Everything You Need to Know About Headaches

头痛的人在头皮或额头，眼睛后面或从头部或上颈部产生的人不适或疼痛。据世界卫生组织称，虽然头痛可能偶尔或频繁发生，但它们仍然是最常见的神经系统障碍，每年至少每年至少遭受一半的成人人群的困扰。（（1)

The most common cause of headaches is muscle tension. Other common causes of headaches include fever, head injury, viral infections, sinusitis, and migraines. Headaches can be the body’s reaction to emotional stress, grief, too much or too little sleep, or depression. Some people get a headache after physical exertion, crying, eye strain, or sex.

Headaches can range from annoying to extremely painful. People may experience throbbing, squeezing, or constant or intermittent pain in the back of the head and upper neck or behind the eyes. Some people feel tightness or pressure at the temples.

一些头痛令人发指。他们感觉就像是戳在眼中，大脑刺伤或头部周围的压力。严重的头部疼痛会导致恶心和呕吐。（（2)

A headache commonly occurs alone but may coexist with other symptoms. Associated symptoms can be important clues for identifying the underlying cause of a headache. (3)

可能出现头痛症状包括视力模糊, confusion, difficulty walking or speaking, excessive sleepiness, nausea, vomiting, fever,颈部疼痛, neck stiffness, and increased sensitivity to light or noise.

There are several distinct types of headaches.

Tension Headaches

金属氧化物半导体t people experience the occasional tension headache. Some people, however, have tension headaches just about every day, and these are considered to be chronic. Symptoms for tension headaches usually include pressure or muscle tension on both sides of the head or the back of the neck. The pain is usually constant, not sharp or throbbing. Many people describe tension headaches as having a band squeezed around their head.

Hormone Headaches

Hormones play a role in the pain response to headaches in both men and women. However, women can suffer from hormone headaches, also known as menstrual migraines. These migraines may start before a woman’s period or during menstruation. Symptoms include sharp, throbbing pain on one side of the head, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, and even touch.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headachesaffect men more often than women. They are extremely intense, very severe headaches that last between 30 and 45 minutes; a person can have several in one day. They usually come on with no warning, catching people by surprise. The pain is piercing and usually located on one side of the head, often around the eye. People also report teary eyes on the affected side andsinus congestion。The headaches will recur over a period of time, almost always on the same side, and are followed by a headache-free period of varying length.

Migraines are a type of headache often put in a class by themselves because of the intensity of the pain and the overall effect they have on the body. (4)

For some people,migraine symptomsinclude auras, which are symptoms that occur before the pain hits. The auras can be visual (seeing lines or spots), or they can cause motor or verbal disturbances. It’s estimated that 36 million people in the United States have migraines. However, most do not have migraines with auras.

Migraine pain, usually throbbing and piercing, is generally one-sided, but it can affect both sides. People often report sensitivity to light and loud noises as well as nausea duringmigraine attacks。

偏头痛的攻击通常将持续4至72小时。但是，偏头痛可以持续几天。（4）

Learn More About Migraines

Headaches may be primary or secondary.

主要的头痛是由疼痛或起源于头部本身的疾病引起的，例如偏头痛或张力头痛。

A secondary headache originates outside the head, such as a headache related to nausea from the flu or as a side effect of hormonal fluctuations in the body.

神经科医生已经确定了17种离散类型的头痛，每种都有自己的原因和治疗方法：（（（5)

1. Primary tension headaches that are episodic
2. Primary tension headaches that are chronic
3. Primary muscle contraction headaches
4. Primary migraine headaches with aura
5. Primary migraine headaches without aura
6. 主要集群头痛
7. 一级阵发性半肿瘤（一种类型的簇头痛）
8. Primarycough头痛
9. 主要刺伤头痛
10. 与性交有关的主要头痛
11. 初级雷霆帽头痛
12. Hypnic headaches (headaches that awaken a person from sleep)
13. Hemicranias continua (headaches that are persistently on one side only, right or left)
14. New daily-persistent headaches (a type of chronic headache)
15. Headaches from exertion
16. 三叉神经痛和其他颅神经炎症（导致面部疼痛）
17. Secondary headaches due to trauma; disorders; infection; structural problems with the bones of the face, teeth, eyes, ears, nose, sinuses,or other structures; substance abuse or withdrawal; or systemic poisoning (toxic headache)

