Who has never felt bothered by headaches that appear at the most inconvenient times, affecting their mood and willingness to carry out daily activities and even leisure time? Some of the causes are relatively easily identifiable, such as a hangover headache, or one that appears on a day close to menstruation, or when you go too long without eating. Other times, it becomes more difficult to understand why the pain occurs and know how to combat it.
See too: Tips on how to recover from a hangover
Did you know that around 90% of headaches sporadic symptoms result from stress? Tension headaches, also called tension headaches, can be related to poor sleep, pressure and demands in the professional environment, anxiety, poor posture, among other factors. It is the most common type of headache, generally mild or moderate in intensity, affecting both sides of the head and can be described as a feeling of tightness or heaviness around the head. It can be combated with medicines to be taken during crises, according to medical advice.
See too: 6 Techniques to combat anxiety
Migraines affect women more
Both tension headaches and migraines are types of headaches that are considered primary, in the sense that they are both a disease and a symptom. However, migraines have very specific characteristics. Starting with its intensity and frequency. Crises tend to be more severe, can last for hours or even days, and are sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sounds. The pain is felt on one side of the head, has a pulsating characteristic and usually impairs the performance of tasks, which is why it is considered temporarily disabling.
See too: Headache: Tips to understand and combat
To treat migraines, an accurate diagnostic evaluation is necessary, which includes identification of the possible triggering factor. To combat or minimize symptoms, it is important to try to avoid the triggering factor for the crises. Medical monitoring will allow the most appropriate medication to be indicated for each case.
See too: Infographic to understand the three phases of the menstrual cycle
Pay attention to the signs of headaches
Secondary headaches are those that are symptoms of another disease. Several can be sources of secondary headaches. Examples: sinusitis, concussion, dehydration, meningitis, flu, dental problems, eye problems, brain tumor, ear infections, ruptured blood vessels in the brain and many others. Because it signals such a wide variety of health problems, many of which are quite serious, headaches They deserve attention and often medical help. See some of the cases in which it is important to seek emergency care:
See too: Dance: benefit to the body and mind
- If the pain is accompanied by confusion, slurred speech, fainting, high fever;
- If there is a perceived association of pain with difficulty seeing or walking, or if there is numbness, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
See too: The health benefits of walking
Less emergent, but also important, is consulting a doctor in cases where headaches start to occur more frequently or intensely than considered usual; if they do not respond to the appropriate use of analgesics; whether they arise from a head injury; if headaches are preventing you from working, carrying out routine activities or sleeping. Stay alert, use common sense and don’t leave it until later to clarify your doubts regarding headaches.
