Headache is a common symptom that occurs to almost everyone in their lifetime. Headaches are mainly caused by irritation of pain-sensitive tissues in the head such as blood vessels, nerves and meninges. Headaches caused by stress, fatigue, alcohol consumption, etc. can subside naturally after rest.
Is a headache a brain pain?
Headaches are not brain pain. Problems with the brain can cause pain, but the brain itself does not feel pain. The brain registers pain from all parts of the body, but lacks the sensory nerves that can detect and transmit pain.
There are sensory nerves in and around various tissues, blood vessels and membranes in the head, and what we usually call headache is pain in the upper part of the head, from above the eyebrows to the lower part of the back of the head. The sensation of headache can be various, such as drilling pain, dull pain, swelling pain, throbbing pain, pins and needles pain, cutting pain, cracking pain, tightening pain, etc. In short, headache is a signal, and many diseases can cause headache, so it can be regarded as a signal for other diseases to occur.
This signal may be a benign signal, such as headache from excessive thinking, headache from work fatigue, headache from cold and flu, which reminds people to take proper rest; or it may be a precursor of some serious diseases, such as brain tumor, brain hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, meningitis, etc.
What environmental factors are likely to cause headache
Headache is a common and frequent disease, and its pathogenesis is also very complicated. Most patients come to the doctor with a variety of causes. In addition to certain pneumatic diseases such as brain tumors, encephalitis, cerebrovascular disease, cervical spondylosis, etc., more often they talk about certain external environmental factors, which have been regarded as risk factors for headache. The common environmental factors that cause headache are weather changes: sun glare, blowing wind, and cold stimulation can trigger headache. In China, the incidence of headache is significantly higher in spring and summer than in autumn and winter, which may be related to high temperature. Bad habits are also factors that trigger headache, such as irregular life, lack of sleep, stressful work and overuse of brain, all of which can easily cause headache. In addition, some people are addicted to a bad habit, such as smoking and drinking alcohol, which can also trigger headaches.
The working environment is also important. Some special occupations and working environments are more likely to cause headaches. For example, brain workers, who think about problems for a long time and are overly nervous, are prone to headaches. In addition, the incidence of headache is relatively high when people work for a long time in such an environment with high noise, too much light and odor stimulation. Excessive consumption of certain special foods such as chocolate, alcoholic beverages and cold drinks can also induce headaches. There are also social environment factors, such as social instability, lack of security in life and poor interpersonal relationship, which can cause people to be mentally depressed, tense and worried for a long time and induce headache. The incidence of headache will be reduced if we pay attention to avoiding the influence of these external environmental factors.
What should I do about persistent headache?
Headache is the most common and ordinary symptom in neurology, often caused by various reasons, such as high or low blood pressure; vascular spasm in the brain; cervical spine disease; blood stickiness; intracranial occupancy; intracranial inflammation, etc. General headache, which often presents as episodic, can be relieved with treatment. For persistent headache or acute headache that has never been seen before, it is recommended to visit the neurology department of the hospital to clarify the cause of the headache. The three most common types of headache are tension headache, migraine and neuralgic headache.
Tension headache is a recurrent headache that lasts from a few minutes to a few days each time. The typical symptom is a feeling of pressure and tightness, and the headache occurs on both sides of the head, and up to 90% of outpatient cases belong to tension headache. The actual mechanism of tension headache is still unclear, but it may be caused by mental or physical factors, which may lead to involuntary muscle tightening. Journalists, computer workers, secretaries, tailors, drivers and people who do not relax easily are more likely to have tension headaches. In addition to medication and emotional treatment, hot compresses and shoulder and neck exercises can also help.
Migraines can be broadly divided into two categories.
I. Migraine without aura: It is usually unilateral, throbbing, and recurrent, and daily activities will aggravate the headache, often accompanied by nausea, photophobia, and fear of noise, and lasts for 4 to 72 hours each time.
Aura migraine (also called typical migraine): Recurrent and preceded by aura symptoms, which usually occur gradually within 5 to 20 minutes and usually last no more than 60 minutes. The headache lasts about 4 to 72 hours and is accompanied by nausea and photophobia.
Neuralgic headache is a painful pain in the occipital nerve at the back of the neck, which is like an electric shock. Some migraines are caused by diet. This is because certain substances in food can change the chemical composition of the brain, causing abnormal changes in blood vessels and stimulating nerve endings. Women are naturally susceptible to the temptation of food, which is one of the reasons why migraines are more popular with women.
Solutions to diet-induced migraines.
Eat less cooked meat products, such as all kinds of ham, canned food, frozen food, etc. Because of the high content of MSG, aspartame and nitrites in these foods, they have the effect of triggering migraines. In addition, aged cheese, pickled food, salted fish also tend to cause migraine.
Eat more magnesium-rich foods. Research found that migraine patients have extremely low levels of magnesium in the blood. Therefore, migraine patients eat more magnesium-rich foods, such as beans, bananas, seafood, nuts; non-citrus fruits such as figs; green vegetables, especially broccoli, spinach, etc. can help reduce or alleviate migraine headaches.
Special attention.
A headache is sometimes a warning signal from the body. For an unexplained headache, you should see a physician immediately to receive a consultation and find out the exact cause; when the headache is accompanied by stiff neck and fever; or when the headache is sudden and severe, like one second it is fine and the next it is very painful, and accompanied by vomiting, stiff neck, and unconsciousness; or when the headache is accompanied by hemiplegia, weakness, and vomiting, not only should you see a physician, but also see a physician quickly; the former may be meningitis, the latter may be subarachnoid hemorrhage (especially in young people), and the last may be intracranial hemorrhage.
Another problem worth noting is the headache caused by chronic subdural hemorrhage. Its symptoms are as varied as a lady with a thousand faces. You should seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid danger.