Headaches are common health issue that affects almost all people. They can be completely harmless, causing us temporary discomfort, but they can also be a sign of some underlying disease or condition that requires further analysis and treatment. Headaches could be episodic and last just a couple of seconds to minutes; they can prolong for hours and days, however.
Depending on the cause, headaches could be sharp and piercing, cause us unendurable pressure and tension or make us feel slightly dizzy and unsteady. They are signs of various conditions and they could also be followed by numerous other symptoms.
Most of people usually don’t pay much attention to their headaches, especially if they last quite short and cause them just a temporary discomfort. If a headache cease shortly after taking some of the common pain relievers, it is likely a person simply forget about it, especially if headaches do not appear so frequently and they are not repetitive in short term. Episodic headaches of all sorts are pretty common, but most of them aren’t taken seriously and often remain unanalyzed and untreated properly. It is important not to overlook the possible seriousness of any sort of headache episodes, because they might be a sign of more serious condition that requires proper medical examination and further management.
Headaches may be caused by various different factors, conditions and diseases. A headache might just be a side effect of exhaust after a long working day; it could also be an unpleasant, but harmless accompanist of weather change or such. A headache could also be a result of a constant mental pressure, including a strong upset or annoyance. There are numerous causes that could trigger a headache that should not be concerning at all.
On the other hand, all sorts of headaches could be caused by some serious underlying health issues that are indeed worrying, even life threatening.
Standing up headaches and management
Some people experience headaches when they stand up and there are several medical interpretations that may lighten up the causes. This type of pain usually occurs at the back of the skull and is associated with hyper stimulation of there located receptors that cause stretching of blood vessels.
Here are some of the common causes of the unpleasant sense of pain in the head that occurs while standing up.
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Orthostatic hypotension
Orthostatic or postural hypotension is a condition that occurs as a result of a sudden decrease of blood pressure in some people. Those individuals experience a sudden headache while they stand up from sitting or lying position, because their blood pressure drops abruptly. Scientific examination of the phenomenon showed that people sensitive to blood pressure change could experience such a pain when they stand up, because the blood is suddenly pulled into their legs, as a normal result of gravity. Those susceptible individuals experience sudden drop of blood pressure, followed by headache and faster pulse.
Orthostatic hypotension could also be accompanied with dizziness, even losing consciousness and fainting. The pain and other symptoms usually last for a few minutes. If you find yourself sensitive to this issue, try stand up a bit slower and carefully.
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Changes in blood pressure
People who suffer from high or low blood pressure are familiar with headaches, unfortunately. Both hypotension and hypertension include numerous uncomfortable symptoms such as nausea, blurred vision, dizziness and distorted vision. Sudden position changes could cause sudden drop of blood pressure, as mentioned; high blood pressure is commonly accompanied with headaches and other unpleasant symptoms. Blood pressure management could also reduce the possibility of headache occurring.
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Intracranial hypotension
Intracranial hypotension or Pseudomotor cerebri is a condition that could cause headache when standing up, because of increase of intracerebral pressure, due to reduction of cerebrospinal fluid resorption in intracranial space. Since it results in an increase of pressure it could also cause headache. Complicated cases of intracranial hypotension could include other alarming symptoms, such as blurred or dimmed vision. Symptoms would usually last for a couple of seconds up to a minute, and they would particularly occur while standing up. The condition requires further medical examination and a proper treatment, including medications and even surgery in some cases.
Headache types that may worsen while standing up
Other common types of headaches are not particularly associated with the action of standing up, but they might get worse during the action. Since those types usually last more than a few seconds or minutes, they may cause stronger sense of pain and discomfort when you stand up and then return to the previous, constant level.
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Exertion headaches
Physical strain is often associated with headaches. Excessive exercise or one that requires a lot of effort may cause headaches. Some sports and types of training are known to cause head pain; running, swimming, weightlifting, rowing and similar vigorous training, especially.
Exertion headaches could be primary and secondary. Primary exercise head pain is normally treated with medication and isn’t caused by any background issue. Secondary exercise pain is usually caused by some severe brain damage and it requires emergency medical management.
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Migraines
Migraines are usually accompanied with various unpleasant symptoms such as blurred vision, nausea, sickness and vomiting numbness, light flashes and others. The pain is usually constant, one sided and dull. It is often triggered by certain types of food or mental strain and stress. The pain could appear while you’re standing up or get worsen during the action. Migraines could be reduced by anti migraine pills and by avoiding things you find causing you this unpleasant condition.
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Tension headaches
Tension headaches are quite common, unfortunately. People who suffer from this condition often describe it more as a sense of a terrible pressure around the skull, than pain. Tension headaches are generally unpredictable and episodes could last for weeks. They get really worsen when standing up. This type of headache is exhausting and extremely annoying, but it is not concerning in terms of your general health.
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Posture headaches
Poor posture causes us numerous health issues that are not particularly dangerous, but they are certainly not pleasant. Sitting for hours and hours often builds up tension in shoulders, neck and upper back. This tension could cause really severe back head pain while standing up that can spread to face and forehead. This condition, however, is not dangerous and it could be managed by correction of posture. Frequent posture changing, stretching exercises and physical therapy could significantly reduce the problem.
When to see a doctor?
Experts suggest all headaches should be properly examined, because there are various causes to trigger them. Most of people just take a pain killer and forget about it, not knowing their headache could be caused by some severe underlying problem. Try to find out what triggers your headaches, how frequent they are, do they appear on particular actions like standing up and such.
You should consult your doctor immediately if you feel like fainting, if your vision is blurred or distorted, if you feel sick and vomit, if your neck gets stiffed, if you have difficulties moving your head, walking and get a fever.