获得头痛治疗的关键是识别根本原因。（（6)

头痛可能是由于围绕大脑或影响其功能的结构的炎症或刺激引起的。它们也可能是由感冒或头部或颈部区域的流感，发烧，肌肉僵硬，牙齿或下颌疼痛，头部或颈部创伤的引起的，sinus infections, bleeding in the brain, or infections like encephalitis or脑膜炎。

Headaches can also be brought on by toxins, such as too much alcohol, smoking, or the consumption of allergenic or spoiled foods. Headaches can be the first sign of carbon monoxide or other environmental poisons, and they may be triggered by substance abuse or withdrawal.

轻微头痛的一般治疗包括休息，减轻压力，冷压，对寺庙和头部面积的按摩，对乙酰氨基酚（（Tylenol), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs).

Headache prevention includes good habits such as eating healthy foods and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes. Eliminate externalstressors尽可能多地尝试练习定期的睡眠习惯。头痛的其他治疗方法可能包括medications for migraine头痛and narcotic pain medications.

Medications for migraine and headache relief can be divided into two groups: pain-relieving (also known as abortive medications) and preventive (prophylactic medications). (7)

Pain-relieving medications are taken once symptoms begin. Preventive medications are taken regularly, sometimes daily, to stop headaches before they start.Headache relief药物可提供非处方或处方药。

NSAIDs

Doctors believe this group of medications works by blocking a chemical in the body that causes inflamed tissue to swell and, in the case of headaches, signaling the brain when there is pain.

NSAID包括布洛芬（Advil，Motrin）andnaproxen (Aleve, Anaprox)。Aspirinis another NSAID sometimes used in combination with对乙酰氨基酚and caffeine for strong headache relief, as in Excedrin, and in products designed to treat migraines.

三种抗炎药已被批准为偏头痛药物：Excedrin偏头痛, Advil Migraine, andMotrinMigraine Pain.

The most commonNSAIDS的副作用是恶心，消化不良和胃灼热。确保服用食物的NSAID，以抵消胃部不适。In high doses or when used for a long time, NSAIDs can also damage the kidneys and worsen heart conditions.

Triptans

Triptans are often the first prescription choice for migraine relief. They constrict, or narrow, the blood vessels and keep chemicals that are thought to cause migraines from being released.

Sumatriptan (Imitrex),zolmitriptan (Zomig),eletriptan (Relpax), andalmotriptan (Axert)经常使用triptans。

If taken often, triptans can cause a boomerang effect known as “rebound headaches.” Other potential side effects include nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness, and abnormal heart rhythms.

If you mainly rely on pain-relieving migraine medications, be sure to follow the directions on the label closely. Speak with your doctor if you find you need them more than occasionally. If that is the case, your doctor may recommend a daily preventive medication in place of pain-relieving medicines.

Head pain can be frightening because people often think that it could be the sign of something serious.

“头痛的人应始终与医生讨论这个问题，”达拉斯贝勒大学医学中心的神经科医学博士Steven P. Herzog说。“反过来，他们的医师可以正确诊断患者患者的头痛类型，以及他们是否应该看到头痛专家。”

Call your doctor if the quality or type of headache symptoms change or if you feel that you are having migraines, which may need prescription-strength treatment.

与您的医生联系的其他原因包括以下事件：

• Any changes in the type of headaches you usually get
• Headaches that don’t go away or that get worse as each day passes
• Headaches that occur with physical activity (including sex)
• Headaches that happen after injury or illness
• Headaches accompanied by a fever, a stiff neck, signs of a stroke (such as difficulty speaking, numbness, or weakness), seizures, or changes in your vision
• Worsening of your headache if you have to strain, as when having a排便，打喷嚏或咳嗽
• New headaches if you’re over 40
• 头痛是你一生中最糟糕的
• 与非常高血压有关的头痛（（if you are checking it at home)

头痛或偏头痛患者可以祈祷fit from reliable resources offering information and support. Many organizations provide educational materials and can assist in finding doctors specializing in migraine care. There are also online communities that offer support as well as practical advice and tips.

了解有关头痛和偏头痛资源的更多信息

RN的Marijke Vroomen-Durning的其他报道