How do headaches occur?

If you experience migraines, you are not alone. Numerous children experience migraines occasionally.

Let's learn more about migraines so we can help you feel better.

How do headaches occur?

A headache is not a pain in your skull, despite how it may feel. While it cannot truly feel pain, your brain can alert you when other parts of your body are in discomfort. The nerves, blood vessels, and muscles that surround a person's head and neck are where most headaches originate. The muscles or blood vessels may occasionally expand, causing them to grow in size.

Additionally, they have the capacity to contract or experience other changes that pressurize or activate the nearby nerves. You get a headache as a result of the neurons flooding your brain with pain signals.

What Sorts of Headaches Exist?

Tension, or muscle-contraction, headaches are the most typical form of headache. This occurs as a result of overly tight head or neck muscles that are under tension. This type of headache typically causes dull, continuous discomfort. You might experience a pressing or squeezing sensation on either the front, back, or both sides of your cranium.

A migraine is a distinct type of headache that is characterized by particularly intense, throbbing pain (say: MY-grayne). Even in children, migraine headaches do not occur as frequently as tension headaches, but they are still possible. Sometimes the individual experiences wavy lines or bright spots of light right before a migraine. This is known as an atmosphere (say: AWR-uh). Additionally, children who experience headaches frequently feel queasy and occasionally vomit.

Why do headaches occur?

Sometimes a headache is only a symptom of another condition, such as the flu, the common cold, or sore throat. The headache also grows better as you recover.

In the absence of illness, other causes may result in a headache. For instance, staying up too late, skipping a meal, or spending too much time in the hot weather can all cause headaches.

Headaches can also be brought on by excitement for a particular occasion or worry about something (like an upcoming exam at school). Some children experience headaches while traveling by vehicle or bus, while using a computer or TV for an extended period of time, or from straining their eyes.

A headache can be triggered by strong smells like perfume, smoke, fumes, or the aroma of a new vehicle or carpet.

Some foods, including bacon, bologna, and hot dogs, can give some children migraines. Additionally, migraines from caffeine in sodas, chocolate, coffee, and tea are possible. Caffeine shouldn't be consumed in excess by children because they don't need it.

There are times when no one understands why a child gets headaches, but if you do, there's a good chance someone else in your family does as well. Headaches are frequently hereditary traits. In other terms, it's a family thing.

Congestion Support

The majority of headaches will go gone after some rest or sleep. The moment you get one, you should inform an adult so that they can assist you. Close your eyes as you lie down in a calm, peaceful, and dark space. Put a cool, damp cloth over your eyes or temples. Relax. Take slow, easy breaths.

You can receive painkillers from an adult, such as acetaminophen (say: uh-see-tuh-MIH-nuh-fun) or aspirin (say: i-byoo-PROfun). You should refrain from taking aspirin to treat a headache because it could result in Reye syndrome, an uncommon but serious condition (say: RYE SIN-drome).

When Should I Visit a Physician?

Rarely do headaches indicate anything severe. In children, headache triggers like consuming particular foods, experiencing tension, or lacking sufficient sleep are much more probable causes of headaches. Sometimes there is no apparent cause at all.

However, there are some circumstances in which your parents should discuss your migraines with a doctor:

when a headache is especially painful,
when it doesn't go away quickly,
when it happens after an injury, like hitting your head,
when it impairs your vision, when you experience tingling,
when you don't feel like yourself, when it happens once a month or more,
when it keeps you from going to school, and when it makes you miss work.

In addition to assisting you and your parents in determining the cause of your migraines, a doctor may also be able to provide you with treatment to lessen their frequency. Sometimes all that is required is a shift in diet or sleeping patterns, relaxation techniques, or both. A practitioner may, if required, also recommend medication to treat headaches.

You don't have to endure the discomfort if headaches bother you. Sometimes taking a nap can bring you comfort. Other times, a visit to the doctor might be required. However, you, your parents, and your doctor can usually assist in some way.