Headaches On The Left Side Of The Head
Headache On The Left Side Of The Head
Headaches have been/are common in most of the people around the globe. Nearly 50% of adults are prey to primary headaches. The primary headaches are not that threatening and serious because the primary headaches go away within a few hours and there is no accompanying injury or pain to these headaches. But there is a little fragment of the headaches that are caused by a more serious occurrence.
It is tremendously essential to distinguish between the primary headaches and more serious ones. Keeping that in mind, here we go to get a deeper understanding of the symptoms, causes, and treatments of all types of headaches that are on the left side.
Types of Headaches on the left side
Before we dig into the matter of symptoms, causes, and treatments of headaches that occur on the left side of the head, we need to comprehend the kinds of headaches that human beings experience. Basically, there are too many types of headaches, and knowing which one you have can help you find the most accurate treatment for your headache. A few of the most common are mentioned here.
Tension Headaches
Three out of four adults are victims of tension headaches, making it one of the most common headaches of all the headaches known. The intensity of the pain is not that severe in these headaches and they do not occur more often. In rare cases, tension headaches seem to be severe and few people get these aches more often like three to four times a week.
Migraines
Migraine headaches are considerably severer than tension headaches and they cause throbbing headaches on the one side of the brain. They occur less often yet are highly pain-causing aches. Migraines are two to three times more found to be in women than men. Ache will start from around the eye or temple, and then stretching across the head.
Clusters
Cluster headaches are highly rare and immensely severe headaches. Their occurrence is five times more in men than women. Clusters can reach anyone but they are most common in middle-aged people with smoking habits. They are known as clusters because of their occurring pattern. The sufferer experiences these pains over a period of days or weeks. There are remissions to be seen in such patients that last for months or years.
Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments of Headaches on the Left
After understanding the primary headaches, now here are the symptoms and causes of each headache that we have discussed above.
Tension Headaches
The most common headache experienced by human beings is not of that too painful severity.
Symptoms of tension headaches are:
> Just behind the eyes, a tight and squeezing pain that will often spread across the forehead and sometimes occur behind the head.
> A sensation of a kind that your head is in a vice.
> Tight shoulders and neck,
> The pain gets worse at the end of the day.
The main reason behind the occurrence of tension headaches is muscle tension. These pains are mostly triggered by:
> Emotional stress
> Fatigue
> Bad posture. Sitting or sleeping in the wrong styles.
> Injuries that are related to the neck and shoulders. Previous injuries may be the cause of these headaches.
These tension headaches last for 20 minutes to 2 hours. And here are some of the quick tips that you incorporate to treat these aches. The treatments are:
> You can take care of these tension headaches if you are getting them occasionally and not more often.
> There are some of the most effective pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol, other brands) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, naproxen (Aleve, other brands), or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, other brands). They work perfectly for such caused pains but please make sure that you check the label and do not take an overdose of any pain reliever.
> A warm shower or heating pad will dramatically assist you in eliminating the pains.
> A short nap or a little snack is too a recommendable remedy for tension headaches.
> If you are experiencing these aches more often and frequently, then you must comprehend the cause behind their occurrence and avoid that.
> In this situation, do not overtire yourself or deprive yourself of the meals.
> Yoga techniques will help you relieve this pain by relaxing both mind and neck muscles.
> If you are feeling really tight pain that you can not get rid of by simpler medications, then there is a strong need to go to see a doctor and receive strong pain medication and muscle relaxant to get rid of this tension headache.
Migraines
These headaches are severer and rare. There is a study proved by neurologists that states that migraines are mostly caused by changes in the brain’s blood flow and nerve cell activity. And it is also found that 70% of victims of migraines have someone with migraines in the background relations. So, it is also genetic.
Here are the most common symptoms of migraine headaches:
> Victims suffer from vision problems.
> Experiencing nausea and vomiting problems.
> Feeling dizzy more often.
> Sensitivity of smell, touch, sound, and light becomes extreme.
> Feeling numbness or tingling sensation more often.
Here are the causes of the migraines:
> Change in the weather like rising humidity or overheat.
> Tiredness mentally or physically.
> Sleeping over or too little.
> Due to alteration in the intensity of the senses like loud noises, strong smell, or flickering lights.
> Emotional stress
> Specific foods like alcohol, cheese, and chocolate.
Treatments of migraines are listed below:
> If you can indicate a migraine headache in its very first stages, then you can utilize nonprescription pain relievers. Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and a combination of pain medications and caffeine can work perfectly for you.
> In cases when you turn up to doctors, most doctors prescribe triptans that can be given by a patient to himself in the form of tablets, nasal sprays, or injections. Examples include sumatriptan (Imitrex), zolmitriptan (Zomig), and rizatriptan (Maxalt). Triptans are highly effective as they can relieve the patients within 2 hours up to 70%. Patients with cardiovascular diseases must avoid using triptans because triptans affect the blood flow to the heart as well as the head.
> It is highly recommended to avoid triggers that lead to migraines.
Clusters Headaches
This most intense headache occurs on one side of the head. Cluster headaches are known to cluster because they are occurring in clusters of one to eight headaches.
Symptoms that appear in the victims of the clusters are:
> Ache behind one eye, one temple, or one side of the forehead will be experienced.
> The dominant eye will become red and watery.
> The victim will suffer from a stuffed or runny nose, intense sweating, or flushing of the face.
> Pain shows its intensity after 5 to 10 minutes and its duration will be from 30 to 60 minutes.
> Duration of less intense ache will be up to 3 hours.
The real underlying cause of cluster headaches is yet unknown. But scientists are working day and night to figure out the exact cause for these aches.
Treatments that victims must follow are:
> Getting a high flow of oxygen will be highly advantageous if taken just after the starting of the headache.
> The highest recommended medication for preventing cluster headache attacks is verapamil, a calcium-channel blocker.
> Sumatriptan given via injection also shows great results in abolishing cluster headache attacks.
> Divalproex, topiramate, and lithium drugs are also effective for cluster headaches.
Final Thoughts on the headaches of the left side of the head
Many headaches can be dealt with with the ingestion of pain reliever medication and bringing some life-changes.
Moreover, some of the headaches may be occurring more often and there is a need to see a specialist or a doctor. Only a doctor can figure out the exact underlying reasons behind those aches. And he will provide you with the course of treatment that can cure your pain.
One must not be careless in such situations. Ignorance might be harmful to a victim. Therefore, the victim must get a specific pain reliever for a specific ache.
