A headache may seem like a simple thing, but when it’s painful enough to keep you from going about your daily tasks, it is not only annoying, it can also get worrisome. After all, you might have heard about people getting tumors or anemia or any other serious ailment that causes headaches. But before you stress yourself out about a possible serious reason behind your headache, perhaps you can check out the following common causes and rule out your headache as being a temporary thing caused by any of these that should not be the reason for serious worry:
1. The first major reason for a headache is lack of sleep. You might not feel that you lack sleep, but sometimes, the quality of sleep might have to do about how you feel in the morning. Some people who snore tend to feel less well-rested. Meanwhile, going to sleep at past midnight also has been shown to give a lesser quality sleep than going to bed before the midnight hour, regardless of the total number of hours of sleep. Or, you might have had enough sleep this past night but have lacked sleep over the course of the past week; this can also contribute to a headache. Typically, these types of headache go away when you take a cup of coffee.
2. Another reason for a headache is the flu. Not only does it bring about coughs and colds, headaches and body aches may be part of it. If you have not yet noticed the beginnings of a cold, you might not be quick to discount the headache as caused by the flu virus, but once other symptoms show up, you can typically relax and realize it was part of the whole thing. These types of headaches, when caused by the flu virus, may be relieved by taking some rest, too.
3. A third reason for headaches, especially for women, is a change in hormone levels. This can happen just before, during, or after one’s period. Different women have different experiences with PMS, and sometimes, a woman may experience headaches even when she regularly does not have them during her period. Other hormonal changes include pregnancy and menopause. These headaches typically are not treated, except for menopause, wherein the woman may opt to have treatments to ease the discomfort. However, hormonal substitutes may actually contribute to more side effects than is wanted, so the headache may possibly be the lesser of two evils!
4. Hyperacidity may also cause headaches, along with dizziness and nausea. Although the link has not been that strongly established, it is proven that a healthy stomach contributes to a healthy overall body. Meanwhile, suffering from ulcers, hyperacidity, or any other digestive-related ailment may increase the chances of discomfort even in other parts of the body, including the head.
5. Another major cause of headaches is stress and worry. Now, this may be less tangible, but experts can show the link. Stress may come in the form of anger, fear, pressure, or even condemnation over things you have done wrong. Constant thinking of these worrisome things can cause severe headaches that do not seem to go away, even when you take pain killers. As such, these are the types of headaches that usually cause the greatest worry as well, creating an endless cycle of pain and anxiety. The solution for these types of headaches would be to deal with the root, that is, the emotional and mental processes that have led to it. If you can identify the stressant and get rid of it, well and good. In other cases, counsellors advise on focusing on happy thoughts. People who go to a Christian church find that their worry seems to dissolve when they hear a good preaching about how good God is to them, or when they listen to uplifting music.
As you can see, there are many other causes of headaches that do not include serious sicknesses like anemia or tumors. As such, it would be best that you rule these out before you jump the gun and worry yourself to a greater intensity of headaches. If it would give you peace of mind, it might be best to consult your doctor and have him check so he can tell you confidently that there is nothing wrong with you, so you can relax and kiss your headaches goodbye.
