Lightheadedness and Headaches

The causes of lightheadedness and headaches are varied in nature and many complexities are associated with them. Even common cold can turn complex and result into headaches. Some of the other causes include dehydration, flu, allergies and psychological problems like anxiety. It would therefore, be important to gain an in-depth understanding of the different causes of lightheadedness and headaches in order to keep these problems under control.

Lightheadedness
It is an unpleasant feeling of dizziness or weightlessness of head which might cause a person to faint. Lightheadedness could last for a short time (transient) or it may become recurrent or turn chronic. In some cases, the patient may experience vertigo i.e. the feeling of spinning or whirling of things surrounding him/her. Lack of blood supply to the brain is amongst the major causes of lightheadedness. Anemia and low blood sugar are also responsible for this health problem. In some cases, lightheadedness is the symptom of medical conditions like heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythm, circulatory shock, stroke, etc. The additional symptoms of lightheadedness in the above-mentioned conditions are loss of speech, racing heart, chest pain, change in vision, etc. Lightheadedness can also develop with age and generally occurs when a person rises quickly from the sitting or lying position.

Replenishing the body with water and other fluids helps minimize the occurrence of lightheadedness. The immediate step to be taken after you experience lightheadedness is sitting or lying down. Avoiding bright light and sudden changes in the posture along with doing some exercises can go a long way in preventing lightheadedness. Read more on the subject of lightheadedness after exercise.

Headaches
The problem of headache is not a medical condition in itself but a symptom of several medical conditions or diseases. Pain in the head and sometimes the upper neck comes under the category of headache. Occurrence of headaches might be associated with stiff neck, convulsions, fever, etc. Generally, headaches are classified as acute and chronic. The International Headache Society has categorized the different forms of headaches as primary, secondary and other types (facial pain, cranial neuralgia and other headaches). Tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches are the different types of primary headache. Tension headaches result from the tightening or contraction of muscles present in the scalp or neck. It is a common form of headache found in almost 90% of the headache patients worldwide. Symptoms of this headache include dull aching of the front and sides of the head, fatigue, irritability and sensitivity to light and noise, etc. Secondary headache is caused by structural problems in the head or the upper neck region. Brain tumors, internal bleeding in the brain and other problems like meningitis & encephalitis are responsible for secondary headaches. Cranial neuralgia is caused by the inflammation of nerves present in the head and upper neck. Earlier, the widening and contraction of blood vessels was considered one of the causes behind headaches. However, the recent research conducted in this area suggests that toxin retention in the central nervous system is responsible for headaches. The tissues of nervous system become sensitive to external stimuli due to the presence of toxins in the nervous system. One of the major causes of accumulation of toxins in the body is intake of high amount of proteins; breakdown of proteins is responsible for release of toxins in the body.

Long-term Treatment
As stated above, the root cause of tension headaches and migraines is the accumulation of toxins in the body. Actually, the migraines and tension headaches are just the symptoms of a cleansing process through which the body attempts to dilute and dispel toxins. So, the point here is to rely more on the body's self-cleansing process than on certain medications or therapies that offer temporary relief. Even if the self-cleaning process takes time, it acts on the root cause of problem and eradicates it completely.

The acute headaches do not require specialized medical attention and can be dealt with by means of painkillers like acetaminophen. Medicines like diclofenac, aspirin and ibuprofen can also be used for treatment of acute headaches. Chronic headaches are treated by stimulating the brain with electrodes. It helps in relieving the pain caused by cluster headaches. Acupuncture is also one of the treatment measures used for migraine and tension headaches.

Lightheadedness and headaches could occur simultaneously and the above-mentioned causes are responsible for it. Sometimes minor health issues become complicated and spiral out into bigger ones like headaches and lightheadedness. Apart from those treatment measures mentioned in the article, you could take one of the best precautionary measures - sufficient sleep. It is important to give your brain and nervous system as a whole the required amount of rest. It prevents most problems associated with headaches.

Lightheadedness and headaches are the health issues of common occurrence and could be dealt with by taking appropriate measures. Though, medications are available to counter these health problems, measures like regular exercise, living a stress free life, etc. help in dealing with them effectively.