Almost everybody gets headaches. They are mostly triggered by daily things such as stress, dehydration, sleeplessness, or eye strain. However, in some cases, a headache can be related to something more serious that is happening inside your body.
In the United States, one out of every two adults has high blood pressure. In Texas alone, millions of citizens learn how to live with high blood pressure, and in some cases, recurring headaches are the first signs of High BP. However, that does not imply that every headache is the result of high blood pressure. Actually, the majority of headaches are not.
High blood pressure headaches often feel different from typical tension headaches. If you live in Texas and are concerned about blood pressure, our team at Kairos Integrative Care is here to address your concerns.
The Science Behind Headaches and Blood Pressure
Blood pressure refers to the measure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart beats. This pressure varies naturally throughout the day, depending on what activities you are doing. If you have high blood pressure, you could get a headache and other symptoms.
However, the relation between headaches and blood pressure is more complicated. And further research is needed to establish the relationship between headaches and high blood pressure.
Many doctors and experts believe that mild or moderate hypertension generally doesn’t cause headaches in most people directly. This is because high BP does not usually show any symptoms.
Headaches only happen in certain cases, especially when your blood pressure suddenly shoots up to 180/120 mmHg.
This is the reason that high blood pressure headaches are more often related to extremely high readings or sharp rises, as opposed to mild ones.
Recognizing High Blood Pressure Headaches
High blood pressure headaches are usually experienced on both sides of your head. This pain is also pulsating and frequently aggravated by physical activity.
The high blood pressure headaches usually have some features that distinguish it among the normal headaches. You can simply identify it by considering the following signs:
- A throbbing pressure in your head
- The pain on both sides of your head
- Pain doesn’t go away with normal painkillers
- Pain that may feel stronger in the morning
- Pain gets worse over time
There are also some people who complain of pressure at the back of the head or neck.
In more serious situations, you can have a headache with blurred vision, dizziness, nosebleeds, and shortness of breath. When these symptoms are combined with terrible headaches, it could be a sign of extremely high blood pressure, which needs prompt medical intervention.
Causes of High Blood Pressure Headaches
Your brain is protected by a network of blood vessels that are extremely sensitive. When blood pressure rises suddenly, these vessels get tightened or swollen. Here are the reasons why you can get a headache from high blood pressure:
- High Pressure in Blood Vessels: When BP rises very high suddenly, it can put extra pressure on tiny blood vessels in your brain. This overstretching can cause pain in sensitive nerves around these vessels, thus causing a headache.
- Disruption of the Blood-Brain Barrier: A brain is surrounded by a protective layer called the blood-brain barrier. It usually ensures that the harmful substances present in the blood do not get to the brain. When blood pressure is very high, it can break this barrier down and thus cause blood leakage into the brain. This leakage leads to swelling in the skull, leading to painful headaches.
- Vessel Irritation: Ongoing high blood pressure can also irritate your blood vessels, making them more sensitive to changes in pressure and more likely to cause pain signals.
- Morning Blood Pressure: As stated above, it is normal for your body to raise blood pressure in the morning to get ready to wake up. But if someone already has hypertension, this normal surge can cause a headache in the morning
Does the headache cause high blood pressure?
The question that most of the patients find confusing is: Does the headache cause high blood pressure, or does high blood pressure cause the headache? It is a valid question, and the answer is often both.
Your body has its natural stress response when you are in pain. This fight or flight response activates adrenaline, which temporarily constricts your arteries and increases your heart rate.
This means that a bad migraine headache or tension headache will temporarily increase your blood pressure readings. The high reading is the effect, and the headache is the cause in this case. As soon as the pain is over, your blood pressure goes back to its normal level.
But the opposite may happen as well. In case of hypertensive crisis, when your blood pressure reaches life-threatening heights, usually 180/120 mm Hg or more, the pressure inside the brain blood vessels increases, leading to a severe headache. So in these cases, the high blood pressure comes first and triggers your headache.
According to some studies, pain can be a temporary cause of high blood pressure readings. Because of this, doctors usually do not rely on headaches alone to diagnose high blood pressure.
