Contents:
- Medical Video: Acupressure Treatments : Acupressure Points for Headache Relief
- Various things that can cause left headache
- 1. Lifestyle factors
- 2. Infection or allergies
- 3. Too often taking painkillers
- 4. Nervous disorders
- 5. Other causes
- Symptoms of your left headache are dangerous and should be consulted by a doctor immediately
- 1. Suddenly appears and feels very painful
- 2. Difficulty speaking with numbness
- 3. Having vision problems
- 4. Symptoms get worse when changing positions
- 5. Doesn't work well
- A powerful headache remedy that you can try at home
- 1. lying down
- 2. Adjust breath
- 3. Massage your head slowly
- 4. Take a simple stretch
- 5. Drink lots of water
- 6. Stay away from your gadget for a while
- 7. Cold or warm compresses
- 8. Use essential oils
Medical Video: Acupressure Treatments : Acupressure Points for Headache Relief
Left headache is one of the common health problems that is often experienced by many people. This condition can be caused by many things, ranging from daily habits to symptoms of certain medical conditions. Knowing the various causes of left headache can help you and your doctor to determine the right treatment and reduce the risk of serious complications in the future. For more details, see the explanation below.
Various things that can cause left headache
The causes of left headache vary, ranging from lifestyle factors such as frequent delay in eating to the use of certain drugs that are not in accordance with the rules. Here are some things that could be the cause of the left headache:
1. Lifestyle factors
Without realizing it, your daily habits can cause headaches to appear only on the left. Some daily habits that can trigger headaches to the left include:
Drink excessively
Alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks contain ethanol. Ethanol is a chemical compound that triggers the widening of blood vessels in the head, so that it can cause left headaches.
Irregular eating
Your brain needs sugar (glucose) from food to function optimally. That is why, when you often skip meals, blood sugar will drop dramatically. As a result, your brain cannot function optimally. One symptom that appears is the left headache.
Lack of sleep
Sleep deprivation increases the stress hormone cortisol which can trigger headaches. That's why a headache is tense (tension headache) more often appears and worsens after you stay up late. In addition, people who have sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea have more potential to experience headaches due to lack of sleep.
Daily food
Some foods can be the cause of left headache. The most common are artificial preserved or sweetened foods, caffeine, processed meats, and salty foods.
Stressful
Every time, you could experience stress, it could be because of work, financial problems, problems with your spouse or family, or it could be just because of traffic jams on unexpected roads.
Stress causes your body to cause a "fight or flight" response. The response makes the muscles tighten and reduce blood circulation, both of which can cause left headaches.
2. Infection or allergies
Common infections such as colds and flu or sinuses can cause left headaches. An allergic reaction can also cause some people to experience the next headache. This happens because the sinus tract narrows when you have an infection or allergy, which makes the head hurt.
In addition, more serious infections, encephalitis and meningitis also cause severe headaches accompanied by high fever, neck stiffness, and seizures.
3. Too often taking painkillers
Although the initial goal is to treat headaches, painkillers such as (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and paracetamol) that you can drink can actually make your headache symptoms worse. Especially if you are taking painkillers in excessive doses and consumed more than 2-3 days per week. In fact, your headache will last longer than before.
Conditions can occur almost every day, and the pain generally starts when you wake up in the morning.
4. Nervous disorders
In many cases, the left headache can also be caused due to nerve problems. Here are some nerve problems that can cause headaches:
Occipital neuralgia
The occipital nerve is above the spinal cord and extends to the neck to the base of your skull. If the nerve is irritated by too long a pressure, then you will feel intense pain, precisely in the back of your head or base of your skull. The pain lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Giant cell arteritis
This condition occurs when there is inflammation and damage to the arteries that carry blood flow to the brain. Giant cell arteritis is often referred to as temporal arteritis or Horton disease.
The typical symptom of this disease is a headache accompanied by pain in the jaw, shoulder, and hip. Generally, arteritis cell activity is experienced by someone aged 50 years and over, but not infrequently younger ages can also experience it.
Trigeminal neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia or facial pain is a condition that causes pain in the trigeminal nerve. These nerves are the main nerves on the face which are in the temples.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic disease. If not treated immediately can cause pain that is quite severe and weakens the entire body of the sufferer. Symptoms can last up to several days, weeks, or months and can disappear within a period of several months or years
5. Other causes
Left headaches also occur due to:
- Pressure that is too strong on the head. Using a helmet or head protector that is too tight and strong can put pressure on one or both sides of the head. This is what allows the pain in the left head to appear.
- Injury. A hard blow to the head due to an accident or a fall can cause traumatic brain injury. In fact, these conditions can also cause you to experience a concussion. Usually a concussion produces symptoms such as intense headache, confusion, nausea and vomiting.
- Glaucoma.Increased pressure in the eyeball can produce symptoms of left-sided headache that are unusually painful. Even so, headaches can sometimes also occur on both sides.
- High blood pressure. Usually, high blood pressure aka hypertension does not cause symptoms. But for some people, intense headaches can be a sign if they have severe hypertension. Severe hypertension usually comes suddenly and affects about 1 percent of people who have hypertension.
