Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Pain in the head?

Besides stress and hangovers, what are the reasons for it? Read on...

FREQUENT ATTACKS? Try to find out why

We all know the obvious reasons for headaches — like hangovers or stress — but there may be other, more surprising causes.

Sex: The headaches associated with sexual activity affect men more than women, and are more common in those who suffer from migraine or high blood pressure. "The most common symptom is a dull ache at the back of the head, which gradually intensifies as sexual excitement increases," says Dr. Anne MacGregor, director of clinical research at The City of London Migraine Clinic (migrainetrust.org). "This is thought to be related to excessive muscular contraction of the head and neck. Some people experience a sudden, severe explosive headache at orgasm — also known as `thunderclap headache' — that lasts up to half an hour. Although coital headaches rarely have a serious underlying cause, they can sometimes result from bleeding in the brain, known as haemorrhagic stroke. This is more common in those with high blood pressure or a family history of this kind of stroke. "Anyone experiencing these should seek medical advice," says MacGregor.

Toxic Bowel: The healthy transit time of food through our bodies should be less than 24 hours. In reality, it's usually two days or more. Says Irena Dumbrell, a naturopath, colonic hydrotherapist and director of Body Peace, a complementary and alternative medicine clinic in Taplow, Berkshire: "Diets of processed food and poor drink choices, along with a lack of exercise, are key factors for a sluggish colon. These can lead to self-poisoning of the whole system - in other words, a toxic colon." An ill-working colon hangs on to old faeces and other mucoid matter. "The repercussions of a toxic bowel may cause a range of health problems, including frequent headaches. Help detox the bowel by limiting your intake of red meat to twice a week and avoiding rich and heavy food, spices and alcohol. Instead look to a diet of fruits, vegetables, salads, chicken and fish."

Drug Misuse: "Although painkillers taken for a few days once or twice a month to treat headaches can be very effective, frequent use of these drugs (more than three days a week) can have the opposite effect," says MacGregor. Medication overuse is a common reason for headaches that occur on most days. "The only way to make the headaches better," she says, "is to stop taking the tablets."

Anger: Bottling it up makes you more susceptible to headaches — even more so than depression or anxiety, according to research from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, in Missouri. So, does that mean letting it rip instead of internalising our frustrations? "There are times when expressing anger isn't the best thing," says the university's Robert Nicholson. "What I would hope to do is to help people learn ways to lengthen their fuses so they avoid becoming angry." Nicholson suggests coping strategies such as looking at things in shades of grey, instead of black and white, and letting go of things that are beyond your control.

Lazy Posture: Slouching or stooping causes unnecessary pressure on the neck and scalp muscles. "Your head is heavy," says Noel Kingsley, a practitioner of Alexander Technique (alexander-technique.com) "Essentially, you are carrying a 4.5kg-6kg medicine ball on top of your shoulders that relies on the natural curve of your neck to support it.

When your posture is off balance, your neck is thrown out of alignment and blood flow is reduced to your brain. It's much like standing on a garden hose pipe." To give yourself a quick posture check, Kingsley says that shoulders should be down, the spine straight, and the head should be balanced freely on top of the spine up to a point between the ears. When sitting, hold up your head without jutting your chin forward and with your lower back against the back of your chair.

Hairdressers: "Some people get a dull headache after a visit to the hairdresser or barber where they have held their head back over the basin for a shampoo," says Shirley Trickett in her book Coping With Headaches (Sheldon Press). When the neck muscles are awkwardly positioned, a mechanical failure develops. "The headache can arrive later in the day or the following morning, so many don't associate it with their visit," says Trickett. "It can be avoided by bending forward over the basin."

Leisure: Most "leisure" headaches are experienced at the weekend. They're most likely to arise from a combination of triggers that have built up during the week — stress, lack of sleep, missed meals — which are compounded by the additional weekend triggers of relaxation after stress. If you have a pattern of weekend headaches, you may need to address certain factors.

For instance, do you sleep in at weekends? Sleeping in for just half an hour longer than usual, or even just lying in bed dozing, sparks a headache in many people. Are you drinking less coffee than you do in the office? Caffeine withdrawal is another trigger, as is delaying breakfast. Unfortunately, you may have to stick to a weekday routine at weekends to avoid a pain in the head.

GUARDIAN NEWSPAPERS LIMITED 2006

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail