What Is A Headache

One of the most common types of localized pain is a headache. This is characterized by pain in the head, upper neck or both. Many people suffer from frequent headaches and are worried they could mean sometime serious. Usually, headaches are easy to treat and are not serious. Before you can treat a headache, you must understand what type it is and what caused it.

What Causes Headaches

The tension headache is one of the most common types of headache. This feels like a tight band around the base of the head, or like a band is around the head. Their exact cause isn't known, but some doctors think they are caused by facial and neck muscles tightening. Recent research, however, suggests this may not be the cause at all. Another theory is they are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

Migraine headaches are another common form of headaches. They often have other side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sounds. Migraines can be caused by hormones, foods, not enough sleep or stress. Certain medications can be used to treat migraines.

Headaches can also be caused from low blood sugar or dehydration from not eating and drinking enough. Eye strain from watching television or working on a computer can also cause a headache.

Types of Headaches

Experts classify headaches into one of five categories. A vascular headache is caused from swollen blood vessels. A migraine is an example of a vascular headache. Tension headaches are classified as myogenic headaches. Pain caused by injury or trauma to the spine, head, or neck is called cervogenic head pain. This will go away as the injury heals.

More serious types of headaches are inflammatory and traction headaches. They could mean serious health conditions. Traction headaches are formed when nerve cells in brain are stretched due to a tumor or blood clot. Inflammatory headaches are caused by a few different diseases that affect the spine, neck, teeth, sinuses or ears.