Causes of discomfort
There are many causes of pain in the head. Discomfort may be caused by an increase in body temperature, accompanied by increased secretion of intracranial fluid. Headaches are also caused by poisoning of the body with toxic substances and the presence of an inflammatory process in the area of the ears and sinuses.
Attention! Pain in the head area is insidious. It can be one of the signs of hypertension. With this disease, the blood supply to brain cells is disrupted. Hypertension develops due to a passion for salty and smoked foods, low physical activity, and abuse of alcoholic beverages. Painkillers usually simply dull the pain without addressing its cause. Therefore, a person may have a stroke or heart attack. If a headache occurs due to colds, it is recommended to visit a medical facility.
The cause of pain is also sphenoiditis. With this disease, an inflammatory process is observed in the area of the sphenoid sinus, located at the base of the skull. With sphenoiditis, pain is localized in the back of the head. The sphenoid sinus is located next to the carotid arteries and the optic nerve. Pathology can cause complete loss of vision.
Diseases that may cause
If a runny nose is accompanied by a severe headache, then this is not a reason to panic. In most cases, this occurs due to the fact that the body’s immune system has begun to fight against foreign viruses or bacteria that have entered it.
But you shouldn’t put off visiting the doctor “until later.” Painful sensations can be caused not only by colds, but also by flu, as well as a number of other diseases, including:
- sinusitis;
- otitis;
- meningitis.
It is extremely important to correctly determine the cause of the symptoms that appear.
Common cold
These symptoms can be caused by a common cold, however, with a sore throat and runny nose, the head may hurt due to an increase in the volume of intracranial fluid and increased intracranial pressure. In this case, in addition to regular painkillers, you need to take medications to relieve swelling. Only a specialist can provide adequate treatment.
Flu
A runny nose, weakness, aching bones, and high fever most likely indicate a flu infection. The cause of headaches, most often, is intoxication of the body with waste products of the virus that has entered the body.
In this case, antiviral drugs and drinking plenty of fluids will help most quickly. Often, the headache goes away on its own after the crisis has passed, the reproduction of the influenza virus has been stopped and cleansing of the body begins.
Sinusitis
If the frontal part of the head hurts when you have a runny nose, and the pain intensifies at the slightest tilt, then there are signs of sinusitis. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses, accompanied by difficulty breathing and mucous or purulent discharge. This condition often manifests itself if a runny nose is treated unskillfully or its treatment was left to chance.
Despite its apparent harmlessness, sinusitis is a very insidious disease; it has many varieties: sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, ethmoiditis, sphenoiditis and can provoke serious complications. Only an experienced doctor can correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.
Otitis
The cause of headaches can be otitis media - inflammation of the middle ear. This is especially true for young children. Due to the peculiarities of children's anatomy, otitis media often occurs in children with a runny nose or acute respiratory infection.
Meningitis
Meningitis, or inflammation of the membranes of the brain, is the most dangerous condition of all of these. Accompanied by severe headache, high fever, nausea, and general weakness of the body. Meningitis can be caused by any viral infection located near the brain, such as sinusitis.
Features of pain when a person has a cold
The severity of pain may vary. For example, intense headaches accompanied by nausea, fever, and vomiting are often a sign of meningitis. With sinusitis, the malaise intensifies during heavy physical work, with sudden tilts of the head, or changes in body position. A prolonged runny nose, accompanied by pain in the head, often signals that a person has sinusitis or otitis media.
Important! A distinctive feature of a headache in the presence of a cold is that it is of a compressive nature. Discomfort often intensifies in the evening. In addition to headaches, a person often experiences lacrimation and excessive sensitivity to light.
If a patient has the flu, accompanied by a high temperature, unpleasant sensations are concentrated in the forehead, temples and eyes.
What pathologies of the nasopharynx can cause a headache?
The intensity and nature of the unpleasant sensations depend on the type of infectious agent and disease. A runny nose and headache are symptoms of the following pathologies:
- sinusitis;
- ethmoiditis;
- sphenoiditis;
- frontitis.
With the development of ethmoiditis, when the inflammatory process is localized in the ethmoid labyrinth of the nasopharynx, the temperature rises along with discharge from the nasal sinuses, and the pain in the head is severe and prolonged, and is only temporarily relieved by taking medication. The pain spreads to the bridge of the nose and has a burning sensation near the eyes and ears.
With sinusitis, a severe headache is always present, and its occurrence is associated with increased intracranial pressure due to congestion of the maxillary sinuses. It is pressing and spreads all over the head. The frontal part of the skull, cheekbones, bridge of the nose hurts. Along with a runny nose and pain, swelling of the face appears; the unpleasant pressing feeling intensifies when the patient tilts his head. With inflammatory processes in the frontal sinuses - frontal sinusitis - there is a headache in the frontal part, and swelling may appear in the upper eyelids. If you press on the bridge of your nose, the discomfort intensifies.
