We all have experienced severe headache, at some point of time in our lives, sometimes it is severe, sometimes it’s bearable but what exactly is the scale to measure its degree of seriousness. What are the causes of severe headaches, and how to relieve them, we have brought together everything you will ever need to know about headaches so that, no matter the situation, you always know how to act.
How headache occurs
The most common reason for headaches is due to surrounding the blood vessels, while they undergo swelling, they put pressure on the nerves surrounding them and when these nerves are triggered, they send the signal of pain to the brain hence, resulting in the sensation of pain.
Almost 50% of the headaches fall under this category and hence are not serious, but before jumping to any conclusion let’s understand headaches a little briefly
What are the types of headaches And How to Identify them
Headaches are broadly classified into two types – Primary Headache and Secondary Headache.
Primary Headache: They don’t have any underlying cause, rather they are stand-alone Out of all the cases of headaches almost 50% of them are primary, hence they aren’t a cause of serious concern, the most common types of primary headaches are as follows,
1.) Migraine/Unilateral Headache: This type of headache occurs as a series of pain that comes and goes, 70% of the time this type of headache inflicts pain in only one side of the head, hence the name Unilateral Headache, the key characteristic of this type of headache is its gradual onset of pain whose intensity progresses with time and could be categorized between moderate to severe. Migraines could last up to 4-72 hours, the associative symptoms include vomiting, photophobia, and phonophobia. Treatment of this type of headache include aspirin, antiemetic and proper hydration
2.) Tension Headache: This is the most common type of headache that happens to the general population. The key characteristic of tension headache is the feeling of pressure or tightness which comes and goes in a wave-like pattern, the pain doesn’t have any particular spot and appears to be present at multiple spots around the head at the same point, they don’t have any particular associative symptoms and have a variable duration. The treatment for this type of headache is a simple analgesic like paracetamol.
3.) Cluster Headache: They are the most painful type of headaches, the characteristic location of their origination is always unilateral especially around the eye, and their symptoms include Excruciating stabbing sensation and explosive pain that sets in quickly and is continuous, and appears to emerge from deep within the eye sockets. They generally last for around 30 mins to 3 hrs. The main cause of them is the problem with the trigeminal nerve. The associative symptoms include drooping of eyelids, lacrimation, and nasal discharge. The treatment of cluster headache is brief inhalation of pure oxygen, injectable triptans both of which require professional medical care, nasal sprays like Zolmitriptan and oral medications do exist but they are not recommended
4.) Sinus Headache: Sinuses are locations inside our forehead, cheekbone and behind the nose bridge that is occupied with air, If they are inflamed either due to allergy or infection, you will feel a deep and constant pain in the forehead and nose bridge, sudden jerk or movement of the head makes the pain worse, associative symptoms for this type of headache are runny nose, bitter taste in the mouth, feeling that your ears are full and swelling around the face. The treatment includes analgesics, antibiotics, and supporting therapy.
Secondary Headaches: They are serious and most of the time are indications of an underlying disease or other condition. Most of them don’t fit into any of those above categories and have very intense pain that feels like thunderclaps followed by serious complications like dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech. Headaches like these require serious medical attention.
What can you do right Now
These are some remedies you can try right now to rid yourself of this pain.
1.) Drink plenty of water: dehydration is the most common cause of migraines but at the same time drinking plenty of water has been observed to cure general headaches within 30 minutes.
2.) Try Ginger Tea: Ginger is a rich source of robust naturally occurring antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, which can help relieve your headache.
3.) Acupressure: Massaging the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger has been seen to reduce pain, but it’s restricted for pregnant women as it’s observed to cause contractions. There is another point one can massage that is located right at the center of the neck, at the points between the spine and ears. You can also massage the point located about half an inch below your big toe and in between your big toe and second toe.
When to seek professional help
If you observe any serious symptoms like distorted vision, slurred speech, and very severe pain followed by vomiting, don’t wait and seek immediate medical attention. You can also call us at our emergency care number 87903-87903 for top-class emergency service right at your doorstep.
