Headaches and migraines are terribly painful in and of themselves but when they have the pulsating or throbbing quality to them they can be unbearable. It can drive you mad with each beat. Luckily, as long as we know what they are, we will know what to do about them. In this article, I will cover what can be causing pulsating headaches as well as what to do about them.
What are pulsating headaches?
Pulsating headaches are a broad way to characterize our headaches known by their throbbing, aching or pulsating nature.
They feel as if the veins or arteries in your head are pulsing with each beat and this may be on top of the already painful head or as the main pain. The
There are many causes and some of them serious so if this is out of the ordinary for you or if you have not been to a doctor for it then medical assistance should be your first go-to.
What is generally happening is that when the body triggers its headache or migraine mechanism it will dilate blood vessels to bring more blood, oxygen and resources to the brain. This combined with the incredible sensitivity caused by some headaches can then make the dilated blood vessels and pulsing of our heartbeat aggravate our headache. The brain itself does not actually have any pain sensing nerves but the meninges which supply blood to the brain and cover it do.
What causes pulsating headaches?
There are many different causes of headaches that pulsate as this is only a symptom and does not point to a disease or an etiology(cause).
The diseases and conditions can include:
Caffeine headaches
Hangover headaches
Temporal Arteritis
Allergic Reactions
Sinus Infections
Other more rare head pain disorders (Stroke, Brain tumor, Meningitis)
But at the end of the
Some of the causes and triggers can include:
– Loss of sleep
– Missing meals
– Lack of core values
– Food sensitivities
– Environmental sensitivities
– Toxin overload
– Mitochondrial problems
– Muscular tension
– Excessive physical, mental or emotional stress
– Nutritional deficiencies
– Sensitivities to additives, preservatives, chemicals
– Mold
– Structural changes
– Genetics
– Dehydration
– Medication overuse
– Parasites
Here are two graphs with the most common triggers from a study done with migraines:
All of these headaches can cross over but in
Front of the head and low can be a sinus infection or allergic reaction
If the pain is at the back of the head and your nerves are actually painful to the touch then this may be occipital neuralgia
If it happens at night it may be a hypnic headache or migraine
If it comes in groups and often behind an eye, it may be a cluster headache
If you drink more than one coffee per day it may be caffeine withdrawal from the coffee or from not having the coffee frequently enough because you’ve developed a
dependance If you are taking more than one abortive, anti-inflammatory or
anti pain medication per day or every day consecutively for a week or more then it may be a rebound headacheIf it is caused by weather, has environmental sensitivities, after food, from fasting or any of the above graph triggers then it may be a migraine
If it has never happened before, is sudden and severe then it may be a very serious and rare condition and requires immediate medical intervention
If it is in your temples then temporal arteritis may be possible
If it happens when you stand up then this may be because you have low blood pressure or dysautonomia
What are the standard treatments for pulsating headaches?
The treatments for all of these are fairly unique but they are all generally some kind of prescription medication.
From migraines which can be given:
Ergotamines
Triptans
Analgesics
Opiods Topamax
To cluster headaches which can be given:
Triptans
Pure oxygen
Corticosteroids
Calcium channel blockers
To hemicrania continua which can be given:
Indomethacin
Antidepressants
Nerve blocks
To allergies which can be given:
Zyrtec
Claritin
Allegra
For
Some signs
A new type of headache
Change in your headache
Headaches after injuries
Headaches with a fever
Speech, vision, sensation, personality or motor control changes
Sudden and unusually severe
What are some alternatives we can try?
First and foremost whenever we have a chronic headache that our medications and standard treatment don’t satisfy we need to go and get functional medicine testing. This is a deeper and more comprehensive form of testing looking at
Our body systems are all connected and depend on each other. Often when we correct the body system going through dysfunction or stress, the pains and symptoms we experience go away. On the flip
Some more natural things we can try include:
Capsaicin
Heat therapy
Hydrotherapy
Massage
CBT
Biofeedback
Acupressure or reflexology
Hypnosis
Herbal Support
Chiropractic
Mindfulness meditation
See the video below on the 3 best natural ways to beat headaches:
Whenever we are dealing with pulsating headaches and especially if they are chronic and keep recurring we need to give our body EXTRA support.
Some of the best ways to do that are outlined in this article on the headache that won’t go away and what to do about it.
We always want to address the root causes if we can and make sure our body is supported enough nutritionally, emotionally, mentally, structurally, chemically, socially and environmentally
Do your headaches pulsate? How long have they been like this? Have you been given a diagnosis? Let me know below.
