Headaches are divided into primary and secondary cephalgia. In primary cephalgia, the headache is not caused by a disease.
When a disease causes headache, it is called secondary cephalgia.
Contents
Right- or left-sided headache
Temporal
arteritis Temporal arteritis, or giant cell arteritis, is an inflammation of the large and medium arteries that supply the head.
The exact cause of this condition is not known, but it can develop due to a reaction of the immune system.
People who suffer from serious infections or those who have taken increased amounts of antibiotics have a higher risk of developing this disease.
Symptoms of temporal arteritis include:
- Visual impairment
- Numbness on the scalp
- Pain on the left or right side or at the back of the head
- Muscle
- Jaw pain
Migraine
The second most common cause of neck pain is migraine. The narrowing of the blood vessels in the head leads to reduced blood flow.
This triggers a migraine attack.
This type of headache usually causes launching pain on one side of the head.
People who suffer from migraines become extremely sensitive to light and sound.
Causes of a migraine attack are:
- Muscle contractures
- Stress
- Smoke
- Alcohol
- Lack of sleep, etc.
In some cases, the causes of migraines include foods such as chocolate, nuts, pickled vegetables, cheese, red wine, and foods with preservatives or artificial sweeteners.
Trigeminal neuralgia
This disorder causes extremely severe, lightning-like pain in the face that lasts for a few seconds or minutes.
This symptom occurs only on one half of the face, in the supply area of the trigeminal nerve, at the level of:
- Lower jaw
- Upper jaw
- Eyes and forehead (ophtalmic)
Causes of forehead headache
Dehydration is one of the causes of forehead headache.
If the body is dehydrated, the water content drops and the muscles become dry. The result can then be headaches.
Sinusitis is one of the main causes of frontal headache.
Sinusitis can develop due to an allergy and a cold and is characterized by a sinus infection with accumulation of secretion or mucus.
The sinuses are formed from four air-filled chambers located inside the skull.
The mucous membranes lining these cavities form mucus to moisturize the air ducts in the back of the nose.
Infection or inflammation of the sinuses can cause headaches.
The pain intensifies when the affected person bends forward.
Stress or emotional tension can cause forehead headaches.
When the body is stressed, the blood vessels dilate, increasing volume and blood pressure.
People who work in front of a computer for long periods of time, have their head very close to the monitor and have an uncorrected refractive error in their eyes, can overexert them and develop cephalgia.
Other diseases associated with it are heavy eyelids, reddened eyes, blurred vision, eye fatigue, dry eyes, etc.
A brain tumor can cause forehead headaches.
Tumor growth can increase intracranial pressure or the person may experience fainting or speech problems.
Headaches in certain situations
Causes of headaches when bending forward
- Sinusitis
- Dizziness or spinning vertigo in the head are complaints in which the person has the feeling that everything revolves around him.
- Headache due to cough
- Anxiety
- Anxiety and stress are two factors responsible for headaches.
- Tension headache
Nocturnal headache
No serious causes
- Migraine
- Sleep-related headache: This rare type occurs mainly after the age of 50. The affected person suddenly wakes up from sleep with a severe headache.
- Cluster headache
- Sinusitis
Serious causes
- Brain tumor
- Sleep apnea: People who suffer from sleep apnea experience interruption of breathing during sleep.
Man wakes up due to shortness of breath with a piercing headache. - Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels)
- Severe depression: a person has recurrent headaches when leading a stressful life.
- Subdural hematoma: This is an accumulation of blood in the brain as a result of a traumatic injury.
- Giant cell arteritis: This is inflammation of the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the body.
Morning headache
In rare cases, headaches or headaches due to insomnia or hangovers are observed. Recurrent episodes can be caused by:
- Sleep apnea.
- Restless legs syndrome, a sleep disorder in which the individual involuntarily moves their legs throughout the night.
- Stress.
- Lack of nighttime rest and emotional trauma can lead to tension headaches.
- Anxiety or depression are factors that contribute to morning headaches.
- High blood pressure.
- Bruxism or teeth grinding. Morning headache in children can occur if the children grind their teeth during the night.
- Poor posture in bed.
Headaches and fatigue after exercise
Reasons can be:
- Electrolyte imbalances: Often, the loss of mineral salts in the body can cause fatigue
- Menopause: Many women are tired and depressed during menopause.
