Table of contents:
- The mechanism of the headache
- Primary causes of headaches
- Too often consuming alcohol
- Food
- Poor sleep patterns
- Bad posture
- Skipping meals
- Stress
- Angry
- Smoke
- Causes of secondary headaches
- Take headache medicine too often
- Dehydration
- Various triggers or other causes of headaches
- Changes in the weather
- Staring at the gadget screen
- Too long in the sun
- Weight
Headaches are a common pain complaint and can happen to anyone. Almost everyone in the world, including you, has had the symptoms of a headache at least once in their life. Although almost all have felt, the causes of the headaches that occur may be different. So, what causes headaches?
The mechanism of the headache
Headaches are caused by activating the painful nerves in your head. This activation of pain nerves can occur due to chemical activity in the brain, problems with certain structures or parts of your head, disorders in other parts of your body, or a combination of these factors. Meanwhile, reported by the Better Health Channel, the structures or parts of the head that often experience problems include:
- Muscles and scalp.
- Head and neck nerves.
- Arterial blood vessels leading to the brain.
- The lining of the ears, nose and throat.
- The sinuses, which are air-filled cavities in the head and are part of the respiratory system.
Sometimes, parts of the head experience inflammation, irritation, tension, or other changes that stimulate or press on the surrounding nerves. These nerves then send pain messages to the brain, and eventually headaches develop.
Changes in these parts of the head can be triggered by various things. The triggers that cause these headaches can differ from person to person, depending on the type of headache being experienced.
Broadly speaking, headaches are divided into two types, namely primary headaches and secondary headaches. Then, what are the causes of headaches based on these types? Here is the full explanation.
Primary causes of headaches
Some types of primary headaches include cluster headaches, tension headaches (tension headache), migraines, and hypnic headaches.
Primary headaches are usually caused by activity of hormones produced by the brain, problems with the nerves or blood vessels that surround the skull, or disorders of the head and neck muscles. This type of headache is not a sign or symptom of a particular disease or disorder in the body.
In this type, genetic factors may be a contributing factor. In addition, an unhealthy lifestyle can also trigger this type of headache. Here are some lifestyles that can trigger or cause primary headaches:
Alcohol can trigger headaches immediately or after prolonged drinking. This is because ethanol (the main ingredient in alcohol) is a natural diuretic that causes the body to lose important salts, vitamins and minerals. As a result, the body becomes dehydrated and the chemicals in the brain can get out of balance, which can lead to headaches for hours or days.
Too often consuming alcohol can cause certain types of pimer headaches, namely migraines and cluster headaches (headaches). Patients with both types of headaches can recur if they consume alcohol even in small amounts.
Smoked foods (including smoked and processed meats), pickled, dried, or foods that have been heated several times, contain certain chemicals that can cause headaches, especially those that appear right after eating. Cheese, turkey, and dark chocolate (dark chocolate) also contain chemicals that can cause headaches in some people, especially as a cause of migraines.
In addition, some people can also be sensitive or prone to headaches when eating certain foods. The Cleveland Clinic says that several foods and drinks that are often reported as triggers for headaches, namely nuts, onions, avocado, yogurt, canned food, caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea), foods containing artificial sweeteners or MSG, and so on. other.
Not only that, headaches can also be triggered by drinks that are too cold, such as ice water or ice cream. Headaches occur when a cold temperature suddenly touches the roof of your mouth and back of your throat. However, keep in mind, not everyone is sensitive to these foods, because it's important to recognize the triggers for headaches in yourself.
An irregular sleep schedule can be one of the causes of headaches. Many people "respond" to staying up late during the week by waking up late during the weekend. Secretly, this could be one of the causes of your frequent recurrent headaches.
Irregular waking and going to bed schedules can disrupt the body's circadian rhythm which then causes headaches that appear suddenly. Therefore, it's best to stay awake at the same time every day, including weekends to keep your circadian rhythm consistent.
