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Causes of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know.
There are several different and concerning causes of headaches ranging from moderate to severe. Most of the causes of headaches are short-lived and rarely require any concern. However, being able to understand the kind of headache you are experiencing can also help you track down the causes in most cases.
The WHO says that headaches are such a common complaint that almost half of all adults are likely to experience at least one headache within a year. While they can be painful and debilitating at times, an individual can treat most of them with commonly used pain relievers, and headaches will disappear within a few minutes. However, repeated attacks or specific headaches could indicate a more severe medical health condition.
In this blog, we present you with some common causes of headaches together with some causes that you are probably not aware of. So, keep reading to know more about the reason for your headache.
Common Causes of Headache
The pain you experience during a headache usually comes from signals between the brain, nearby nerves, and blood vessels. Specific head muscles and nerves in your blood vessels switch on and send pain signals to the brain. The cause of these signals getting turned on in the first place is not clear yet, but here are some commonly believed causes of headaches.
Illness: can include fevers, fever, and infections. Headaches are also regular with health conditions such as sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), an ear infection, or a throat infection. In some cases, it can result from a brain injury or blow to the head, rarely, a sign of a more severe medical problem.
Environment: If you receive strong smells from perfumes or household chemicals, allergens, and specific food items, you might experience headaches. It may also occur due to inhalation of second-hand tobacco smoke. Pollution, stress, noise, lighting, and changes in weather are also possible triggers.
Genetics: Headaches, usually caused by migraine, tend to run in families. Ninety percent of the children and teens who have migraines have inherited it from their family members. When both parents have a history of migraine headaches, there is a 70 percent chance that their child will have them. While if only one parent has such a medical problem, the risk drops from 70 percent to 50 percent (or sometimes 25 percent).
Stress and Depression: Emotional stress and depression can cause several other issues that can contribute to headaches. These mental health conditions can cause alcohol use, changes in sleep patterns, skipping meals, and taking too much medication. Other causes may include neck or back strain resulting in headaches due to poor posture.
Headache Causes You Might not be Aware of
Tension
It is the most common cause of headaches people are not aware of in the current scenario. Tension causes a dull and constant pain on both sides of the head along with a feeling of pressure behind the eyes, sensitivity to light & sound, and tenderness of the head, face, neck, and shoulders. This headache can last for half an hour to several hours, depending on severity.
Headaches caused due to tension can be triggered due to anxiety, stress, and depression. And other potential triggers include loud noise, dehydration, posture, lack of exercise, insufficient quality sleep, skipped meals, and eye strain.
Strenuous physical exercise
Strenuous physical exercises can cause exertion headaches with the following triggers: jumping, running, weight lifting, bouts of sneezing or coughing, or sexual intercourse. Headache due to physical labor is usually short-lived but sometimes sustained for up to two days.
People usually didn’t know about these exceptional headaches and linked them to other health conditions. Some physical activities cause a throbbing pain throughout your head and are more common in individuals with a personal or family history of migraine. People experiencing such headaches for the first time should consult with a medical healthcare professional, as they could be a symptom of something severe enough to require medical help.
Old age
People of old age can experience hyping headaches, a rare condition that usually starts when people are in their 50s, but sometimes it begins before reaching 40. Some individuals also refer to them as “alarm clock” headaches as they wake people during the night.
A hypnic headache consists of throbbing pain ranging from mild to moderate levels, usually in both sides of the head. Such pain can last for up to three hours, while other signs may include nausea together with sensitivity to light and sound. People can face several attacks each week. While the causes and triggers of hypnic headache are not clear yet, it usually occurs in people of more than 50 years.
Although such headaches are not harmful, older adults who experience unusual pain for the first time should ask for medical advice. Your medical healthcare provider may help you get rid of such distress.
Is headache a symptom of Covid-19?
Yes! Even though they are a less well-known symptom of Covid-19 and its variants, they are one of the earliest signs of disease and more common symptoms of cough and fever caused by the virus attack. Around 15 percent of the individuals down with covid-19 reported headaches as their only symptom.
Headaches due to Covid-19 tend to be moderate to severely painful. During the period you are affected by the coronavirus, you may feel pulsing, pressing, or stabbing headaches across both sides of the head rather than only in one specific area.