- Improper diet: Inadequate nutrition is one of the most common causes of headaches after physical exercise.
- Poor training condition.
- Abnormal functioning of the thyroid gland: This is one of the main causes of muscle fatigue.
- In addition to muscle fatigue, constipation, weakness and depression, etc. may occur.
- Excessive effort.
- Insomnia.
- Some other causes of fatigue and headaches include sleep apnea, anemia, type 2 diabetes, dehydration, etc.
Headache during pregnancy
Pregnancy is characterized by an increase in blood volume.
A pregnant woman needs to change her diet to give the fetus all the nutrients.
This is why cardiac output (the blood pumped through the heart) is increased during the nine months.
As the amount of blood in the body increases, the blood vessels expand to better absorb the larger volume of blood.
Sometimes blood pressure in the fine vessels of the nose also increases.
The consequence is swelling and bleeding of the mucous membrane in the nasal cavity.
The mucosa can also be irritated by a cold, allergy or sinusitis during pregnancy.
These infections can lead to dryness of the mucous membranes lining the nasal cavity. A dry nose is prone to bleeding during pregnancy.
Risk factors also include arterial hypertension (high blood pressure).
Most symptoms in pregnancy are caused by fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone.
Other causes include: hypoglycemia, dehydration, insomnia, excessive exertion and stress.
Reasons for recurrent headaches
- Tension headache.
- Migraine.
- Cluster headache.
- This type of headache occurs when a person begins to be hungry.
- Headache in case of allergy. These headaches occur when a person is exposed to an allergen (substance that triggers the allergy).
- Sinusitis.
- Migraine.
- Cluster headache.
- Cervical headache.
- Rebound headache. This type of headache is caused by an overdose or a reaction to headache medication.
- Trigeminal neuralgia.
Headache after eating
Allergic reaction to food
An allergic reaction is the immune system’s response that occurs when a person ingests a substance that the immune system sees as a threat.
Blood sugar level
Pain or discomfort in the head can result from strong fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Those prone to hypoglycemia may get headaches after eating sweets or sugary foods.
Gastroesophageal reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux or gastric acid reflux occurs when the acid flows back from the stomach into the esophagus and throat.
This is a common cause of headaches after eating, especially in the last months of pregnancy.
High blood pressure
After heavily salted meals, the kidneys may have difficulty controlling salt levels, which can allow salt to enter the bloodstream.
The result is high blood pressure.
Frozen food
Frozen foods can cause headaches in the forehead area for a few seconds if eaten too quickly.
The reason is the body’s reaction to cold, which consists in the expansion of the anterior cerebral artery.
Headaches and nutrition
According to natural medicine, headaches and migraines are almost always provoked by diet.
Conventional medicine recommends omitting some foods for migraines, such as:
- Cheese
- Red wine
- Chocolate
- Preservatives
- Sweeteners
Many patients report that they no longer suffer from headaches if they follow either diet:
- blood group diet,
- the vegan diet/raw food diet recommended by hygienists.
According to the blood type diet, some foods can cause headaches or migraines:
- Pork and sausages
- Dairy products
- Cayenne pepper
- Milk chocolate
- Wine and spirits
Depending on the blood type, someone might have an immune response to a food that is harmless to another person, and vice versa.
If the patient wakes up in the morning with a headache, he should consider what he ate for dinner the day before.
If the headache occurs in the late morning, breakfast could be responsible.
Recommended natural remedies of this nutritional theory are:
- Mother tincture of Roman chamomile or artichoke
- Sage or fennel tea
- Prunes
Instead of tablets, you should always have the natural extracts in your pocket, like a first aid kit.
After taking the mother tincture, drink a glass of hot, almost boiling water.
A burp means that digestion has dissolved; the headache will disappear in a short time.
According to the views of natural hygiene, the causes of headaches are constipation, medications and the accumulation of toxins provoked by the digestion of food not suitable for humans.
According to hygienism, herbal teas and herbal remedies are of no benefit or perhaps even harmful.
There is no miracle cure, one must rather follow a vegan diet and correct lifestyle.
