Saturday 12th October
This week we are talking about headaches!
One of the most common things we hear people say is that “Oh, I only get the NORMAL headaches!”. But what is the normal? What do most people experience with headaches?
Most of us are familiar with some kind of headache in our lives. No matter what kind of headache you have, they can very quickly disrupt your day, if not longer. So, this week we thought we would discuss the most common headaches, to help you understand what you are feeling so you can take the right action.
There are many types of headaches, but the most common ones are tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches and migraines.
Tension headaches are usually described as a tight band around the head. The pain is often dull or pressure like. With these headaches, you may describe them as mild or moderate in pain level and may be able to associate them to some cause of stress or prolonged bad posture.
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache.
80% of the adult UK population have a tension type headache from time to time.
Cervicogenic headaches can be quite similar in pattern to tension headaches, with pain being dull and tight. However, more often the pain is one sided and there can be reduced range of motion in your neck.
The reason for these headaches is found in your neck or face. Issues with areas in your neck or face can cause pain to be felt in your head as a headache. The location of this pain can vary as there are lots of structures (eg. various muscles and joints) in the neck and face.
Migraines tend to be a more intense or severe type of head pain. The pain with migraines is normally described as deep pulsing or throbbing, and is more likely to be one sided. Often, these are associated with nausea, vomiting or light sensitivity.
1 in 5 people who suffer from migraines experience visual disturbances before the migraines, such as flashing lights or shimmering lights. This is called an aura and is usually 5-60 minutes before.
The duration of migraines is normally longer than other types of headaches, and can last days.
Everyday, more than 100,000 people are absent from school or work because of migraines.
If you experience tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches or migraines, here are some tips you can try to help relieve them:
Remember, while tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches and migraines are the most common, there are lots of other causes of headaches, such as:
Stress or anxiety, tiredness, poor posture, poor nutrition, too much sugar, too much caffeine or caffeine withdrawal, allergies, eye strain, headaches associated with menstruation and too much alcohol.
