The right headache: causes and ways to overcome it

Have you ever had a right-sided headache? Headaches on this side can be caused by a variety of things, from the effects of daily activities to certain medical conditions. However, even though there are various causes of headaches on the right, there is no need to worry, because there are also many ways to overcome them. Check out the full explanation of the causes, drug choices, and how to quickly deal with headaches right here.

Various causes of headaches right

Almost everyone, maybe including you, has had a headache on the right side at least once in their life. However, the causes of headaches for each person may differ from one another. Here are a few possibilities:

1. Lifestyle factors

Headaches are generally caused by conditions other than problems with the structure of the skull or head that stimulate the nerves to be more sensitive to pain.

This means that your headaches are likely a manifestation of your lifestyle and daily activities, such as:

• Fatigue.
• Eat late or skip meals.
• Neck muscle problems.
• Pengar alias hangover (not feeling well after drinking alcohol).
• Dehydration.
• Bad posture.
• Irregular sleep schedule; sleeping too long or rarely getting enough sleep (staying up late).
• Too long to heat up in the sun.
• Too long staring at the gadget screen.

2. Infections and allergies

Sinus infections (sinusitis) and allergies are two conditions that can cause right-sided headaches. However, the headaches you experience are not caused by sinusitis, but inflammation of the sinus passages. This condition can cause pressure and pain behind your cheekbones and forehead.

3. Too often take headache medicine

When the head hurts, taking headache medication is always the main solution that can quickly overcome this condition. However, long-term use of headache medications can actually cause it rebound headache.

Rebound headache included in the secondary types of headaches, namely headaches that occur as a result of using drugs to relieve headaches excessively. If you experience it, the headache on the right tends to get worse when you wake up from sleep.

4. Stress

The body reads your stress as a threat. So to protect yourself, your body will release a large number of stress hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. The release of these hormone molecules can trigger headaches.

Stress headaches that appear on the right can be felt for 30 minutes and even more than 7 days. The pain usually subsides gradually once you get rid of the stressor.

Stress headaches are characterized by a dull pain that feels pressing and binding on the head and that spreads over the head, but does not throb. This symptom is often followed by the sensation of a muscle in the back of the neck being pulled or tense.

5. Tension headaches

Pain in the right side of the head can also be caused by tension headaches (tension headache). This type of headache is one of the most common types of headaches.

Most people experience this condition due to stress or emotional stress in their daily life. Others experience tension headaches, due to the tight muscles in the back of the neck and scalp.

This headache will produce a sensation like the head is being pressed by a heavy object or being tightly wrapped with a rubber band. Not only that, your body will feel sore on the shoulders that spreads to the neck and head, dizziness, and even make you lose your appetite.

Generally, someone who often experiences tension headaches for a long time, about 30 minutes. In fact, tension headaches on the right can continue for up to a week.

6. Migraine

Migraine headaches often feel throbbing and are only concentrated on one side of the head, for example the right. In addition, headaches due to migraines can be made worse by the physical activity you do.

For example, going up and down stairs or being exposed to bright lights and loud sounds. In addition, migraine headaches that may appear on the right side of the head can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

7. Trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as tic doloureux is one of the causes of right-sided headaches. Trigeminal neuralgia is a disorder that causes pain in the trigeminal nerve. These nerves are the main nerves on the face which are located at the temples.

This problem is classified as rare, but if you already have it, this condition will tend to lead to chronic conditions. This disease triggers severe pain and can cause loss of energy.

If you have a headache on the right side, you will feel heavier pressure on the right. If the headache condition is chronic, you can sometimes feel a sudden burning sensation and pain in the face for several minutes.

Symptoms can last for days, weeks, or months and can disappear over a period of months or years

This condition if not treated immediately can weaken the whole body of the sufferer. Trigeminal neuralgia can weaken blood vessels in the brain stem, and can have an impact on stroke conditions.

8. Temporalis arteritis

Temporalis arteritis is also one of the causes of right-sided headaches. Atheritis temporalis is also called giant cell artery disease or Horton's disease.

This occurs when there is an inflammatory condition and damage to the arteries that carry blood flow to the brain. This condition is also often associated with serious infections that cause immune deficiency in the upper brain stem cells, even leading to sudden blindness.

Temporalis artery generally affects people aged 50 years and over. However, it is not uncommon for younger ages to experience it.

A biopsy of the temporal artery is required to diagnose this condition.

9. Occipital neuralgia

There are two occipital nerves in the upper cervical spine that run from the muscles to your scalp. Irritation of one of these nerves can cause pain from pressure or tingling.

Often the pain will only be on one side of your head. Therefore, this condition can cause headaches on the right only or on the left alone.

Signs and symptoms of right-sided headache

Depending on the type of headache and where it hurts, symptoms can vary as follows:

Some of the common symptoms of tension headaches are:

• The pain ranges from mild to moderate.
• The pain affects the entire head.
• The pain lasts all day.
• Headache when waking up or getting up from a sleep position.
• Fatigue.
• Trouble concentrating.
• Slightly sensitive to glare and loud sounds.
• Pain in muscles.