Measuring blood pressure on a regular basis is the best method for diagnosing hypertension.
What You Can Do at Home
In case you feel that your headaches are connected to your blood pressure, you don’t need to sit back.
1. Confirm the Pattern
You need data before you think your headaches are because of hypertension. Purchase an efficient home blood pressure meter. As soon as your headache starts, take the reading. And try to take another reading one hour later, and another, after the headache has resolved.
This log is very valuable for you. For example, if your blood pressure is consistently very high when the headache starts, it suggests that the headache is caused by high blood pressure.
However, if your blood pressure only goes up during the pain and then goes back to normal afterward, it means that your headache itself may be causing the temporary increase.
2. Hydration and Electrolytes
It might seem very basic, but dehydration is one of the main causes of headaches and blood pressure shooting up. When you do not drink enough water, the amount of blood in your body gets reduced, and your body holds on to sodium in order to compensate. This causes your heart to work harder.
Drinking more water alongside electrolytes normalizes your blood volume. Also, you must make sure that you include sufficient magnesium and potassium in your diet in the form of foods such as bananas, spinach, and nuts. These diets can help relax blood vessel walls.
3. Do Some Deep Breathing Techniques
Stress is a main factor that causes hypertension and headaches without a cause. When you are stressed, your breathing becomes shallow, which signals your nervous system that it needs to be alert.
You should engage in slow, controlled breathing, that is the 4-7-8 technique (breathe in 4 seconds, hold 7, exhale 8). This causes your parasympathetic nervous system to relax and dilate your blood vessels naturally.
These deep breathing techniques can often ease the headache pain within minutes.
4. Fix Your Sleeping Position
High blood pressure headaches usually occur in the morning. It is mostly caused by the way you sleep at night. Sleeping flat on your back can increase the pressure in your head.
Try to sleep with your head slightly elevated on an extra pillow. This uses gravity to help reduce the vascular pressure in the cranial area, potentially preventing that morning throbbing.
Treatment For High Blood Pressure Headaches
You need to go to the doctor immediately, in case you have headaches and high blood pressure. Your treatment aims to reduce your blood pressure safely. Your doctors might suggest medications like ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, or diuretics.
These drugs work by relaxing your blood vessels, making it easier for blood to flow, thus lowering the pressure in your arteries.
If a headache is caused by a hypertensive crisis (extremely high blood pressure), it may require immediate medical care. Without immediate treatment, there is the risk of additional organ damage or undesired side effects.
Hospitals provide physicians an opportunity to administer quick action drugs to reduce blood pressure without risking and controlling complications. In hospitals, doctors can give fast-acting medications to lower blood pressure safely and monitor for complications.
Pain relievers may sometimes help with the discomfort, but they do not treat the root cause if blood pressure is extremely high. That is why controlling blood pressure is the most important part of your treatment.
When to Seek Medical Advice
Everyone gets headaches, and that’s okay. However, the presence of recurrent headaches accompanied by high blood pressure cannot be ignored.
Your doctor will tell you if your headaches are caused by high blood pressure or some other problem. Sometimes, drugs or a specific therapy may be prescribed to manage your blood pressure and keep you safe from any other health issues.
You need immediate medical care, especially if your headache is sudden, severe, or accompanied by neurological symptoms such as confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, or vision problems.
Conclusion
High blood pressure is a cause of millions of deaths annually. Most of these deaths are due to complications like heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. High blood pressure headaches can be one of the first symptoms of hypertension.
Usually, these headaches occur when your blood pressure level is very high. However, an important fact to keep in mind is that not all headaches are due to high blood pressure. Some headaches have other common causes.
If your headaches are frequent or severe, speaking with a healthcare professional is very important. At Kairos, Lola, one of our integrative nurse practitioners, is here to help you in finding what is causing your headaches and support your overall well being.
We accept major insurance plans, including Blue Cross, Aetna, Ambetter, Cigna, and more.
New patients are always welcome, and if visiting the clinic isn’t possible, telemedicine appointments are available across the entire state of Texas.
Book your appointment today!
