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Mar

CAUSES OF HEADACHES: HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

One of the biggest misconceptions about headaches is that they’re commonly due to high blood pressure. Certainly, patients with severe hypertension get headaches, and those with moderate blood pressure seem to be more prone to headaches from other sources, but there is no hard and fast relationship between blood pressure and headaches. In fact, high blood pressure is renowned for producing no symptoms at all in the majority of sufferers.

Very high blood pressure does cause headaches, though. They are characteristically severe, and typically worse on waking up, rather than later in the day – which is interesting because you’d expect it to be the other way round. Blood pressure falls during sleep, and on waking your blood pressure is likely to be lower; yet, it’s at this time that the headaches occur!

‘Blood pressure headaches’ like these only occur if the hypertension is severe and untreated. However, those with a moderate rise in blood pressure do tend to suffer more frequently from headaches from other causes. In other words, severe blood pressure can trigger early-morning headaches by itself; lower levels of blood pressure seem to multiply headaches due to other causes.

Headaches caused by high blood pressure are probably related to the direct effects of pressure on the arteries of the brain, and the number and frequency of headaches largely depends upon the extra pressure. Reduce the blood pressure and the headaches go away.

Sometimes blood pressure can rise as a side-effect of the contraceptive pill. It can also rise in pregnancy. However, the rise of pressure is small by comparison with ‘ordinary’ blood pressure. Small increases in blood pressure are potentially much more serious if you’re on the Pill or pregnant. Changing to a different pill, or even stopping entirely may be necessary: in pregnancy, rest and sedation may be required. You will need to consult your doctor about both these situations.

Type of headache

The headache of severe blood pressure is typically worst on waking. It’s also worse if you sleep in, so headaches from high blood pressure are often worse at the weekend because of this. The headache is on both sides, and can be at the front or the back of the head, severe, bursting or throbbing, and sometimes accompanied by blurred vision, dizziness and in extreme cases, vagueness. Headaches like these are entirely related to the level of excess blood pressure: reduce the pressure and the headaches reduce also.

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