Some of the common symptoms of right-sided headaches due to migraines are:

• The pain ranges from moderate to severe.
• Blurred vision.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Stomach ache.
• Loss of appetite.
• Blind spots (The 'blind spot' in your vision).
• Pale skin.
• Constant and severe pain, burning and prickling on one side of the head.
• The pain is located behind one eye or eye area and does not change sides.
• The pain subsided gradually within a day and recurred on the same day.

There may be signs and symptoms of a right-sided headache not listed above. If you have concerns about a particular symptom, consult your doctor.

When to see a doctor

You should seek medical attention immediately if the right headache worsens. Quoted from the Cleveland Clinic, headaches on one side can indicate different things. You need to know how long the pain has been going on or if it comes and goes.

It is important to find out further conditions in order to avoid secondary causes. If you experience other symptoms accompanying a headache on the right, such as a rash on the neck and forehead, or a headache that makes the neck stiff so it is difficult to move.

You should also contact the nearest doctor if you experience the following headache symptoms:

• Headaches that make the body weak.
• Sudden vision loss.
• Headache causes double vision.
• Messing up to moan in pain.
• Pain near the ears and eyes.
• The head hurts a lot when moving or when coughing.

The way doctors diagnose right-sided headaches

Make an appointment to see your doctor if you experience changes in the frequency or severity of the right-sided headache you feel. When you go to see a doctor at the hospital, the doctor will do a physical exam first. In addition, the doctor will also ask about your medical history and any symptoms that appear.

The doctor, then, will run different tests to confirm the diagnosis of any right-sided headache that you feel. The tests that may be done include:

• Blood tests that look for infections of the spinal cord or brain, toxins, or blood vessel problems.
• CT cranial scans, to get a cross-sectional view of your brain, which can help diagnose infections, tumors, bleeding in the brain, and brain damage.
• MRI screening test of the head. This test describes a breakdown of the blood vessels and brain, including abnormalities in the brain and nervous system, bleeding in the brain, strokes, problems with blood vessels, and infections.

Choice of drugs to treat headaches right

The most common way to deal with right-sided headaches is to take over-the-counter drugs. This means that you do not need to use a prescription from a doctor if you want to buy medicine to treat the right headache.

Most pain that feels in the right side of the head can be helped by taking pain relievers. Here are some drugs that may be used to treat headaches, such as:

• Aspirin.
• Naproxen (Aleve).
• Paracetamol (Tylenol).
• Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).

However, these drugs should not be used in excess. Using over-the-counter medications too often can cause rebound or headaches caused by painkillers.

These types of headaches are difficult to treat and can occur if you are already dependent on drugs that cause pain when the effects of the drugs wear off.

How to quickly deal with the right headaches

When the cause of headaches on the right comes, there are some of you who are reluctant to take medication continuously. Therefore, try natural headache remedies before rushing to take medication to relieve the right headache:

1. Rest in a dark room

If a right-sided headache appears while you are on the move, immediately find a place to lie down or just to sit down. Try to rest in a quiet room and a bit dark.

Avoid noise from the surrounding environment. Calm down and try to relax your head and shoulders. This may be effective in reducing pain in the right side of the head.

2. Relaxation

You can also do relaxation as a way to relieve headaches on the right. If you usually meditate, you can use meditation techniques to relieve headaches on the right.

Close your eyes and catch your breath. Imagine if you were in your favorite comfortable place and the headache on the right faded away.

3. Compress

Another way to relieve headaches that you feel can be by doing cold compresses and hot compresses.

Try compressing the forehead and back of your neck using a warm cloth. This will help improve blood circulation and relax tight muscles. After that, continue by compressing the part with a cold compress.

You can use several ice cubes wrapped in a handkerchief. This cool effect will shrink the blood vessels. When the blood vessels shrink, the pressure on the sensitive nerves that causes the right side of the head to feel pain decreases.

4. Massage lightly

You can try massaging the affected area using your index finger and thumb. Give constant light massage for 7-15 seconds, then release. Repeat again until you feel the pain in the right side of the head lessens.

Try getting someone else to massage your head, neck, and shoulders. This you can do to relieve headaches.

Ask to massage with the right pressure, because if it's too slow it won't relax tense muscles, but if it's too hard it will increase your headache.

5. Eat

Lowered blood sugar levels can cause headaches, including on the right side of the head. Try eating a soft snack or drinking warm sweet tea first. Alternatively, you can eat a number of foods that can relieve headaches.

Always try to eat on time to avoid right-sided headaches caused by lowering blood sugar levels.

6. Stretch

The headache on the right side that you feel may be caused by the tension in the muscles in the shoulders and neck. This tension can result from stress, fatigue, or sitting in the same position for too long.

If this is the cause of your headache, you can do simple stretches such as bending your head to one side and then slowly rotating it downwards in a semicircle. Then, let your chin touch your chest. You can repeat to the opposite side.

7. Don't forget to drink water

One sign of dehydration is a headache which you can also feel on the right. If the headache on the right is accompanied by thirst, dry mouth, excessive tiredness, and frequent urination, try drinking a glass of water.

After the right headache has subsided, try to find out what caused it. You may be eating late, drinking less, stressing, or sitting in an uncomfortable position for too long. These things are usually the cause of tension headache.

By knowing the cause of the right headache in advance and how to deal with it, you can prevent it from coming back in the future.