Consuming sufficient water can be one of the effective ways to prevent or even cure headaches that suddenly occur. When experiencing headaches, we tend to take medication as a short-term solution to get rid of the headache. Unfortunately, this can cause side effects. Even more, if this situation is a recurring problem, which in the long term can cause health problems.
Headaches have many causes, from disorders of blood vessels, a problem with the nerves, and prolonged stress, and one of the most usual causes is lack of fluids or dehydration. Unfortunately, not many people know that headaches can also happen because of a lack of water intake.
Why Does Dehydration Trigger Headaches?
The main reason for dehydration headaches is that when we are lacking water, our brains will slowly shrink. The pull between the shrunken brain and the skull can trigger headaches.
Headache due to dehydration is not only a myth. According to a study conducted by Dr Joseph Norman Blau from The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, 1 in 10 people will experience a headache after not consuming enough water for a certain time. Thus ensuring that we have proper water intake is important to prevent the possibility of headaches that can disrupt our daily activities.
Signs of Headache Due To Dehydration
When a person is dehydrated, it will affect their overall health and condition. Headache is one of the effects that will arise due to dehydration. When you are dehydrated, headache pain can be felt in all parts of the head, both in the front and back.
There is no factual way that can help to figure out whether the headache is due to dehydration or other reasons. But these signs below can enlighten you, thus you will be able to differentiate whether the current headache you’re feeling is happening because of dehydration or not.
Headache location
As mentioned above, headaches due to dehydration can be felt in all parts of the head. It is like a dull sensation or a migraine that appears all over the head. But, you will not feel the pain in the face or behind the neck.
Pay attention to other accompanying symptoms
Because it’s triggered by dehydration, a headache will usually be accompanied by other symptoms of dehydration –such as dry mouth, thirst, weakness, and dark urine. Furthermore, headaches due to dehydration can also cause low blood pressure with an increased heart rate.
Watch your fluid intake
To find out the possible cause of your headache, you should pay attention to your fluid intake. Do you notice that you are not drinking enough water?
If the answer is yes and out of nowhere you get that headache, then it is most likely that you are experiencing a dehydration headache. One easy way that can also be used as a benchmark to decide whether you have drunk enough water or not, is by checking out your urine condition.
If you don’t urinate as often or if your urine is dark yellow, then these are the main signs that you don’t get enough fluid. Other common symptoms of headache due to lack of water are lightheadedness, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, extreme thirst, lack of sweat, low blood pressure, and increased heart rate.
Please note that this condition varies from person to person.
How To Overcome Headaches Caused By Dehydration
Headaches will certainly interfere with our daily activities. Thus, to treat headaches due to dehydration, you can do the following.
Increase water intake
When you experience the signs that we have mentioned above, you should definitely increase your fluid intake. high in calories.
You should drink one or two glasses of water every two hours. This can help to improve your hydration level. To ensure you can replenish your water intake easily, you should stock some bulk water bottles in your house or office, thus you will always remember to reach for the bottle during the course of the day.
Take a short break
After reaching for a glass of water, you may also need to temporarily reduce physical activity and avoid heat to reduce sweating. Close your eyes and lie down for a while. Taking a short break from your activities may be one of the best things that you can do to get rid of headaches.
Consume headache relievers meds
If the headache comes out of nowhere when you need to do something urgently, thus you won’t be able to take a break. You can consume headache reliever medication such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to get rid of the headaches quickly.
However, keep in mind that this medication may only relieve the symptoms for a short while, and does not treat the actual cause of the headache.
Consult a doctor
While the above steps can help to treat dehydration, it can take a while for a headache due to dehydration to completely go away. However, if the headaches are getting worse and it is accompanied by frequent vomiting and diarrhoea you should immediately consult a doctor to get proper treatment.
Don’t underestimate headaches, especially headaches due to dehydration. Dehydration can affect your overall health, and headaches can interfere with your quality of life. Therefore, you should prevent dehydration by always meeting your body’s fluid needs. Don’t forget to adjust your fluid intake according to the amount of physical activity you are doing.
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