What are the Causes of Headaches?

Headaches are one of the most common ailments that afflict most people. It is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head, including the back of the neck. Almost everybody has experienced occasional headaches, with a quite a number suffering from chronic or repeated headaches. Headaches have a wide range of causes ranging from simple eyestrain to life-threatening diseases such as encephalitis.

Common Causes of Headaches

Inflammation and head injuries are also two causes of headaches. However, many causes of headaches are still obscure. The causes of headache can be determined by identifying what type of headache a particular case is. The most common type of headache is tension headache.

Tension headaches are generally believed to be caused by the overcontraction of the muscles in the scalp and the back of the neck. Also known as tension-type headaches, these type of headache is characterized by pain radiating from the neck, back, eyes, and other muscle groups. Tension headaches are most common in people suffering from anxiety, stress and depression.

Meanwhile, vascular headaches are caused by blood vessel swelling or disturbance. Forms of vascular headache include cluster headache, migraine and toxic headache. A traction headache, which counts eye strain as one of its forms, is caused by distortion, stretching, displacement and moving of pain-sensitive structures in the brain. On the other hand, lesions and inflammations in the sinuses, spine, neck, ears and teeth cause inflammatory headaches.

Headaches – What Hurts?

Whenever we have a headache, there are several parts of the head that can hurt. These include the network of nerves extending over the scalp and some nerves in the face, mouth, throat and neck. The bones of the skull and the brain itself never hurt because they lack pain sensitive nerve fibers. Blood vessels found along the surface and at the base of the brain and muscles in the head are also sensitive to pain since they contain delicate nerve fibers.

When these pain-sensitive structures are stimulated by stress, muscular tension, and dilation of the blood vessels, the ends of these nerves, called nociceptors sends a message to the nerve cells in the brain and signals that that part of the body hurts. Headache can also be triggered by a number of factors. These include anger, muscle tension, missed meals, vigorous exercise and sexual excitement.

Other Causes of Headaches

For most people, headache is an illness by itself but for some it may be a symptom of a more serious health condition. Headache has the flowing underlying conditions and may occur simultaneous with: common cold, flu, fever, ear infection, tooth infection, sinus infection, pneumonia, measles, mumps and others. Lifestyle causes of headache include hangover, excessive alcohol, stress, and fatigue. Meanwhile, eye conditions are also common causes of headaches.

Stress and muscle tension account for majority headaches. Diet can also contribute to headaches since food such as caffeine, chocolate, cheeses, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and nuts cause headache in some people. Overworking, overexertion, clenching of the jaw, grinding of the teeth, lack of sleep and missing meals make people more susceptible to headaches.

Meanwhile, rare causes of headaches include brain aneurysm (or the weakening of the wall of a blood vessel in the brain that can rupture and bleed), tumors, stroke and serious brain infections such as meningitis and encephalitis. Most headaches gradually ease by itself, while mild headaches can be treated with over-the-counter drugs. Severe headaches require expert medical attention.