What to do if a person has a headache and nausea? We will consider the reasons for this in this article. What can it talk about? Is it dangerous? With a headache, as well as with nausea, at least once in a lifetime, every person has encountered. This is an unpleasant phenomenon that does not cause, however, as a rule, concern. Quite often, pain in the head acts as an independent phenomenon, passing after some time or eliminated with painkillers.
Sometimes, when a headache and nausea are present , this situation is a sign of a serious illness and requires medical attention. This is especially true in cases where, in addition to the pain syndrome, other symptoms appear, such as nausea and vomiting.
How does headache and nausea manifest
Headache is an extremely unpleasant sensation in the area of not only the head, but also the neck. Sometimes it radiates to the back and chest, and also causes nausea. The malaise is of various types, it can be pulsating, acute, compressive, periodic, etc. Most often it is local and appears in a certain place, for example, in the back of the head or frontal part, on the left or on the right.
Quite often, a person hurts and is dizzy and nauseous. These are symptoms that need attention. In this case, you do not need to postpone the trip to the therapist and a detailed examination.
Accompanying pain symptom
Nausea is often found as a symptom accompanying a headache. The nature of the ailments in this case can be either constant or periodic. If you often have a headache and nausea, this can significantly reduce the overall quality of human life. In this state, it is not possible to fully work and live in society, because with a headache you want privacy and silence. Psychological, as well as physical activity are significantly reduced.
Self-Relief
Most often, it is possible to get rid of pain in the head independently, creating the necessary conditions for rest and relaxation for this. If even silence does not give the desired effect, then various medications, painkillers and potions are used. In an extreme case, an intramuscular injection is made.
And if the child has a headache and nausea?
It is not worth prescribing analgesics on your own. This can lead to complications. In addition, you should first find out the cause of the headache, and then make a decision about taking painkillers. If phenomena such as headache and nausea appear regularly, you should consult a doctor. A specialist will conduct an examination and collect an anamnesis to find out the cause. This is far from always a harmless pathology. Sometimes, during the examination, serious violations in the functioning of the circulatory system and the brain are revealed.
So why does a person have a headache and nausea?
Several diseases and factors that can provoke the appearance of these symptoms are highlighted. The most common among them are the following.
Self sign
Nausea and headache as an independent symptom. Not always these phenomena are symptoms of other diseases. Sometimes a malaise can cause severe fatigue, stress, hard work. All this leads to depression of the nervous system and, accordingly, can cause a headache. If a person is constantly under stress, then a headache will become his regular companion. Stressful situations and emotional overstrain often lead to vascular spasm, which disrupts blood circulation and provokes malaise. If soreness becomes more intense, it can cause nausea and vomiting.
Pregnancy
Often a woman has a headache and is sick during pregnancy. The gestation period proceeds according to an individual program for each individual woman. Some do not feel any discomfort during pregnancy, others are unwell for the entire period. In the first trimester, during a period when a woman does not yet know about the onset of pregnancy, pain and nausea may occur. Moreover, the frequency of their appearance can be every 4-5 hours. They tend to increase intensity, sometimes it comes to vomiting. However, after a certain time, these symptoms disappear on their own.
Migraine
A person has a headache and is sick with migraines. This is a neurological disease associated with a malfunction of the vascular system in the brain. This pathology is manifested by strong and regular headaches. As a rule, pain is localized in the left or right side of the head. Migraine attacks are always accompanied by nausea and are very intense. During an attack, a person develops photophobia and sensitivity to loud noises and various noises. In this case, the patient needs to ensure complete rest until the symptoms disappear. Migraine is easily diagnosed by the nature of the sensations and the appearance of seizures. When your head hurts and is dizzy and sick, what else can it mean?
Injuries
The head is very sensitive to any, even the most minor injuries. Even the smallest damage to the brain can lead to irreversible and very serious consequences. If nausea and headache appear after a fall, bruise, or other mechanical impact, this is the first sign of a problem. Minor injuries are perceived by a person as something frivolous and not requiring special attention, therefore, in the vast majority of cases, he prefers not to seek qualified help. If the symptoms do not manifest themselves after the injury, then this really does not require the attention of a doctor. However, if the patient begins to experience nausea and headaches, you should consult a traumatologist, as this indicates internal damage and hidden injuries. Only a specialist will be able to pinpoint the problem and prescribe the necessary treatment.
