Common Headaches: Migraine, Cluster and Tension
Headaches are very common throughout the world and nearly everyone in the world has had one growing up. Some headaches can be very severe and thus detrimental to one’s life affecting their ability to work and making them incur a lot of costs looking for treatment. Some common forms of headache include:
Migraine is the second most common form of headaches according to studies. It is a pain that occurs repeatedly affecting only one side of the head and may last for four to seventy-two hours during which it can happen in a series of separate headaches. It can be triggered if an individual is light sensitive, sound sensitive or smell sensitive (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). Other symptoms may include vomiting and nausea. The individual experiencing migraine may choose to stay in a quiet room where there is darkness. The evaluation of migraines involves looking at the symptoms of the patient if there are other cases in the lineage of the patient and physical and neural tests. If the migraine condition is strange, new, complicated or very severe tests will be carried out to establish if there is a possibility of other causes. The common treatment for migraine patients is medication which can be designed to reduce how severe the migraine is or how frequent it keeps occurring. This medication is taken following regular intervals and acts to prevent the migraine. Medication can also be given to be taken once an attack occurs so as to halt a certain symptom. This medication acts to relieve the pain.
Cluster headaches are ranked among the most painful forms of headache. They are similar to migraines in that they occur repeatedly and affect one side of the head. They, however, differ in the duration as cluster headaches can last even years. The headaches attack frequently for many weeks or even months and then they stop. Once they stop they can stay even for years without attacking again. Thankfully, cluster headaches are not common and cannot easily result in death. Some symptoms include intense aching around one eye that can later be felt on the patient’s face, head and neck, sweating on the affected side only, the skin may also become pale (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). Cluster headaches are evaluated based on how the patient will describe the attacks including the organ in which they feel pain and how severe it is. Other related symptoms are also monitored. How often the attacks occur and the duration they last once they occur is also vital. The doctor can also carry out tests to be sure that there is no other serious cause of the headache such as a tumour. Cluster headaches do not have a cure and thus any medication is aimed at bringing down the degree of severity or decreasing the frequency of attacks.
My personal strategy which I have been using since I was a kid is to make sure I am in a place there is sufficient supply of oxygen. Breathing in oxygen in huge gasps would work wonders in reducing the severity. Practising a healthy lifestyle can also help suppress headaches. Ensuring one has enough sleep daily, exercising the body and avoiding the introduction of intoxicants to the body.
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2019). Headaches. Cleveland Clinic.