Pain is felt if the pain receptors are irritated or stimulated which can be found in areas near the head such as muscle of the head, nerves of the head and neck, blood vessels in the head, membranes of the ear, nose and throat, and sinuses.
Stress is hyped to be one of the most common causes of tension headaches. In fact, it is also termed as "stress headaches". Stress is a part of the daily lives of everyone. It is inevitable and unavoidable because it is associated with the lives of people in today's fast paced world. When there is chronic stress, it can alter the body functions hence inducing wear and tear of the body systems. Stress can be linked to many conditions of the body including headaches.
Headaches are initiated when the pain receptors near the head send pain signals to the brain. Stress is one of the culprits because anxiety, lack of sleep and lack of appetite is associated with it. Stress is claimed to trigger the "flight or fight" mechanism of the body's defense system which is characterized by symptoms of shallow and fast breathing, increase in blood pressure, increased heart rate and secretion of adrenaline. These mechanisms can cause headache.
This is the most common cause of tension headache. Tension headache occur in response to muscle contraction or tension in the neck, face and scalp. Muscular tension can by caused by poor posture, over exertion, and anxiety. Problems with the teeth and jaw can contribute to headaches.
The presence of problems such as dental abscess, teeth grinding, post-extraction infection, and lock jaw can lead to the occurrence of headache. Inflammation and infection in these areas can send pain signals to the brain and headache occur. Since the headache is caused by an underlying condition, the treatment is to treat and manage the jaw or dental problem.
The effects of infection on the body are very broad and it can also cause headaches. Viral infections such as influenza can cause headache because of the fever that occurs. When infection occurs, the body responds through initiating the immune system to react on the pathogen causing the infection and sometimes, these components of the immune system can trigger a headache.
Infection and inflammation of the sinuses can cause a throbbing pain in the frontal head that can cause pain and pressure. On the other hand, bacterial infections caused by Streptococcus can cause headaches. Furthermore, they also claim that H.pylori, the culprit in gastric and peptic ulcer can trigger headaches and migraine.
