Of course, you have heard that millions of people suffer from headaches. This is a signal from the body about an imbalance in it. According to localization, the headache can be frontal, occipital, temporal, mixed. Pain in the temporal region is very common. As a rule, it is not as intense as other types, but it can lead to various complications. The occurrence of such pain is unpredictable. It may even be in the earliest morning, and you will have to regret the interrupted sleep.
Headache in the temples symptoms
By the nature of the manifestation, pain can be sharp, dull, pulsating in one or both temples. This is due to the location of the temporal artery in this part of the head. Such pain can last for several minutes, or it can be exhausting for several hours. Its intensity is due to the individual characteristics of the organism.
Headache in the temples causes
Headache often appears as a result of innervation of the jaw or cervical nerve endings, as well as the upper back, since they are directly connected with the nerves of the forehead and temples. Overstraining any of these nerves can lead to headaches.
You probably know that most headaches are caused by various diseases. Infectious diseases are in the lead in this list.
- Headache – a satellite of influenza , sore throats, Lyme disease, brucellosis, fever Dengue.
- Lack of sleep can be a source of prolonged headaches. This conclusion was made by doctors at the end of the last century after numerous interviews. People who suffer from insomnia often suffer from headaches.
- Migraines can cause very sharp pain that radiates to the eyes, often causing nausea to vomiting. May be accompanied by impaired vision, taste, odor, sometimes photophobia and weakness. Often the pain increases when walking. Attacks can be short (about half an hour) or prolonged (several hours). Almost half of migraine sufferers are unaware of their diagnosis. What does it mean? Only one thing – they are deprived of appropriate treatment. You see how important it is to be attentive to yourself and turn to a specialist for help in time!
- The menstrual cycle can cause headache in the temples. Pregnancy makes such attacks rare, and childbirth can completely save a woman from this problem.
- Changes in hormonal levels during menopause can also contribute to headaches.
- A decrease in intracranial pressure is almost always accompanied by a debilitating headache, periodic hearing impairment, and ringing in the ears. Statistics say that annually out of one million people, about fifty acquire a severe form of low intracranial pressure.
- Pheochromocytoma of the adrenal glands is inextricably linked with painful pulsation in the temporal zone. This is caused by an excess of produced adrenaline. As a result, a sharp jump in blood pressure , sweating, pallor of the skin, headache. Such attacks of pain last 5 minutes. – 2 hours. If your blood pressure is normal, don’t worry. However, frequent pain in the temporal zone is best discussed with a specialist.
- High intracranial pressure (intracranial hypertension) contributes to bilateral headaches. The situation is aggravated by the presence of a whistling noise in the head. This condition is easier to tolerate in a reclining position. The risk group is made up of people prone to overweight. For them, it is preferable to follow a diet.
- Intoxication of the body as a result of poisoning is accompanied not only by diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, but also by pain in the temples. Alcohol intoxication is widespread. An evening meal always ends with a morning headache.
External factors causing headache in the temples
- Carbon monoxide causes dangerous poisoning requiring urgent medical attention. He is always accompanied by a general headache.
- 24-hour fasting during religious fasting or for the purpose of losing weight in 39% of people provokes throbbing pain in the temporal or frontal area of the head.
- Most people are prone to pain in the temples when climbing to an altitude of four kilometers. Thirty percent of people feel depressed or anxious.
- Four percent of people experience headaches during and after the flight. A fifth of people professionally associated with frequent flights suffer from frequent pain in the temporal-frontal region.
- Scientists have investigated the headache that occurs in the temples as a result of ascents to great heights and descents to great depths (up to 400 meters). Studies have shown that headaches appear much more often when climbing. This is explained by the lower oxygen content at high altitudes, in particular, in the cabin of the aircraft.
Headache in the temples treatment
Very often, simple acupressure of the temporal zones is used to relieve pain. Perform six to twelve clicks with the index fingers (thumbs can be used) on the pain points. It is allowed to use this method throughout the day as many times as necessary. Closed eyes, a quiet room, dim lights will make this massage more effective.
Another self-medication technique. To relieve tension and relax the muscles, you can put a compress (hot or cold) on the temporal region. In fifteen to twenty minutes. under the influence of heat (cold), the headache will diminish or subside completely.