The cure of headaches and other non-traumatic diseases depends on the following factors:
- regular physical activity;
- living in the fresh air;
- nutrition based on natural and raw foods: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and potatoes;
- avoidance of incorrect food combinations;
- omission of salt, cayenne pepper and animal protein: fish, meat, dairy products and eggs;
- drink little water (preferably distilled) because it is not needed because the fruits contain a lot of liquid.
Headache along with other symptoms
Nosebleeds and headache
The most common cause is high blood pressure.
These symptoms together can be caused by anemia.
A common cause of nosebleeds is head trauma.
A blow to the head can damage the large blood vessels in the back of the nose.
Dryness of the nasal mucosa can cause nosebleeds and headaches.
Sinusitis does not cause nosebleeds, but abuse of decongestant nasal sprays can lead to it.
Dizziness and headache
Reduced blood flow to the brain is one of the most common causes of dizziness.
Causes include:
- Anaemia
- Hypoglycemia
- Heart attack
- Tachycardia
- Circulatory shock
- Stroke
Spinning vertigo can also occur with age, especially if a person quickly rises from sitting or lying down.
Stool constipation and headache
Constipation can be very stressful and cause headaches.
Another consequence of constipation is loss of appetite.
Those who suffer from constipation do not feel like eating due to abdominal pain.
Often someone who suffers from constipation skips a meal and this habit can be responsible for headaches.
Nausea and headache
It is not the headache that causes nausea, but both symptoms are caused by another disorder.
A severe cold, influenza and any viral infection can lead to headaches and at the same time other symptoms such as nausea, chills, joint pain, etc.
In addition to viral infections, infections caused by bacteria, fungi and parasites can also cause nausea, headaches and other symptoms.
Excessive alcohol consumption is a common cause of headaches and nausea.
Another common factor that causes these symptoms is migraines.
Other causes of nausea and constant headaches include:
- Cranial trauma
- Gastrointestinal inflammation (gastroenteritis)
- Meningitis
- Cluster headache
- Meniere’s disease
- Tinnitus
- Aneurysm
- Vertigo
- Excessive caffeine consumption
- Adverse drug reactions
- Withdrawal symptoms
Causes of headache and fever
Fever indicates that the body is fighting an infection. Often fever is accompanied by headaches.
There are many diseases that can cause headaches and fever, including:
- Cold and influenza
- Constipation
- Urinary tract infection
- Sore throat
- pharyngitis
- Vitamin deficiency or malnutrition
- Food poisoning
- Tonsillitis (tonsillitis)
- Sinusitis
- Gastroenteritis
- Prostatitis
- Measles
- Tooth abscess
- Reaction to drugs
- Meningitis
- Tuberculosis
- Otitis media
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
- Malaria
- Hepatitis
- Typhoid
- Nephritis
- Liver diseases
- High or low blood pressure
- Tumour
Causes of headaches, dizziness and fatigue
- Migraine
- Anaemia
- Cardiovascular diseases. Cholesterol accumulations in the arteries reduce the flow velocity and thus the transport of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the cells.
A heart without an adequate supply of blood and oxygen does not function properly. The consequences are dizziness. - Malnutrition
- Pregnancy
Headache in children
There are several reasons that often cause headaches in children. Among these are:
- Upper respiratory tract infections
- Migraine
- Tension headache
- Meningitis
- Eye fatigue. If children have visual disturbances, they may suffer from headaches from the age of 3/4 due to eye fatigue.
- Brain tumor
- Trauma
- Environment. Humidity and weather changes often provoke headaches, not only in children, but also in adults.
- Food. There are some foods that contain sodium glutamate (such as smoked bacon and hot dog) that can trigger headaches.
Caffeinated foods such as chocolate, coffee, and tea can cause headaches; it is recommended to keep a food diary to find out which foods cause pain.
When to worry
If headaches occur more frequently or increase, then you should talk to a doctor about it.
Looking at the symptoms, the doctor may order tests such as magnetic resonance imaging, etc. to rule out more serious conditions.
Symptoms that may indicate a serious disorder include headache, as a result of which the child wakes up during sleep, and an increase in pain intensity or frequency.
If the child vomits without nausea or stomach pain, one should contact the doctor.
Other symptoms that should not be underestimated are:
- Personality changes.
- Headache that is different from the previous one.
- Painful and stiff neck when bending forward (possible sign of meningitis).
- The child explains that these are the worst headaches of his life.
