If you’ve ever experienced a headache you know how debilitating and brutal the pain can be, especially if they turn into migraines. According to an article on Neurology Advisor by Helen Fosam PhD, migraines have prevalence in the United States between 11.7% and 22.7% and are the leading causes of emergency department visits. Although Fosam reports that headaches decrease with age, tension headaches are still more common in the older generation, and secondary causes of headache become more significant.
Migraines vs. Headaches
Headaches and tension headaches are the more common type of neurological discomfort. About 90% of headaches fall into this category. It’s common for most people to experience them at one point or another throughout their lifetime and common for them to go away after a of couple hours. Migraine headaches are not as normal and can last between 4 and 72 hours.
According to webMD, the symptoms of tension headaches are: pain on both sides of your head, tight pressure or throbbing, and soreness of temples.
Migraine on the other hand, is a condition that results in headaches and can include symptoms such as: a worsened sense of throbbing on one side of your head, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vision changes, and worsened pain with physical activity.
The causes for these types of head pain can vary with age. Stress, worry, or being overly tired usually brings on tension headaches as well. Migraines are a bit harder to pinpoint with genes and environment playing a more major factor. WebMD points out that “triggers,” which can be related to hormonal changes or exposure to bright lights, bring on migraines.
Geriatric Specific Head Pain
Seniors who experience headaches and migraines have most likely been experiencing headaches their whole life, it’s not usually something suddenly happening to their age group. According to Dr. De Leon, when those older than 65 have a new onset of headaches we must be alert because the risk of having a headache as a harbinger of something more serious is tenfold compared to a new onset of headaches in young people. More specific to elderly types of headaches are “vestibular migraines,” which can be brought about by vertigo and dizziness. These symptoms mirror closely to those of a stroke, so it’s important to pay attention to the warning signs and seek medical attention if you or your senior feel unwell.
Hypnic headaches are a rare condition that most often starts around age 60. These headaches are mild to moderate in pain and start while an individual is sleeping and is considered chronic when occurring 15 times per month. Neurology Advisor’s website says that with hypnic headaches, “possible secondary causes that should be ruled out include nocturnal hypertension, posterior fossa and pituitary tumors, the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and in at least one case, sleep apnea.” Hypnic headache can be treated and is usually very treatable with caffeine, melatonin, or lithium.
Thunderclap headaches are a more severe type of headache, with WebMD referring to them as “the first worst headache” that people feel in their life. This rare headache comes on suddenly and can cause intense pain, nausea, and vomiting. The causes of these headaches are usually some type of bleeding in the brain and can be life threatening; seek medical attention immediately if you feel one coming on. Thunderclap headaches come out of nowhere and have a peak pain of about 5 minutes before fading away, hence their name. It’s often the only warning sign leading up to a larger problem.
How to Handle Migraines & Headaches
Medication is proven to help treat and prevent headaches and migraines, but the treatment plans are different for everybody. In addition, adjusting your lifestyle choices can help promote less frequency in headaches and migraines. Following these helpful steps can help effectively limit your number of headaches and migraines and keep your pain at bay.
Change your environment at the fist sign of head pain. Headaches can creep on with our current environmental surroundings. You may get one in a brightly lit grocery store, in a shopping mall with intense perfume in the air, or even in a restaurant with loud speakers at a nearby table. Exit whatever situation you’re in as quickly as possible to a relaxing, calming environment. Turn off the lights when you are able to; migraines in specific increase sensitivity to light and can often times make them worse. When you are able to lie down, apply a cold compress to the base of your neck or forehead, which can create a numbing effect and lessen the sharp pain. Warm compresses are good to relax and break up the muscles if you think your headache is coming from a cramp.
Rest as often, or as soon as you can. Migraines can affect sleep habits by waking people up in the middle of the night, or keeping people from falling asleep if the pain is severe. Migraines can in return, be triggered by a poor nights sleep. Try establishing regular sleep hours and monitoring how many hours of sleep you're getting per night. Many seniors take sleeping pills to help with their rest. If this is the case for you or the senior you care for, try taking the medicines a little earlier in the evening if you know it takes a while for them to kick in. Often, we want to watch television or read books before bed, but this can actually stimulate our minds and keep us awake longer. Limit screens up to 30 minutes prior to going to bed, as the blue light can not only add to the headache, but increase neurological stimulation as well. Additionally, be mindful of the medications you take for headaches. Many times headache and migraine medicines contain caffeine and can keep people awake without realizing it.
Manage stress. Stress, headaches, and migraines are often linked together. You can’t avoid daily stress, and as we age life may seem more difficult for us to handle. Even though we can’t control everything that happens, there are ways to deal with stress to lessen its negative affect on our lives in hopes that it doesn’t add to migraines and headaches. For seniors, try to simplify your life. Ask for help from caretakers or family for weekly tasks instead of trying to take on too much yourself. If you’re living in a care facility and feeling overwhelmed, ask to talk to a mental health professional. Talking about the things that stress us out is a good way to manage it, and understand we’re not alone. Mediation is a healthy, stress management practice that can not only help with mental health, but also increase positive sleep habits. Meditation can be learned and practiced at any age and overall helps to relax the mind, body, and spirit.