Sphenoiditis - the back of the head hurts, the syndrome has a splitting character, radiating to the orbital area. If the pathology worsens, constant pain in the head can negatively affect vision and reduce its sharpness. With otitis media, the pain is localized near the ear, does not go away for a long period of time, is shooting in nature and is not relieved by medications.
If your nose is stuffy and a headache appears that quickly spreads throughout the skull, has a strong intensity, does not disappear after taking medications and is accompanied by dizziness, nausea and very high body temperature, then most likely this is a sign of meningitis.
What kind of headache can there be?
When your nose is stuffy, you will always have a headache. This is a normal phenomenon and should not be alarming if the syndrome is mild and decreases after taking medications or as soon as the person clears his nose. Headaches are a symptom of the penetration of a pathogenic virus into the human body and its further spread if timely treatment is not provided.
But in some cases, such a sign, together with severe nasal congestion, may indicate a more serious illness than a cold. With the latter, my head hurts from a runny nose. The condition is developing rapidly. At first, the pain seems minor and intensifies as the nose becomes congested. A symptom occurs after a provoking factor, for example, if a person is frozen.
Initially covering the entire head, the pain is subsequently localized in one of the parts of the head, in the forehead or in the back of the head. The more stuffy your nose is, the more intense the pain. The peak is observed in the morning, as during the night mucus accumulates in large volumes in the nasal sinuses. During the day, the pain intensifies when tilting the head, sneezing or coughing. May have a different character, crush, prick.
When you have a cold, it is enough to clear your nose of mucus so that the pain reduces its intensity. Medications can also help cope with the symptoms. Head pain is least severe with influenza, the main symptoms of which are a runny nose and cough. If the pain is prolonged, cannot be treated with medications and is localized in the back of the head, you should consult a doctor.
Presence of headache without fever due to cold
Not in all situations does accidental hypothermia cause fever. In some cases, there is a headache without fever due to a cold. In this case, a person may experience other unfavorable symptoms:
- feeling of aching muscles;
- general malaise;
- decreased performance.
Painful sensations that occur with a cold are relieved with pharmaceuticals and folk remedies.
What to do if you have a headache without fever? In the absence of fever, it is allowed to use a variety of treatment methods (including those that are prohibited in the presence of elevated temperature):
- carrying out inhalations;
- applying a heat compress;
- using foot baths filled with hot water.
What not to do
ARVI is a respiratory symptom complex that includes diseases of the upper respiratory organs, provoked exclusively by viruses. Acute respiratory infections are acute respiratory conditions caused not only by viruses, but also by bacteria. Both types of pathologies can cause pain in the head area in a person, and in advanced cases can be quite dangerous.
During treatment, the patient should consider several recommendations:
- stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Harmful elements provoke vasospasm in the brain, which increases pain in the skull;
- do not self-medicate, as some drugs, when used for a long time, cause abusive headaches;
- do not replace medications prescribed by a doctor with folk remedies;
- limit the consumption of fatty, fried, spicy foods and give preference to vegetables, fruits, boiled meat, fish;
- Do not go to the gym, sauna, or swimming pool when you have a cold.
Why your head hurts so much when you have a cold can be explained in detail by your doctor. To prevent the unpleasant symptom from returning, patients should strengthen their immune system and carefully monitor their health. To do this, you need to eat right, lead an active lifestyle, avoid stress, hypothermia, and overeating.
The appearance of pain with a runny nose
Headache with a runny nose is often caused by sinusitis or sinusitis. If a person has sinusitis, there is a feeling of heaviness in the nasal passages. The patient's sense of smell may be impaired.
A person suffering from sinusitis also has a headache when they have a runny nose. Unpleasant sensations are concentrated in the forehead area. With this disease, nasal breathing is impaired. Greenish discharge mixed with pus and blood often appears. Acute sinusitis is often accompanied by a dry cough and increased sensitivity of the facial nerve.
Folk remedies for severe pain
Important! It is necessary to provide the patient with peace. He should refrain from physical activity and adhere to bed rest. The room in which the patient is located must be regularly ventilated. Oxygen deficiency can cause vasospasm.
To relieve headaches due to a runny nose, it is recommended to clear the nasal passages and use drops that have a vasoconstrictor effect.
You can get rid of sharp sensations in the temples with the help of Zvezdochka balm. The medicine Doctor Mom also helps cope with the ailment perfectly.
Headache due to a cold requires treatment with the effective drinks presented in the table.
Treatment with pharmaceutical drugs
If a person complains of a sharp headache due to a cold, how to treat the ailment? When body temperature rises, it is recommended to take antipyretic medications:
- Ibuprofen;
- Nurofen.
If you have a severe headache due to a cold that is not accompanied by a fever, you can take Citramon.
Using Nurofen
You can also relieve pain with Nurofen. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug made from ibuprofen. The tablets also contain auxiliary components such as silicon dioxide and stearic acid.