Be sure to rest your eyes throughout the day. Focusing on a computer, reading or driving a car increases eye strain and leads to severe eye fatigue. Blink more often to avoid drying out the mucous membranes of the eyes, and break away from work for 20-30 minutes.
Pay attention to the amount and quality of sleep. Don’t sacrifice sleep for success. A sleep duration of six to eight hours is considered normal. Frequent lack of sleep can lead to chronic fatigue, a state of irritation and anxiety, constant temporal pain, depression. This drains the body and can end badly. Sleep should be of good quality and sufficient in duration.
A couple of cups of coffee will relieve stress and relieve headaches, just don’t overdo it. Excess caffeine can increase temple pain. More gently relieves stress and headaches with chocolate and a cup of green tea.
Chamomile tea gently soothes and relaxes. Vitamin C (chewable), cherry juice, orange juice help some people. Gymnastics and walks are useful. Open windows in your work area as often as possible. Enriching the blood with oxygen contributes to the rapid cleansing of cells from toxins, improves cellular respiration, raises the body’s tone and reduces headache in the temples.
Pain medications should only be used in extreme cases and after consulting a doctor.
Who to contact?
Very often people do not go to the doctor for fear of finding something serious. To live in ignorance is somehow calmer. This is an extremely dangerous position in life. You can lose time, which in some diseases is a decisive factor in the recovery of the body. Another common reason we don’t want to see a doctor is for lack of time or money. This, too, cannot be used as an excuse. Especially when it comes to severe and frequent temporal headaches. The sooner you are examined by a neurologist, the less the likelihood of complications and the faster the treatment process will go.
A headache in the temple area worries people of different ages. Someone experiences a headache in the left temple or right, and someone suffers from pain in both temples. In the Yusupov hospital, doctors first use a comprehensive examination to establish the cause of the headache in the temple. Treatment is prescribed depending on the type of pain.
Neurologists, therapists, and oncologists collegially establish a diagnosis and develop patient management tactics. Professors and doctors of the highest category use innovative methods of headache therapy. The medical staff is attentive to the wishes of the patients. Psychotherapists provide support to patients with an unstable emotional state.
The main causes of headache in the temples
Headache in the right or left temple can be caused by various reasons. It can have a pulsating, pressing character, less often it is cutting. Severe aching headache in the temple area often occurs in the morning, which makes the patient wake up before the alarm clock.
Headache attacks in the temples come unexpectedly. If you have a headache in the temporal region, you should immediately contact a therapist at the Yusupov hospital. He will conduct an initial examination, prescribe an examination. Having received the results of the research, the therapist refers the patient to a neurologist, cardiologist or oncologist. If necessary, patients undergo a complex examination and receive advice from leading specialists of partner clinics.
The most common cause of frequent headaches in the temples is pressure drop. Attacks can happen due to some kind of disease. There are more than two hundred known main causes that can cause headache in the temples. The most common causes of temporal lobe headache include:
- disruption of the circulatory system;
- viral and bacterial diseases;
- age-related changes in the body;
- intoxication;
- entrapment of the trigeminal nerve;
- hormonal dysfunction;
- carious teeth.
It is worth noting that absolutely any pain that is felt in the face area can provoke the appearance of temporal pain. It is difficult to identify the true cause of the headache. A constant headache in the temples and forehead often worries people who lead a busy lifestyle, get tired, and have little rest.
Types of temporal headache
Any headache in the temples and eyes is characterized by sharpness, suddenness. If the pain syndrome arose against the background of overwork, experienced emotional upheavals, the duration of the temporal headache can be 30 minutes, or it can last 24 hours. If the throbbing headache in the temples is in the morning, it can be assumed that it is caused by vascular disorders. Such pain is accompanied by general weakness, nausea, and tinnitus.
A headache in the temples due to an injury can manifest itself in different ways: pulsation in the temples, movement of the focus of pain from the temporal lobe to the occipital. If appropriate measures are not taken, acute pain can become chronic.
With persistent headaches in the temples, the causes of which are unknown, doctors recommend that the patient keep a diary. In it, the number and nature of headaches should be noted, how they are removed. Thanks to these records, it will be easier for a specialist to compose a picture of the course of the disease.
