from woman&home magazine
Not all headaches are the same. Specialist Dr Anne MacGregor tells how to identify symptoms and treat them...
There's nothing more debilitating than a headache. But knowing what type you're suffering from will help you manage it more effectively or even prevent it from occuring in the first place.
Constant ache, tight neck muscles and pressure behind the eyes...
These are the classic symptoms nearly all of us will recognise and is the most common type of headache. Pain occurs on both sides of the head and usually happens no more than once or twice a month.
Triggers This is where the common experience ends and the personal factors take over. Dehydration, hunger, computer screen overload, lack of sleep or even humidity can bring on this type of headsche.
How to treat In the majority of cases, a headache is just the body's way of telling you something is wrong, so always try and address the cause. If you feel a headache coming on and you're dehydrated, have a glass of water immediately; equally, if you've not eaten all day, grab a quick sandwich. If you can't work out what the trigger was, you can resort to paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, which will eliminate the symptoms in around 20 minutes.
Excruciating, knife-like pain centred around one eye and lasting from 15 minutes up to three hours...
Known as the demon of headaches, these symptoms describe cluster headaches, which fortunately are rare. Although individual attacks last from 15 minutes to three hours, they occur in cluster of up to eight attacks a day and usually go on for around six to eight weeks. However, attack-free periods can last for months or even years.
Triggers Algohol can sometimes bring them on, but otherwise there are no known triggers. Cluster headaches do, however, tend to be seasonal which can differ with each individual, although there is no rational explanation for this occurrence.
How to treat With no known triggers, treatment has to be drug-related. Triptan is a prescription medication that constricts the blood vessels in the brain to relieve swelling, which is exactly what causes the pain.
A constant feeling of pressure or a tight band around the head...
Known as a tension headache, this is quite common and affects both side of the head, lasting anything from 30 minutes to a week.
Triggers This can be brought on by muscle tension, such as a sore neck from sitting at a computer for too long or stiff shoulders after a long drive. It can be a result of stress tension from not sleeping properly, missing meals or work stress.
How to treat Recognise your symptoms - if long drives bring on headaches, take regular breaks; if lack of sleep is your trigger, address that problem. Medication will alleviate the pain but will prop up the problem rather than treat it.
...Or is it a Migraine?
A migraine can last for anything from four to 72 hours and the average migraine sufferer has about one a month, which can be debilitating. If your headache stop you from getting on with your daily life, it could be a migraine ... you can find out more about migraine here ...
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