- Brain tumor: One of the initial symptoms of a brain tumor is a sudden headache. Usually it will be accompanied by other symptoms such as blurred vision, speech problems, confusion, and difficulty walking.
- Stroke. Blood clots can inhibit blood circulation to the brain and cause strokes. Bleeding that occurs in the brain can also cause strokes. Well, sudden and intense headaches are a warning sign of a stroke.
Symptoms of your left headache are dangerous and should be consulted by a doctor immediately
Although headaches are a common health problem, this condition should not be underestimated. Because the headache can be a sign of a more serious medical condition.
Therefore, it is important for you to pay attention to any symptoms that follow the appearance of headaches. If the headache is accompanied by the signs below, seek medical help immediately.
1. Suddenly appears and feels very painful
If you suddenly experience a sudden left headache accompanied by severe and unstoppable pain, immediately seek medical help at the nearest hospital or health clinic. Especially if this condition has never been experienced before.
According to a neurologist from Hartford HealthCare Headache Center in the US, Dr. Brian Grosberg, usually this condition feels like your head has been hit hard and the pain level can get worse in just a few minutes.
2. Difficulty speaking with numbness
If you feel a terrible headache that is followed by disorders such as talking slurred, difficult to compose sentences, absent-minded, difficult to think, and difficult to understand the words of others, you may experience a stroke.
Especially if symptoms arise, which are difficult to move the limbs and tingling or numbness appears. It is best to visit an emergency health care center directly because an aneurysm can cause a stroke or death.
3. Having vision problems
According to Dr. Emad Estemalik from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in the United States (US), headaches with impaired vision can be a serious symptom of migraine. For example, if your vision becomes blurred or shaded. Also note other symptoms such as weakness and tingling.
4. Symptoms get worse when changing positions
Note, does the pain in the attacking head become more painful if you change position? For example if you bend, get up, or sit down.
If your condition feels more severe if you change position, it could be one of the symptoms of leaking cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Consult your doctor to make sure there are any symptoms.
5. Doesn't work well
If painkillers do not also make your condition improve, then consult your doctor immediately. This is done so that you immediately get treatment that suits your condition.
You are also advised to see a doctor if the attacking back or side headache does not subside too even though it has been more than 24 hours and you have taken painkillers.
A powerful headache remedy that you can try at home
Here are some choices of effective headache medications that can be tried if you have a sudden headache attack:
1. lying down
When the headache attacks, immediately find a place to lie down or just sit. Try to rest in a quiet and protected room. Try to calm down and relax your head and shoulders.
2. Adjust breath
As mentioned above, stress is one of the trigger factors for headaches. One effective way to relieve stress is to take a deep breath.
To start, sit quietly in a quiet and comfortable place. Close your eyes and breathe through your nose. Then, breathe deeply for two counts. Hold your breath in one count, then exhale slowly, in four counts. Do the way until your headache gradually disappears.
3. Massage your head slowly
You can try massaging the affected part using your index finger or your thumb. Give a light massage constantly for 7-15 seconds, then release. Repeat again until you feel less pain.
Try asking for help from others to massage your head, neck and shoulder area. Ask to massage with the right pressure, because if it is too slow it will not relax the tense muscles, but if too hard will add to your headache.
4. Take a simple stretch
Tightening of the muscles in the shoulders and neck can also cause headaches to the left. Usually this is because you are too long in a certain sitting position. In addition, fatigue and stress can also be the cause.
Between your busy life, take the time to stretch for a few minutes. No need to stretch hard, just do it with simple movements. For example, you can try by bending your head to one side then slowly turning down to form a semicircular movement, leaving your chin to touch your chest. You can repeat it back to the opposite side.
5. Drink lots of water
Many people are ignorant about the benefits of drinking water. In fact, one of the benefits of this habit can reduce your risk of dehydration, which is generally characterized by headaches.
So, if you experience headaches accompanied by thirst, dry mouth, excessive fatigue, and the frequency of infrequent urination, try drinking a glass of water.
6. Stay away from your gadget for a while
If the job requires you to stare at the computer screen more often, give your eyes the chance to rest for about 10 minutes per hour. You can take a walk, chat with friends, and read magazines or books.
You can also use anti-radiation glasses while in front of a computer screen. Also, pay attention to your sitting position. If you want to play mobile phones, try to be in the right position. You can sit or stand in an upright position, so you don't have to bend your neck to look at the screenhandphone.
7. Cold or warm compresses
You can do cold compress techniques and hot compresses. Try compressing your forehead and back of your neck using a warm cloth, this will help blood flow and relax stiff muscles.
After that, continue by compressing the section with cold compresses. You can use some ice cubes wrapped in a handkerchief. This cold effect will shrink the blood vessels. When the blood vessels shrink, the pressure on the sensitive nerves contained in the head will decrease.
8. Use essential oils
Essential oils are believed to help treat certain conditions, such as headaches or migraines. Different types of oil offer different benefits. Essential oils also provide benefits without a long list of side effects that can accompany prescription medications for headaches and migraines.
Reporting from Medical News Today, there are several essential oils that can be used to treat headaches, including lavender oil, pappermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, and so on.
