Most people get the occasional headache. In fact, the World Health Organization reports that 47 percent of people get a headache at least once a year. If you are lucky, headaches don't affect you frequently.
However, because headaches are so common, some people do not think to check up on unusual headaches. To be vigilant, you may want to observe the six signs below that your headache is more serious than you initially thought.
6. Your headaches are chronic and occur daily.
Although headaches are a common affliction, your headaches should not occur on a daily or chronic basis. The World Health Organization says that headaches are often underestimated, under-recognized and under-treated. Even if headaches occur daily or chronically, many people don’t try to find out if there could be a deeper problem resulting in headaches.
For example, chronic or daily headaches might be indicative of a headache disorder. A headache disorder is described as a disorder of the nervous system. However, before diagnosing yourself with a headache disorder, you may want to discuss your headaches with a physician.
5. Your headache is the worst you’ve ever had.
If your headaches are so debilitating that you cannot perform simple functions, it might be a sign of something more serious. A headache that is a sign of an undiagnosed problem in the body is called a secondary headache. Secondary headaches can be symptomatic of many different afflictions, including, but not limited to:
- acute sinusitis;
- an arterial tear;
- a blood clot;
- a brain aneurysm;
- carbon monoxide poisoning;
- a concussion;
- dehydration;
- an ear infection; and
- meningitis.
4. You have a constant headache that gets worse over time.
Harvard Medical School has stated that most headaches that are not serious last between 20 minutes and two hours. Therefore, if your headaches last 24 hours or longer and get worse over time, they could be the result of something more serious happening in your body.
On the other hand, it is possible for headaches that last 24 hours or more to be migraines. A migraine is different than a simple tension headache because it is much more severe and could result in light sensitivity, seeing wavy lines or temporary loss of vision.
Migraine sufferers may experience nausea, congestion and eye watering. Often sufferers mistake migraines for sinus or tension headaches, so it is often recommended that you seek medical attention if your headaches last more than 24 hours and/or worsen over time.
3. You develop headaches after a head injury.
Commonly, when people hear the phrase head injury, they think of the most serious events, like a car accident. However, something like a car accident isn’t the only way you may incur a head injury. Even a bad bump on the head could result in what is known as a post-traumatic headache.
A post-traumatic headache usually occurs only minutes after a head injury but could carry on intermittently for weeks, months or even years. More specifically, post-traumatic headaches could be representative of a concussion, which is defined as a short disturbance in brain function that causes loss of consciousness or short-lived difficulty processing thoughts.
Sometimes, the symptoms of a post-traumatic headache vary from person to person. If you suspect your headache is the result of a severe to mild head injury, you may consider bringing it to the attention of a doctor.
2. Your headaches are accompanied by fever, nausea, stiff neck and vomiting.
Firstly, if you are sick with something like the flu, it may be that your headaches are a byproduct of your illness. However, if you do not have a common illness like a cold or sinus infection, your headache could be due to a more complicated infirmity. For example, having a headache accompanied by fever, nausea, stiff neck, and vomiting may be symptomatic of meningitis, which is a serious illness that results in swelling of the membranes lining the spinal cord and brain.
There are two forms of meningitis, bacterial and viral, and both forms can be fatal. Additionally, just nausea and vomiting that occur along with a headache can suggest the headache is a migraine. Either way, you may want to visit a physician if these symptoms take place.
1. Your headaches involve slurred speech, blurred vision, loss of balance, confusion and/or memory loss.
Symptoms like slurred speech, blurred vision, loss of balance, confusion and memory loss are often called neurological symptoms because they all deal with the spine, brain and nervous system.
Some of the illnesses related to neurological symptoms are cerebrovascular diseases, like stroke, carotid stenosis, vertebral stenosis and aneurysms. Each of these diseases includes restriction of blood flow to the brain, which could be the result of a narrowed blood vessel, a blood clot, blockage or rupture. Headaches that also include slurred speech, blurred vision, loss of balance, confusion and memory loss may be cause for immediate medical consultation.
Better Safe than Sorry
Whether you consider your headaches to be just a part of your life, you may cause yourself more hurt by letting your headaches go unchecked. The World Health Organization recommends being watchful of your headaches; remember that treatment may be available if you consult a doctor.
You may not recognize the effects your headaches are having on your daily life and that your quality of life might be greatly improved if you give your headaches the attention they need. Living with headaches is a burden you do not have to undergo. Your health is important, and identifying your headaches as serious might encourage better health.