What Are Headaches?
Headaches are when your head really hurts on the inside. It’s different to the pain you get on the outside of your head or face. Everyone gets headaches sometimes, but some people get a lot more than others. Most headaches are pretty mild, but headaches can be so bad that it can feel like someone is driving a truck through your head!
What Causes Headaches?
Headaches can be caused by tension and stress (tension headaches), tightening of the blood vessels inside the brain (migraine) and eye and sinus problems. Very rarely, abnormalities in the brain such as tumours can cause a pressure build-up inside the head. Some chemicals also produce headaches, such as the hangover you get after drinking alcohol.
Migraine
Migraines are very severe headaches which are caused by the dilation or widening of blood vessels on the surface of the brain. This causes severe pain in that area, causing a severe headache on one side of the head only. Migraines are known as “sick headaches” because you often feel nauseous or sick in the stomach with them.
Another symptom is photophobia which means that the light hurts your eyes and you need to lie down in a dark room. Migraines can last quite a long time, up to a couple of days sometimes. Luckily few young people get migraines, however, they are more common when your mother or father have them.
Some people get warnings that they are about to have a migraine. These are called “auras” and are usually flashing lights, a funny smell or tunnel vision. Auras are caused by the blood vessels clamping down before they widen up, which stops blood flow to that part of the brain.
Tension Headaches
Most headaches are caused by tiredness or stress, which makes the muscles in our forehead and the back of our neck tense up causing pain. These are called tension headaches. Eyestrain and too much reading can also build up tension in the muscles around the head, causing tension headaches. Tension headaches are usually dull headaches felt on both sides of the head, especially at the front and back.
Sinusitis
Infection of the sinuses (sinusitis) can cause headaches. The sinuses are air caves in the skull that are connected to the back of the nose. If they get blocked and infected, they can get very painful and cause a pain inside the head like a headache.
Can You Prevent Headaches?
Get your eyes checked to make sure you don’t need glasses, and don’t work at your homework or read close-up for more than an hour at a time. If you have lots of homework to do, always have a break at least every hour, and get up and walk around for a few minutes.
Being inside the house or an air-conditioned building all the time can also give you headaches, so make sure you get fresh air if you are cooped up inside a lot. Migraine headaches can be prevented with special preventative medicines, but the best preventative of migraines is to avoid things that you know cause them (such as chocolate or cheese).
How Do You Treat Headaches?
The best treatment for tension headaches is to remove the tension! So do something relaxing such as going for a walk, getting some fresh air, or having a nap. Other things that will reduce the tension in the muscles of your head are a warm bath or a neck massage.
If your headache is quite bad, ask your mother for a simple painkiller such as paracetamol (acetaminophen). Children under 12 years of age should avoid aspirin. For migraines, special treatment medicines are available from your doctor.
