Hunger Headaches Causes: Symptoms And How To Get Rid Of Them?

There is always a consequence in store for anything which we do and our body is no exception. When we eat healthy and nutritious food our body functions at its optimum and with full energy. But when we neglect certain aspects like eating food at right time or consuming healthy food, there is an adverse effect just waiting at the door step.

Hunger headache is one such man made malady.

In today’s modern life, hunger headache has affected not only productivity but also the day to day life of people. Hectic schedule, board meetings etc has made people to forgo meal that has to be taken at proper time. The result is devastating pain, not in stomach but in the head.

Hunger headaches develop when we do not eat properly and starve the body. It causes dehydration and low blood sugar level; both trigger tension in scalp muscles leading to headache. This annoying condition is preventable by eating food when you feel hungry, rather than skipping meals.

How Does Hunger Cause Headaches?

Hunger headache is a man made problem.

When you feel hungry and the body does not get much needed nourishment, the glucose level in blood drops. It also leads to dehydration. As a result the muscles become tight and strained triggering headache. The condition is exaggerated in people who often suffer from hypoglycemia, especially those suffering from diabetes. Besides, the blood vessels become dilated and there is congestion of blood in the head which adds up to the discomfort already present. Frequent medications to relieve such headaches can lead to rebound headaches.

Hunger headaches can also precipitate if you are drinking too much of coffee. A small amount of caffeine is pain reliever, but when it exceeds it can cause headache. Many people skip their meals and instead drink coffee, but this few more cups can indeed be a cause for headache.

Although low level of glucose is one of the cause for hunger headache, consuming too much of sugary food can also contribute to headaches. When there is sudden surge of sugar in blood there is equal consequence of rapid drop of sugar in blood which brings on this type of headache.

Symptoms Of Hunger Headaches

Hunger headache is a type of tension headache. It is more to do with sustained contraction of the skeletal muscles of forehead, scalp, and neck. Nevertheless, the appearance of patient is usually normal with no outward signs of suffering, even though the patient indicates of headache. There is no overt psychological factor involved.

The pain is sudden and may be dull in the beginning but after a period of time it becomes severe. Patient feels as if tons of weight has been kept on his head. The pain originates from the back of head and travels in the front and temple. The forehead feels tight as if bound by a cloth.

Together with headache there are other concomitant symptoms of hypoglycemia such as extreme weakness, perspiration, confused state of mind, lack of concentration, shaking of body, nausea, etc.

How To Get Rid Of Headache Due To Hunger?

As the name suggests hunger headache occurs when you skip your meal and do not eat for long time. The best way to deal with it is to eat your meal, this will probably reduce the intensity of headache and it will fade away gradually. Eat diet rich in complex carbohydrate which sustains the level of blood sugar for longer duration.

Include in your meals vegetables, wheat bread, rice and fruits. Also eat protein containing foods such as fish, lean meat, poultry to combat hunger headache. This may also help in bringing down anxiety and stress which play a role in initiating such type of headache.

Medical professionals may recommend a painkiller to alleviate headache but it should be taken once in a while and should not always depend on it. The reason is, such instant painkillers can cause rebound effect when taken regularly and headache returns more aggressively when you skip your meal. Eat 4 to 5 small meals at a regular interval of 2 to 3 hours in order to prevent further episodes.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *