What Are A Few Of The Usual Causes Of A Headache?

When you think about the the various types of headaches and sufferers it should not be surprising that the causes of headaches are just as diverse. There are literally hundreds of possible reasons for a headache including underlying medical problems like the fortunately rare instances of brain tumors or cerebral aneurysms. However the most common headaches have generally common causes.

In all too many instances simple eyestrain such as is experienced whan working too long at the computer can lead to a headache. At other times, inflammation of the sinuses resulting from an allergy or head cold can be the culprit. Overuse of certain medications can also result in a headache.

Despite the fact that the precise cause is not always known, constriction of the blood vessels is thought to be the culprit in a range of cases. Pain sensitive nerve fibers in the head line the walls of the blood vessels and when they contract the nerves are activated and send signals to the brain. As luck would have it, the brain cannot feel pain because it does not contain any pain sensitive nerve cells and cluster or tension-type headaches result.

However blood vessels can dilate as well as contract and when they do so cluster headaches and migraines can result. Current research suggests that there are also several other much more important factors at play when it comes to migraines.

Tension headaches can result from other causes like tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulder and even the jaw. Individuals who have suffered from TMJ disorder which is a condition caused by tension of the temporomandibular joint causing the jaw to tighten against the skull will be all too familiar with this.

In more serious cases headaches may be produced by some underlying disease and these are normally referred to as 'secondary headaches'. The catalogue of underlying conditions that can cause headaches is lengthy and will include everything from irritable bowel syndrome to scarlet fever.

Commonly environmental factors also play an important part. Carbon monoxide poisoning such as that resulting from the gas produced by an automobile exhaust or many water heaters can result in severe headaches and indeed a headache is one of the chief symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Other causes include allergies, lead poisoning and food poisoning.

Even when food is not actually toxic as will be the case with food contaminated with a bacterial infection certain people may be sensitive to compounds that will not affect people in general. Such everyday foods as chocolate and cheese can cause a headache in some people as will red wine, caffeine and some preservatives.

However posture, position and various other controllable factors may well be some of the most common causes. As a growing number of people use computers every day so we see more eyestrain, jaw stress and neck tension.

Roughly 85% to 90% of headaches are tension headaches which are normally the result of one or more of the factors detailed here. This means that in the vast majority of cases the cure is easy and within your control.

TheMigraineHeadacheCenter.com provides a wide range of information about headaches including cluster headaches and migraine headaches