Poor posture can be the cause of headaches, especially tension headaches. Slouching postures when standing or sitting for long periods of time can cause the muscles around your neck, upper back, and shoulders to become stretched and tensed.
A headache due to muscle tension is usually a throbbing pain at the base of the skull. Therefore, you must be able to get used to applying good posture.
Skipping meals, including too strict a diet, can also be a contributing factor to headaches. The reason is, this can cause your blood sugar levels to drop too low so that headaches can occur. In addition, low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) can also occur due to several other things related to dietary changes, such as eating high-sugar foods or fasting.
The most common trigger for headaches is stress, especially tension headaches. In this condition, the brain releases certain chemicals that cause changes in your blood vessels.
Over time, this condition can lead to anxiety, anxiety, depression, or mental fatigue, all of which can lead to headaches. In addition, stress can also cause sleep disturbances which can also be a trigger for one head.
When you are angry, the muscles at the back of your neck and scalp tighten, causing a sensation like a tight band wrapped around your head. This sensation is a sign that you are experiencing headaches, especially tension headaches.
Smoking is also a bad lifestyle that can trigger headaches, both in smokers and nonsmokers. Nicotine, a substance found in tobacco, is said to be the cause of primary headaches, especially cluster headaches and migraines. Bahlan, smoking can also increase the risk of stroke in migraine sufferers.
Causes of secondary headaches
Secondary headaches are generally a symptom of another health condition that stimulates the nerves to be more sensitive to pain. This means that these headaches can initially be caused by conditions other than problems with the structure of the skull or head.
There are many health conditions that can cause headaches, namely:
- Sinus infection.
- Glaucoma.
- Influenza (flu).
- Stroke.
- Blood clotting.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Brain tumor.
- High blood pressure.
- Head injury.
- Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).
- Meningitis.
- Ear infection.
- Teeth problems.
- Brain aneurysm.
- Mental disorders, such as depression or anxiety disorders.
In addition, the secondary head can be triggered by a number of other external factors that are not a problem due to certain diseases, such as:
Excessive use of headache medications can actually have a boomerang effect. This condition is called a headache rebound, which usually starts in the morning and lasts throughout the day. It can also cause other symptoms such as neck pain, restlessness, nasal congestion and sleep disturbances.
Dehydration is a condition when the body doesn't have enough fluid intake. This causes the brain to contract due to lack of oxygen, causing pain. Dehydration is also a cause of headaches in fasting people and can occur in various areas of the head, including headaches back, front, or all parts.
Various triggers or other causes of headaches
Apart from the causes above, other factors, including the environment, can also trigger headaches. Here are some of these factors:
For some people, changes in weather, including cold weather, rain, or increased temperatures, can cause headaches. The reason is that changes in weather can cause an imbalance of chemicals, including serotonin and electricity in the brain, which can irritate nerves and cause headaches.
Apart from cold weather, cold water that you use for showering or shampooing can also cause headaches. When your hair is wet from exposure to cold water, your brain thinks that your body is being attacked by hypothermia. As a result, the same headache symptoms appear in people with sinus infections.
Staring at a computer screen, television, tablet, cellphone, or video game for a long time can cause headaches. The reason is, this habit can cause the body to be tired and tense, including tired eyes. As for these things are factors in the occurrence of headaches.
Activities too long in the hot sun can directly cause headaches. In fact, seeing the glare of the sun or just its reflection can trigger headaches for some people.
This is because the reflected bright light into the eye stimulates the work of the thalamus, the part of the brain that sends pain signals to your body to cause pain.
The weight factor that is not ideal seems to be the cause of headaches. Based on a study published in the journal Neurology, someone who is overweight (obese) or less likely to experience headaches, especially migraines. This is believed to be due to a factor in the release of chemicals by the fat tissue.
In other studies, it was stated that obesity can also be a factor in triggering general types of headaches, including tension headaches and secondary headaches.
