As of the last week or so, I've been experiencing instances of nausea and headaches. In fact, I'm currently mid-headache and it feels like all the rest. Now, the nausea is generally explained away by what I had been doing prior to its onset (like reading on the train or drinking expired juice), so it may have nothing to do with it, but I figured I would mention it anyways. And no, before you ask, it is not pregnancy. I mentioned before that I had a bought of paranoia and took a test which came back negative. So let's not propose that as the problem. Some changes in my life have been: A slight increase in the amount of stress I have been experiencing (applying for graduate schools, importing some research specimens). I've been having a lot more sex that I usually do, but this hasn't set off the headaches. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when they commence. Last month I moved into a new apartment. Everything else is basically the same. The same food, the same workout regimen, the same life essentially. As for the headaches, they are centered in and around my temples and directly behind my eyes with a bit more pain on my right side. My neck has been moderately stiff where it joins up with my head and turning my head to the right induces a short pang of pain. I have not had headaches like this for years. I used to get migraines when I was very VERY young (like 5-8 years old), but they stopped at some point and never returned. I'm looking for two pieces of advice: 1. What could possibly be causing my headaches? 2. Should I make an appointment with a doctor? I mean, it's only headaches. A lot of people experience them. 3. Other than occasionally popping ibuprofen and lying down for a bit, does anyone have any advice on how to remove them*? I've heard cold compresses work on the back of the neck, but it's getting chilly up here in Canadia and I'd rather not expose myself to more cold than necessary. Thanks in advance! * I'm sure most of you know how I feel about 'natural remedies' and 'alternative medicine'; unless you have facts and not anecdotes, I won't be spending money on it.
It sounds like a tension headache. I've gotten them all the time since I was a kid so I know the signs pretty well. Basically, your neck or back gets stiff, tightens up, and pulls at the muscles going over and to the front of your head and makes everything hurt. A good sign is lessened movement in the neck or extra pain when turning your head. It could be caused by stress. It can also happen from an overwork of the neck or back muscles. Sometimes keeping your head in certain positions for too long will cause it to go stiff. Even the way you sleep can set you up for one later in the day. Ibuprofen usually helps. A heating pad on the back of the neck and head can also help relax the muscles and lessen the pain. Cold usually seems to make it worse, but that may just be me. Really, the best medicine is to rest in a comfortable position that doesn't put too much strain on the neck or back and try to relax. Edit: Nasuea can be a symptom of these kind of headaches, or even headaches in general, so most likely if you fix the headaches the nausea will stop too.
If your going to see the doctor ask if they could run a whit cell count if your in collage and around people from collage sharing stuff with people you need to be careful do you have a sore throat? aside from what your doing try to keep every thing neat and clean maybe some hand sanitizer let us know how it goes
If you have any history of allergies or chemical sensitivity (or, in some cases, even if not), you might consider whether there's something in or near your apartment that could have triggered the headaches. It wouldn't likely be something *in your apartment* per se because if that were the case, headaches would likely have showed up very soon after moving in. But it could be something (painting, cleaning solvents, new rugs, other materials outgassing) done in an adjoining apartment or common area. Since you so dislike any suggestion related to alternative medicine, I'll suggest nothing from the half-dozen that could solve the problem and instead let you figure it out using something conventional that doesn't work as well. But environmental sensitivity does seem to be a common cause (or at least contributing factor, combined with stress) for a lot of the people I used to work with that had similar symptoms.
I was also going to suggest that it might be allergy related. The allergens down here in Austin can get pretty bad. I get these headaches from time due to pressure in my sinus cavity. Thankfully they usually occur at night, so I just take a couple of Benadryl to help with the allergies. The plus side is that even looking at a bottle of Benadryl knocks me out, so I can sleep it off.
I'm not going to make any assumption on why you get those headaches, but I think checking that out with your doctor would be a good idea, especially as you have a history with migraines, even if it was a long time ago. But here are my tips to get some relief when I have headaches (I have migraines on a regular basis and strong headaches as well). - Whashing your hair : at the beggining of it if possible, with warm but not too hot water, during around 10 min. - Take paracetamol with caffeine, or if you don't have some, take whatever painkillers you have with Diet Coke or any soda containing caffeine - Having someone to massage your neck and your temples if the pain isn't too strong already - cold compress on the eyes and on the forehead - getting a special pillow for neck support (it's quite expensive, but since I have one I have less headaches and I am more comfortable laying down when I have some) - try to find what can start the headaches and avoid it : for me it includes some kind of lights, cigarette's smoke and cigarette's smoke smell, dairy products, white wine and chocolate. -avoiding noises and lights when the headache is staring, especially screen lights. I hope something here could help you a little. Take care (*hug*) Cécile
Generally, when we're evaluating headaches, we pay close attention to the history. When someone has a pattern of increasing headaches or headaches that seem to have a trigger (e.g. foods, allergies, etc), then it's likely to be migraine. But what makes this different is the sudden onset of your headaches. The first thing that needs to happen is a rule-out of a physical cause for the headaches. Because of this, you should make an appointment with your doctor and you need to be very specific that these headaches are new and they have been happening for the past week. Once a physical cause is ruled out, then it may take some detective work to find the cause of the headaches and the pattern. This is ragweed season and a ot of people get headaches around this time of year. The move into a new apartment brings up possible triggers like mold or chemical exposures.
although stress is probably the big answer here, ive noticed lately i've been getting tension headaches because of the way i've been sleeping. have you ever woken up with a sore or stiff neck?
Yeah. I've essentially attributed the headaches to sleeping issues and stress. I think I may take Eleanor's advice and grab a special pillow with more support for my head and neck. I find that I sleep better when my head is supported and I don't have a small, flat pillow. Hopefully, I'll be able to find one, if it is expensive, that let's me try it out for a month to see if it helps. The headaches are still here, but I'm learning to deal with them. Thanks everyone for your advice. I'll continue to keep an eye out for the cause(s). If they worsen, I'll go see a doctor and let you know what is up.