How to get rid of pain in the temples at home
If a severe headache in the temples occurs at home, you can try to get rid of it without resorting to medication. The choice of a method to reduce temporal pain should be approached carefully. You can do a head massage yourself. Get into a comfortable position and start massaging your head with your fingertips. If there is a headache in the right temple, start doing massage movements on the right side of the head, if in the left – on the left. Then use your fingers to walk all over the head, grasping both the temporal, occipital, and frontal regions. When you are finished with your massage, stay relaxed for a few minutes.
Temporal headache may disappear after taking a warm shower. The patient’s blood circulation in the brain improves, which allows getting rid of headaches. The bath is relaxing, which will also help relieve pain. Walking in the fresh air for half an hour can reduce the headache in the temples, which are caused by migraines. If, after the attempts made, the headache in the temples does not go away, contact the Yusupov hospital.
Non-drug treatments for headache
The non-pharmacological methods of treatment used by the specialists of the rehabilitation clinic of the Yusupov hospital are aimed at the main mechanisms involved in the formation of headache. Among them, the leading ones are psychological factors (acute or chronic emotional stress), and muscle tension – myofascial, muscle-tonic, syndromes with the formation of trigger points of pain.
The criteria for the use of non-drug treatments are:
- insufficient effectiveness of drug therapy;
- individual intolerance to drugs and or the occurrence of allergic manifestations when taking pharmacological agents;
- the patient’s tendency to addiction and dependence when taking antidepressants and tranquilizers, which are widely used in the treatment of pain in the temporal region;
- the development of abusal headaches with prolonged use of analgesics in large doses;
- no contraindications to the use of non-pharmacological methods.
Pain is always a mental phenomenon. The longer and stronger the pain, the more often it is combined with anxious, depressive, hypochondriacal reactions, which may be of a primary or secondary nature. The duration and severity of pain affects the patient’s well-being and behavior. Under the influence of pain, personality traits, attitudes towards the world around us, ourselves, and the future change. Psychological correction, which is carried out by the specialists of the rehabilitation clinic, is aimed at changing these negative influences, at the following points:
- improving personality functioning;
- correction of the patient’s experiences associated with the presence of persistent long-term or paroxysmal repetitive temporal headaches;
- elimination of existing emotional disorders.
The doctors of the Yusupov hospital begin psychological correction from the very first conversation with the patient. The patient is inspired with hope for improvement, reduced anxiety, encouraged to recover. In addition to the explanatory conversation, psychologists are in a state of hypnotic sleep.
Autogenic training includes:
- relaxation of skeletal muscles;
- regulation of regional heart rate, vascular tone, depth and respiration rate;
- mental relaxation through specially selected verbal formulas.
Breathing and relaxation therapy combines elements of mental and muscle relaxation with chest excursions in the inhalation-exhalation rhythm. Acupuncture is based on the stimulation of strictly defined areas of the skin, subcutaneous tissue in the area of biologically active points. Post-isometric relaxation is a technical form of manual therapy. It is used to induce muscle relaxation and pain relief.
Biofeedback – the method is as close as possible to testing physiological functions. It differs from the rest by the active involvement of the patient himself in the treatment process. The method is based on biological control of physiological functions.
Light therapy is a method of exposure to bright white light. Through the retina, hypothalamus, pineal gland, it affects circadian rhythms, the activity of melatonin receptors located outside the pineal gland, nonspecific brain systems, changes endocrine, mental, and motor functions.
Medication for temporal lobe headache
Doctors of the Yusupov Hospital, when choosing a method for treating headache in the temporal region, take into account the reason why it occurs. Treatment of tension headache includes relief of painful episodes and preventive treatment.
In order to interrupt an attack of headache in the temples, simple analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. Treatment with these drugs should be used with a frequency of attacks no more than twice a week. The use of simple analgesics should not exceed 14 days per month. The use of any medication for pain relief is monitored by keeping a diary. In patients with chronic headache, associated depression and anxiety, simple analgesics are usually ineffective, and overuse of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lead to drug dependence.
Patients are prescribed ibuprofen at a dose of 400 mg. It has the least potential to cause gastrointestinal complications. Frequent use of paracetamol in high doses can lead to liver damage.
Preventive therapy is carried out in patients with chronic tension headache. For the prevention of pain in the temples, antidepressants are most often used. Their effect is due to their own analgesic effect due to increased activity of descending analgesics. The analgesic effect of antidepressants occurs earlier than the actual antidepressant and when using smaller doses. The first choice is amitriptyline. Other tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, maprotiline, clomipramine, and mianserin are also used.