Headaches are a part of everyday life and they happen to almost all of us. If you often suffer from headaches you’ve probably heard the best trick to alleviate the pain fast. Eat one banana and drink plenty of water and the pain will quickly go away.
Even though this trick is really effective, in some cases it just doesn’t help and we’re left with a pulsating headache, unable to do anything about it. Maybe you haven’t heard but there are different types of headaches which can all have different symptoms and be connected to different issues. That’s way there is no universal cure for all types, you must first determine from which you suffer so that you can get proper treatment.
Sometimes headaches happen as a result of fatigue or dehydration, but sometimes they can be a result of something very serious.
According to the famous neurologist, Dr. Sakib Qureshi MD, headaches may often be manifested by “red light warning signals”, which is why you have to learn how to differentiate between common headaches and the alarming ones.
Next time you feel a headache coming don’t take a pill right away; you should first check if it signalizes another health issue.
The most common types of headaches are four and all of them indicate something about the body. If you learn their signals, you will effectively learn to treat them properly.
In addition to learning how to distinguish the 4 most common types of headaches, we’ll share with you some homemade remedies which will help you with each of them and you won’t have to take painkillers anymore.
- Sinus Headache
In the case of a sinus inflammation, you may experience a sinus headache, which causes severe pain. These headaches are a result of an infection, and may lead to a pressure felt on the cheeks, forehead and eyes, as well as a fever.
Treatment: Try to consume as many fluids as possible. You may benefit a lot from the use of warm water as it effectively reduces the inflammation and opens the sinuses.
Moreover, consume a few oranges, some foods high in vitamin C or drink a lemon green tea, as vitamin C is high in antioxidants and helps the body to fight infections.
Also, you can try to apply hot and cold compresses, reduce the pain by eating a warm soup, or a fresh ginger, as it has powerful pain-reducing and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Tension Headache
This is the most common headache type, which is manifested by a constant pain or pressure around the head, particularly in the back of the head and the neck, or at the temples.
Moreover, it may also cause a radiating pain below or above the eye area. It may often lead to vomiting or nausea. It is believed to be a result of a stress, which leads to the contraction of the muscles of the scalp and neck.
Treatment: Combine ginger tea and peppermint oil in order to successfully reduce the pain. Add peppermint oil to the hairline in order to cause a cooling sensation in order to relax the head and neck muscles. Also, ginger tea will alleviate the inflammation.
- Cluster Headache
This headache may appear over one eye, and it mostly affects women. It is often recurring, and may occur in a cycle or in a group. It appears suddenly and leads to a severe pain on one head side. In this case, you may often experience a nasal congestion, a rainy nose or a watery eye. Its cause cannot be stated, but it occurs as soon as certain nerve pathway is activated in the brain’s base.
Treatment: Capsaicin cream includes an active ingredient, cayenne pepper. A small amount of it applied to the nostril will cause a blockade of the nerve pain signals.
- Migraine
Migraines most commonly occur between the ages of 25 and 55, but they can be experienced regardless of the age. 38 million of people in America suffer from migraines.
This headache type is much more complicated than an ordinary headache, as it includes numerous different neurological symptoms. Migraines are manifested by an intense, severe, throbbing pain on one head side. In one-third of the migraine attacks, this pain occurs on both sides of the head.
The pain is combined with other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, dizziness, extreme sensitivity to light, smell, sound, touch, as well as numbness or tingling in the face. The symptoms radiate from the top of the head downward.
Treatment: It has been shown that numerous migraine patients benefit from the use of vitamin B12 (riboflavin), magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.
Include sufficient amounts of them in the diet in order to prevent migraines. Furthermore, according to a study conducted in 2011, aerobic exercise can be effective in preventing these headaches as the preventative migraine medication topiramate.