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Headache help
Most of us experience a headache at some point in our lives. Discover more about the most common types of headache and how to prevent and treat them
An estimated eight million people in the UK suffer headaches severe enough to need six to nine days sick leave per year. Although it's easy to think of a headache as just a headache, The International Headache Society have defined thirteen different types of headache and facial pain, which can be further broken down into almost a hundred different types. It helps to identify which one afflicts you so you can take appropriate action. The most common are tension headaches, migraine and cluster headaches.
Tension headaches typically produce a steady ache rather than a throbbing pain and often feel like a severe, continuous pressure or a tight, constricting band over the top of the skull, over the back of the head or above both eyes. Tension-type headaches can occur at any age and are often linked with stress, poor posture, overwork and depression. This type of headache is linked with tension in neck and scalp muscles, affecting blood flow within the skull. For instant relief, try using 4head, (#5.95 and available from Boots and pharmacies), a menthol stick that you just swipe across your forehead. The cooling sensation often helps to relieve tension headache quickly. A back massage will also help.
Migraine affects as many as one in ten adults in the UK. Migraine is worse than a headache, and is often described as a full-blown attack. Symptoms often begin at puberty and cause recurrent attacks until middle age, when they often disappear. Unlike a tension headache, which is usually felt equally on both sides of the head, migraine is generally much worse on one side. Migraine pain often centres around one eye and may be accompanied by abdominal symptoms, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dislike of food, constipation or diarrhoea. Between ten and thirty per cent of people with migraine experience a warning 'aura' up to an hour before an attack, which may include visual problems such as shimmering or flashing lights, strange zigzag shapes or blind spots, numbness or tingling on one side of the face and, sometimes, speech difficulties. The exact cause of migraine is not fully understood, but symptoms are believed to be linked to the lack of a chemical called serotonin in the brain, causing blood vessels to widen and congesting nerve tissues.
Some researchers believe that everyone has the capacity to suffer from migraine, but that those who experience symptoms have a lower threshold at which an attack is triggered. Migraine is three times more common in women than men, and symptoms often start at puberty, suggesting that sex hormones such as oestrogen are involved. Other factors linked with migraine include tiredness, fatigue, stress and certain foods such as cheese, alcohol (especially red wine), chocolate, caffeine or artificial sweeteners. If you think you may be suffering from migraines, try to work out what factors trigger your attacks and, where possible, avoid them.
An estimated eight million people in the UK suffer headaches severe enough to need six to nine days sick leave per year. Although it's easy to think of a headache as just a headache, The International Headache Society have defined thirteen different types of headache and facial pain, which can be further broken down into almost a hundred different types. It helps to identify which one afflicts you so you can take appropriate action. The most common are tension headaches, migraine and cluster headaches.
Tension headaches typically produce a steady ache rather than a throbbing pain and often feel like a severe, continuous pressure or a tight, constricting band over the top of the skull, over the back of the head or above both eyes. Tension-type headaches can occur at any age and are often linked with stress, poor posture, overwork and depression. This type of headache is linked with tension in neck and scalp muscles, affecting blood flow within the skull. For instant relief, try using 4head, (#5.95 and available from Boots and pharmacies), a menthol stick that you just swipe across your forehead. The cooling sensation often helps to relieve tension headache quickly. A back massage will also help.
Migraine affects as many as one in ten adults in the UK. Migraine is worse than a headache, and is often described as a full-blown attack. Symptoms often begin at puberty and cause recurrent attacks until middle age, when they often disappear. Unlike a tension headache, which is usually felt equally on both sides of the head, migraine is generally much worse on one side. Migraine pain often centres around one eye and may be accompanied by abdominal symptoms, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dislike of food, constipation or diarrhoea. Between ten and thirty per cent of people with migraine experience a warning 'aura' up to an hour before an attack, which may include visual problems such as shimmering or flashing lights, strange zigzag shapes or blind spots, numbness or tingling on one side of the face and, sometimes, speech difficulties. The exact cause of migraine is not fully understood, but symptoms are believed to be linked to the lack of a chemical called serotonin in the brain, causing blood vessels to widen and congesting nerve tissues.
Some researchers believe that everyone has the capacity to suffer from migraine, but that those who experience symptoms have a lower threshold at which an attack is triggered. Migraine is three times more common in women than men, and symptoms often start at puberty, suggesting that sex hormones such as oestrogen are involved. Other factors linked with migraine include tiredness, fatigue, stress and certain foods such as cheese, alcohol (especially red wine), chocolate, caffeine or artificial sweeteners. If you think you may be suffering from migraines, try to work out what factors trigger your attacks and, where possible, avoid them.
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that of a child, please consult your family's health provider
immediately and do not wait for a response from our
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iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB