head. And its source, as you might guess, is blood vessels and muscles.

Our skull is literally wrapped in muscles that allow us to turn our heads, chew, and express facial expressions. However, these same muscles tend to experience spasms. But, more importantly, it is the muscles that are the key element in provoking different types of headaches. That is, muscles can be both an independent source of pain and its catalyst in other types.

But it’s not the muscles that hurt, but the head! And the causes of headaches are in several layers of tissues that are located both outside the skull and between the brain and the skull. These tissues have their own name – Meningis, respectively, their inflammation is known to us as meningitis.

So, the brain is literally in a dense shell, consisting of several layers of tissue. These tissues need adequate blood supply to function, so a lot of blood vessels and arteries pass through the tissues. Accordingly, changes in pressure, spasm of muscles or blood vessels, will cause the tissues to press against each other, causing a headache. And that very weather sensitivity can be caused by a complex of factors: a decrease in temperature, an increase in external pressure, a cold wind that caused inflammation of facial tissues.

Neural and inflammatory causes of headache

Above we talked about the muscles and tissues that work like semi-inflated mattresses stuffed between the brain and the skull. The comparison is rough but accurate. If one of the mattresses is pumped up more, it will put pressure on the rest, causing pain. But there are other mechanisms for the emergence of this unpleasant feeling.

Neural pain. Known as cluster headache. It originates in the depths of the brain and can give into the eyes. Such pains are terribly painful, and are caused by excessive nervous tension. What can arise when you are trying to figure out how to improve performance even more in an escape from a deadline? And you feel that the brain is ready to explode from pain. Although he, by nature, does not experience pain, and the true source of suffering is the trigeminal nerve.

The trigeminal nerve, respectively, has three branches. These branches touch areas around the eye, around the nose, and near the upper lip. The pain begins due to overexcitation of the nerve or its inflammation. In addition to pain, pupils may narrow, tearing or a slight runny nose may begin. Therefore, anti-inflammatory pills for a mild or early cold will help prevent a decrease in mental and physical performance.

Although inflammation can involve the trigeminal nerve, it is worth considering inflammation separately. And in our time, you can hear that inflammation is almost a ticket to the next world. Therefore, you should start with the fact that the inflammatory process is not as terrible as it seems at first glance.

Inflammatory processes are one of the signaling systems of the body, which is provided by cytokines. They are considered inflammatory proteins, although they are rather anti-inflammatory. These proteins accumulate in a specific place, telling the body that something is wrong here.

Accumulation of these proteins in the neck or head area can cause pain. Inflammation is accompanied by edema, and if it is systemic, then a headache will be just one of the side symptoms. With all this, we do not consider sinusitis. This is a separate case, to which it is time to devote an independent longread.

Origin of pain

Above, we have analyzed 4 main causes of headache: muscle spasm, expansion and compression of tissues, trigeminal nerve overexcitation and inflammatory processes. In any case, the nature of pain itself is the work of the nervous system and the transmission of signal impulses. And this is worth stopping for a moment.

Three types of neurons at the edge of headache

Something like this, the body tries to convey that something is going wrong

You already know from published materials that there are many different neurons in the brain. Some produce dopamine, others produce serotonin, others produce GABA, and so on. But there are three distinct types of neurons that are critical to how the body works.

Motor neurons . They control how the muscles work. When walking, typing on the keyboard, they even partially affect the heartbeat and breathing, there are slightly different principles, but motor neurons are also involved in this work.

Sensory neurons . They, like motor neurons, run throughout our body. Their task is to collect and transmit information about everything that happens around us and within us. They distinguish pain and gentle strokes, perceive changes in pressure, etc.

The third type of neurons is modulating neurons . They are intermediaries between sensory and motor neurons. And they partly participate in our learning, creating connections between certain actions, phenomena and the consequences of decisions made. For example, if something suddenly touches the back of your hand, you jerk your hand. This is the result of the work of all three types of neurons.

Why do we talk about types of neurons when talking about headaches? Take the common type of headache, tissue pain, as an example. Let me remind you, it’s like a lead hoop stretched over your head. And we have three ways to “remove” it:

• You can influence motor neurons. Thus, we will relax the tissues, relax the muscles, the pressure will decrease and the pain will go away. To do this, you need to take something that relaxes the muscles.
• You can turn off sensory neurons and stop feeling pain. You will not eliminate the cause, but for some time you may not feel pain.
• By acting on the modulating neurons, you will feel pain, but you will not pay attention to it. It can simply become much weaker, or even disappear without “reaching consciousness.”

Based on the material, we have about seven key factors that can be influenced to get rid of a headache. Which gives us several methods for getting rid of headaches. There is no ideal among them, there are different and peculiarities in the use of each of them and the corresponding limitations, which we will discuss in the following materials.