Headaches 101

A headache, as most of us well know, is pain felt in the forehead, eyes, jaws, temples, skull, or neck. There are both benign (non-progressive) and life-threatening headache. Most of us experience benign headaches such as tension, migraine, cluster, or sinus headaches. Environmental headaches, also benign, are caused by the everyday situations we run into. Excessive noise, sunstroke, traffic exhaust, caffeine withdrawal, drinking your Slurpee too fast, and bright lights are a few headache inducing examples.

Major Headache Classifications

Tension Headaches: Tension headaches are associated with contractions of neck and scalp muscles. The pain may be felt all over your head or sometimes in a bandlike pattern around your head. The pain will feel steady, non-pulsating, and occasionally nausea or vomiting will occur. Often tension headaches are directly caused by the tightening of back and shoulder muscles but the underlying cause is thought to be stress, anxiety, and depression. Chronic tension headaches occur more than two times a week for several months at a time. At this point it’s time to see your doctor.

Migraine Headaches: Migraines, with their unique symptoms, are easy to spot. Migraines occur suddenly and can include throbbing pain that’s localized on one side of the head. There is usually a pre-headache phase for migraine sufferers. Prior to the onset of a migraine many individuals experience mood changes, nausea, abdominal pain, depression, fatigue, or thirst. Some people experience increased energy, thought clarity, or a hunger for sweets. The strangest pre-migraine symptom is that an individual will often see flashes of light, bright spots or lines, or areas of blindness. Migraine headaches usually end up requiring professional care. Although, there are migraines that have various triggers, such as hunger, fatigue, birth control pills, and bright light. Locate the trigger and you may be able to bypass medical treatment.

Cluster Headaches: Clusters are extremely painful headaches that usually occur in males. Clusters are intense and reoccurring. The pain is steady, felt near one eye, and is often associated with nasal congestion. The eye on the concentrated pain side may turn red and weepy. Clusters start rapidly and worsen quickly to a painful peak. Clusters can last from thirty minutes to well over two hours. Although people in pain often want to rest, lying down during a cluster headache can actually make it much worse. Clusters have triggers and a trigger diary is helpful in finding a solution.

Quickie Definitions of Headaches You Never Knew Existed

• Weight-lifters: Just like you’d think, this is a headache that occurs after a strenuous weight-lifting regimen.
• Histamine: A headache caused by histamine overload, from a source such a histamine injection or certain wines.
• Coital: A headache that occurs suddenly during sex or after orgasm. As if couples nowadays didn’t have enough issues – thankfully, these are very rare and actually occur more often in men.
• Analgesic-rebound: That medication you’ve been taking for your headaches could now be the underlying cause of new headaches. Removal of the medication is required.
• Hypnic: This is an oddball headache that awakens people from sleep. Clusters can do this as well but the pain of hypnic headaches are not as intense and are not localized around the eye.

Is My Headache Life-Threatening?

You don’t want to mess around with headaches that are potentially life-threatening. According to my trusty Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary a headache may be life-threatening if one of the following trademarks is present.

• A headache that can be honestly categorized as the worst you’ve ever had.
• A headache with the added bonus of fever or a stiff neck.
• A headache present in an individual with an immune deficiency issue.
• A headache associated with loss of consciousness or altered mental status.
• A headache accompanied by severe eye or ear pain.
• A headache that occurs in an individual who has experienced recent head trauma.
• A headache accompanied by sudden, disabling pain or convulsions.
• A headache along with strong weakness, numbness, or tingling in the legs or arms.

Got a headache and one or more of these trademarks? Don’t try to treat a possible life-threatening headache with a pill or natural treatment. And don’t ignore it; call your doctor right away. It’s good to know what to look for if you do have a life-threatening headache but most of the time (thankfully) this isn’t information you’ll use.

Soon to come; information you will be able to use. Including: how to find the root of your headache, natural headache treatments, and lifestyle changes that can combat headaches.