Headache sources are diverse, unusual
By Sue Wang
Oct. 16, 2007 10:01 p.m.
As Jessica Giffin entered college and started juggling a number of activities and changes, there was one change she couldn’t adjust to: the sharp pain in the back of her head.
Giffin, a second-year international development studies student, is just one of many college students who experience headaches or migraines as a result of stress and other environmental or social factors, whether it’s diet, exercise or sleep, said Andrew Charles, the director of the UCLA Headache Research and Treatment Program in the department of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine.
While most headaches are associated with negative changes in lifestyle, positive changes such as sleeping more or consuming less caffeine may actually lead to headaches as well.
As many as 70 to 80 percent of students may experience headaches at one time, said Evi Desser, a nurse practitioner at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.
Among the most common types of headaches are those associated with muscle contractions, blood flow problems and infections.
Muscle tension and muscle contraction headaches occur when someone uses the neck and shoulders because when they get tight, the muscle strain can ascend to the muscles of the head, Desser said.
“(One treatment might be to) lay down and take a break from sitting down in front of the computer for extended hours,” she said.
Another common type of headache, including migraines, is caused not by muscles in the area, but rather by problems with blood flow.
A migraine, a type of throbbing or pulsating headache with pain on one side of the brain, comes with many symptoms not associated with normal headaches: sensitivity to light or sound, nausea, dizziness and trouble thinking.
A third particularly common case of headaches is the kind associated with infections like a cold, flu or fever.
These types of headaches are known as sinus headaches, which cause pain in the front of the head or face.
On top of the physical sources of a headache, environmental and social factors may trigger or even cause a head pain.
Negative changes cause headaches, but positive changes may as well, Charles said.
“Changes in sleep ““ whether it is getting too little sleep or getting more sleep after not sleeping much for a while ““ can (cause headaches),” he said.
Often, a headache will be a manifestation of stress after the stressful period has passed, he added.
“After a student studies all night for a test, the (headache) comes after the test is done with,” Charles said. “It’s the letdown from stress.”
Yet simple changes can be made to alleviate headaches, and medication is not always necessary.
“People don’t have to stop (consuming) caffeine or stop working hard and studying ““ they just have to regulate more and make minor lifestyle changes,” Charles said.
In Giffin’s case, relaxation and time management were some of the little steps she took to eliminate headaches.
After she had been experiencing a painful period of headaches and had seen her doctor, she went on a vacation to Peru for five weeks.
“I didn’t have any problems ““ no headaches, nothing. It was probably the most relaxed I’ve ever been in my life,” Giffin said.
Her doctor gave her tips to change her lifestyle, which has allowed her to overcome the headaches.
“Learning how to use my body differently, sitting differently, (and) a few stretches all helped,” she said.
While lifestyle changes like these can be a solution to the problem, sometimes medication will be needed.
Anti-inflammatories like Advil or Aleve can be effective for some patients if taken as early as possible and in adequate doses.
But ironically, if Advil is taken too frequently or more than 10 times a month, it can actually contribute to headaches, Charles said.
It is important to know how headaches develop and what can be done to deal with them, said Giffin.
“Students are very, very unaware of how headaches work,” she said.
“Some people think they can just pop in some Advils and everything will be fine.”
