Primary headaches are the ones that are not caused by an underlying or more serious condition. They are the ailments other than the symptoms of one. This type of headache is the more common type. Around ninety percent of all headaches experienced people fall under this category. It is actually the better type of headache because they are less serious or health threatening and are easier and simpler to cure.
Primary headaches are mostly caused by environmental factors and your lifestyle. Migraines, tension headache and cluster headache fall under this category. Among the three, tension headache is the most common. Nine out of ten of the time, it is a tension headache. They usually occur due to the amount of stress you put on yourself. The stress can either be emotional or physical or both. These stress inducing factors or activities tend to cause the muscles enveloping the skull to tighten up which is what causes the headaches. Hence, the name tension headache.
While this type of headache usually resolves itself and goes away on its own, you should still take the time to take care of them. Even if they are not life-threatening, they can cause seriously affect your quality of life. Some of them may be mild and tolerable while some can actually be debilitating. Whether it is the former or the latter or somewhere in between, they still affect you and how you perform as well as the way you relate to the people around you. When you are not feeling well, you will be unable to perform at your best. Also, you are also more likely to be cranky and get exhausted faster.
Most people opt to self medicate with over the counter pain pills. For the first few times, this can actually be a good thing. Pain meds can be a quick fix for a simply problem. However, if the headache recurs more than a few times, pain pills are not the solution. In fact, studies show that pain medication and the prolonged constant use of them can, in itself, cause headaches. You must be watchful on the number of times and the frequency with which you turn to pain meds. Dependency on them can also become quite a serious problem.
Actually, the solutions for primary headaches especially tension headache are quite simple. There are specific medications that address the problem directly. This is why it is important to consult your doctor before taking pain meds, you might end up taking the wrong kind, making the problem worse. Other less conventional treatments include exercises and even correcting posture. These are better because since you will not be taking in any kind of pill, you will be saving your liver and kidneys from the unndecessary strain.
In fact, studies show that pain medication and the prolonged constant use of them can, in itself, cause headaches. You must be watchful on the number of times and the frequency with which you turn to pain meds. Dependency on them can also become quite a serious problem.