Headaches are common and can occur for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, they are harmless and go away on their own within a few hours or a day. Most commonly, headaches are caused by stress, anxiety, tension, lack of sleep, dehydration, vision problems, infection and more.
Getting rid of recurrent headache problems in the long term requires getting to the root cause. Fascia therapy can be part of that treatment. It aims to improve the flow in the fascia, to restore mobility between different structures and to bring the body back into balance as far as possible.
What are headaches?
Headaches are common and can occur for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, they are harmless and go away on their own within a few hours or a day. The most common underlying causes of headaches are stress, anxiety, tension, lack of sleep, dehydration, vision problems, infection and more. However, there may be serious underlying causes of the headache such as a stroke, tumor, meningitis or a blow to the head.
When headaches come on suddenly, are very severe, are prolonged or recur frequently, medical attention should be sought to rule out serious underlying diseases. If the headache is accompanied by high fever and dizziness, you should seek urgent medical attention.
Different types of headaches
Headaches are very common and are usually harmless. Some people suffer frequently while others rarely get headaches. Women are also more likely to have frequent headaches than men. Headaches usually go away on their own or with the help of some type of over-the-counter medicine. However, it should be noted that too frequent use of medicines, in itself, can also cause headaches.
- Headaches can be divided into different types depending on their cause:
- Tension headache
- migraine
- Other headaches
- Illness
- Mental health
- Jaw problems
- Pharmaceuticals
Symptoms of headaches?
Headaches are different types of pain in the head and can vary in intensity, how often and when they occur, where in the head they are located, how long they last and more. The pain can be sharp and can also cause nausea. It also often makes you extra sensitive to light and sound. It can be experienced as a pressing band around the head, like the head is too tight. Sometimes it can be pulsating and throbbing.
You may wake up with a headache, or it may come on during the day, gradually or suddenly. It may get worse with exertion, but it can often be relieved or disappear with physical activity, such as a walk in nature.
What causes headaches?
There are a variety of causes of headaches. Often it is our lifestyle, how we behave and what we do that triggers the headache. Common harmless causes that can trigger headaches are:
Stress and anxiety, depression
Poor posture, poor working position can, for example, compress the chest and thus the lungs, making breathing more difficult
- Tension, especially in the jaw, neck, shoulders and thoracic spine
- Infections such as colds and flu
- Vision problems, glasses should be checked regularly
- Printing too little
- Have not eaten
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Too much or too little coffee (withdrawal)
- Clenching or grinding teeth while sleeping, clenching jaws due to stress
- Medication, for example too many aspirin or withdrawal after stopping medication
- Pregnancy, severe hormonal changes and even stress
- anaemia
There are also serious causes of headaches, although less common, such as stroke, brain tumor and meningitis, which require immediate medical attention.
When and where should I seek treatment for headaches?
Most commonly, temporary headaches go away on their own and do not require treatment. If the headache lasts for a long time, up to a week, or if it is recurrent or very severe, medical attention should be sought to investigate the cause and rule out any serious background. Sudden, severe headaches that are not recognized should also be investigated urgently by a doctor, as should blows to the head.
The most common causes, which are due to lifestyle, for example, have to be addressed by the individual. With treatment at a Fascia Clinic, you can get help to release tension in, for example, the neck and shoulders, but also to balance the body so that posture and balance are optimized. This in turn improves breathing, calms the nervous system and optimizes oxygenation of the body. The treatment can help reduce stress and anxiety, which is one of the most common causes of headaches.
How are headaches treated?
Taking over-the-counter painkillers for headaches is common but may not be an optimal solution as it removes the symptoms but does not address the cause. Migraines usually require special prescription medication, but the same is true there as it takes away the pain but not the cause of the migraine.
Getting rid of recurring headache problems in the long term requires getting to the bottom of the cause. Is it a headache that requires medical attention or can it be addressed by getting the body in balance and a change in lifestyle.
Fascia therapy can be part of that treatment. It aims to improve the flow in the fascia, to restore mobility between different structures and, as far as possible, to bring the body back into balance. The treatment is usually perceived as very pleasant and has a relaxing and calming effect on the nervous system and more.
Most often, it is also necessary to work with relaxation exercises and, above all, learn to breathe deeply so that the diaphragm is affected, which favors flow in the fascia, blood circulation, lymph flow and the autonomic nervous system. This is especially true for tension headaches and migraines.
Headaches – What can I do?
Think about the situation in which the headache occurs, in which contexts? If the headache occurs frequently, write down and log when it occurs and what happened in the time before. This is a good thing to do to try to eliminate things that cause it to occur. Was it a stressful situation, how has sleep been, certain types of food, etc?
Relaxation exercises with deep breathing are always good! A walk in nature is good if it works for the specific situation, if the headache is too severe it may not be possible to walk.
Headaches – Frequently asked questions and answers
Major change in the body’s hormonal balance. May be extra anxious and stressed, sleep poorly. Difficulty eating if you feel sick.
A brain tumor usually causes more symptoms than just headaches. It usually also causes dizziness and nausea. It can cause different neurological symptoms depending on where it is located, for example, affecting speech, vision, hearing or balance, and even paralysis. The neurological problems are usually insidious as the tumor grows.
It can also affect personality, causing seizures or major epileptic fits.
For example, it may be due to a sinus infection or other infection.
Horton’s headache usually comes at night. Stress and teeth grinding/clenching also often occur when lying/sleeping.
Usually in one side of the head or behind one eye but can also be bilateral. Usually an intense, pulsating headache that gets worse with exertion.