Brain inflammation
The head hurts and the person is sick with inflammation of the brain. This includes diseases such as encephalitis, meningitis, and encephalopathy. At the initial stages of their development, such pathologies occur without obvious symptoms. The very first signs of the disease are nausea and headache. The consequences of the above diseases can be mental retardation, problems with vision and speech, as well as impaired motor function. What else can it mean when a patient has a headache in his forehead and is sick?
Hypertension
Nausea and pain in the head in this case are due to disorders that occur in the blood supply to the brain with high blood pressure. If we talk about intracranial pressure, then in this case, malaise can become the main symptom of this disease.
Infectious Disease
In most cases, infections caused by the infection begin with symptoms such as nausea and headache. Moreover, it does not matter what type of infection is present in the body, microbial or viral. Both categories of diseases provoke these symptoms, which are harbingers of the onset of the disease.
Mental disorder
A person has a headache, eyes and sometimes sick for no specific reason. Mental disorders, depressive and stressful conditions can lead to this. The danger of mental illness is that it is difficult to recognize. Often, a person does not manifest any other symptoms except pain in the head and nausea. However, stressful situations and depressive states adversely affect the work of all organs and systems of the body. Pain in the head in this case can be perceived as a signal supplied by the body's defense system.
Its nature is periodic, often patients describe it as pulsating, squeezing and compressing. It is not possible to overcome such ailment independently. Anesthetics only briefly relieve the patient's condition. In addition, it is important not only to relieve symptoms, but to get rid of the causes of such phenomena. To do this, you need to go through many experts and a thorough examination. And if the head hurts, the stomach and makes you sick, what could be the reason?
Hormonal background
Violation in the hormonal background and metabolic processes of the body. As a result of impaired metabolism, the endocrine system falls under the blow, which leads to the appearance of headache and nausea. Also, a malfunction in the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland due to hormonal imbalances leads to similar symptoms.
Intoxication
When your head hurts, you feel sick, the temperature is probably intoxication and a sharp change in nutrition. Eating poor-quality or unusual products for the body can lead to a gradual poisoning of the whole body. This type of intoxication is significantly different from the acute form of the disease. In the case of the latter, changes occur immediately. Symptoms in the form of diarrhea and vomiting occur several hours after taking harmful products. The first signs of gradual poisoning are nausea and headache. However, other signs of intoxication may be completely absent. A similar reaction of the body is typical for chemical poisoning.
Then most often a person has a headache and nausea. The reasons we have considered.
Diagnostics
Before starting treatment, symptomatic or aimed at eliminating the causes of headache and nausea, you should be examined and make an accurate diagnosis. There are several diagnostic methods that are used if the patient complains of these symptoms. Among them:
1. Magnetic resonance imaging. The most important and informative diagnostic method. It allows you to assess the state of the brain, as well as the chest and cervical regions. MRI makes it possible to identify tumors, injuries, as well as the consequences of a stroke.
2. Angiography. Using this procedure, a check is made of the state of the vascular system of the neck and brain. An angiogram should be given to anyone who suffers from nausea and headache for no reason, especially if the symptoms worsen during exercise.
3. When the head hurts and is sick of pressure, blood pressure monitoring is prescribed. This is also an important point for people experiencing frequent headaches. Hypertension sometimes can manifest itself only with this symptom and pass in a latent form.
4. Blood test. It is supposed to conduct a detailed blood test taking into account all possible indicators. This study will allow the specialist to assess the general condition of the patient’s body, as well as diagnose infectious diseases and inflammatory processes of a chronic nature that occur in a latent form.
5. When the head, forehead and nausea hurt , an ultrasound scan is performed. It is carried out on all possible organs. Violation in one of the body systems can lead to these symptoms.
6. Visit to the optometrist. Often, vision problems can cause a headache. To verify this, it is necessary to examine the fundus of the patient.
7. Consultation of a psychiatrist. It is a mandatory procedure for patients who have mental problems.