Headache

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headache

Headaches can disrupt your plans, limit your activities and stop you from enjoying life to the full. According to the University Health Report (2018), one in five students at RPTU has a headache at least once a week. We want to help you get a better grip on your headaches and give you tips on what you can actively do to prevent them.

A certain amount of basic knowledge is a prerequisite for dealing with your own headaches properly: What are headaches anyway? What type of headache do I suffer from? Can I take as many painkillers as I want?

You can find out all this on this page.

What are headaches?

There are over 200 types of headache in total. These can be divided into primary headaches, i.e. those that occur independently, and secondary headaches, i.e. those that are a symptom of another illness.
The two most common types of primary headache are tension headaches and migraines.

Migraine is often a one-sided pulsating, throbbing headache that is accompanied by a number of symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and noise. An attack can last from a few hours to several days. Around 6 - 8% of men and 12 - 14% of women suffer from migraines. Migraines can be triggered by a number of triggers, which vary from person to person.

Tension headaches occur in 46-78% of people worldwide at least once in their lifetime, making them the most common type of headache. It is usually described as aching with mild to moderate pain intensity (International Headache Society, 2018).

According to the RKI, 57.5% of women and 44.4% of men in Germany have headaches in a year. 14.8% of women and 6% of men fulfill the complete criteria for migraine, while 10.3% of women and 6.5% of men fulfill the criteria for tension headaches (Porst et al., 2020).

In addition to these two types of headache, there are many others, e.g. cluster headaches or unusual forms such as thunderclap or coin headaches. However, as migraine and tension-type headaches are by far the most common forms of headache, we present you with a quick test to find out which of the two forms you are more likely to suffer from (Göbel, 2012).

FACTS

"Every 5th RPTU student has a headache at least once a week." (UHR 2021)

What type of headache sufferer are you?

The headache quick test was developed by the German neurologist Prof. Dr. Göbel and uses just three questions to determine whether you suffer from tension headaches or migraines. It is important to emphasize that this test is not a substitute for a medical diagnosis, but it can give you an initial indication. If you can't classify yourself as one of the two types of headache, then it's possible that you suffer from a medication-overuse headache, for example. You can find out what this is below the prevention tips. However, as headaches can take many different forms, it is of course also possible that you have another, less common type of headache. It is therefore best to consult a doctor to discuss the results and how to proceed.

based on Göbel, H. (2012). Successfully combating headaches and migraines (6th edition). Heidelberg: Springer Medizin Verlag. S. 19.

Prevention tips

To prevent headaches from occurring in the first place, we would like to give you some important prevention tips. These differ depending on the type of headache (migraine or tension headache). So first take the test to see which type of headache you suffer from in order to get the right tips for you.

...for migraine
Photo: Unsplash | Stefan Rodriguez
First aid for headaches

Painkillers are a proven and popular remedy for headaches. Many people take it at the first sign of a headache. However, there is a guideline that you should stick to. Taking painkillers too often can itself lead to headaches, known as medication overuse headache (MOH).

Signs of an FMCP can be, for example, if you have headaches more than 15 days a month, if you have headaches more frequently or if you take medication for headaches at least 10 days a month.

Try to stick to the "10/20 rule" in order to avoid an MHCP: only take painkillers on a maximum of 10 days a month and avoid taking them on 20 days a month.

Tip: For tension headaches, you can also massage peppermint oil onto your forehead and temples. Studies have shown that 10% peppermint oil helps just as well as painkillers and has similar effects in terms of effectiveness, speed of onset and pain intensity reduction. Compared to a placebo treatment, peppermint oil significantly reduces pain. The oil simply needs to be applied to the painful areas (temples and forehead) and massaged in. Just give it a try!

...for tension headaches
Photo: Unsplash | Eric Rothermel
Headache calendar

The best way to understand your headaches is to observe them closely. When do they occur? How do they feel? How long do they last? What did you do immediately before? How much did you drink that day? How stressed are you right now? What did you eat beforehand? What measures help you against the headache? Write down as much as you can, because the more you know, the better you can get your headache under control.

The headache calendar is a tried-and-tested method of recording everything important so that you don't have to remember everything. This will help you develop an understanding of your triggers and your treatment strategies.

It's best to get the CampusPlus headache calendarprint it out and hang it on your fridge. You can enter all the important information here and get a good overview. There are also apps that you can use to document your headaches.

Göbel, H. (2012). The headache. Causes, mechanisms, diagnostics, therapy. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.

International Headache Society (ed.) (2018). The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. Cephalagia, 38 (1), pp. 1-211.

Porst, M., Wengler, A., Leddin, J., Neuhauser, H., Katsarava, Z., v. d. Lippe, E., Anton, A., Ziese, T. & Rommel, A. (2020). Migraine and tension headache in Germany. Prevalence and disease severity in the BURDEN 2020 Burden of Disease Study. Journal of Health Monitoring, 5 (p 6), pp. 1 - 26.

Progressive muscle relaxation: https://www.tk.de/techniker/magazin/life-balance/aktiv-entspannen/progressive-muskelentspannung-zum-download-2021142

Commission Guidelines of the German Society of Neurology (ed.) (2015). Treatment of episodic and chronic tension-type headache and other chronic daily headaches. Guidelines for diagnosis and therapy in neurology. Berlin: German Society of Neurology.

Lemmens, J. et al (2019). The effect of aerobic exercise on the number of migraine days, duration and pain intensity in migraine: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 20 (1): 16.

Spigt, M., Weerkamp, N., Troost, J., van Schayck, C. P. & Knottnerus, J. A. (2012). A randomized trial on the effects of regular water intake in patients with recurrent headaches. Family Practice, 29 (4), pp. 370-375.

Khorsha, F., Mirzababaei, A., Togha, M. & Mirzaei, K. (2020). Association of drinking water and migraine headache severity. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 77, pp. 81-84.

Martin, V. & Vij, B. (2016). Diet and Headache: Part 1. Headache, 56 (9), pp. 1543 - 1552.

Kreutzkamp, B. (2018). Smoking increases the risk of migraine. Pain Medicine, 34 (3), p. 16.

Aamodt, A. H., Stovner, L. J., Hagen, K., Brathen, G. & Zwart, J. (2006). Headache prevalence related to smoking and alcohol use. The Head-HUNT Study. European Journal of Neurology, 13 (11), pp. 1233-1238.

Göbel, H. (2012). Erfolgreich gegen Kopfschmerzen und Migräne (6th edition). Heidelberg: Springer Medizin Verlag.

Frisch, K. & Göbel, H. (n.d.). Step by Step: Tension-type headaches. Accessed on 19.01.21 at https://headache-hurts.de/step-by-step-kopfschmerz-vom-spannungstyp

Frisch, K. & Göbel, H. (n.d.). Step by Step: Migraine. Accessed on 19.01.21 at https://headache-hurts.de/step-by-step-migraene

Aigner, M. (2016). Medication overuse headache. Diagnostic criteria and case studies. Psychopraxis. Neuropraxis, 19, pp. 43-47.

Göbel, H., Heinze, A., Heinze-Kuhn, K., Göbel, A. & Göbel, C. (2016). Oleum menthae pipertae (peppermint oil) in the acute therapy of tension-type headache. The Pain, 30, 295-310.

Schmerzklinik Kiel GmbH & Co KG (2016). Medication overuse headache: 10-20 rule. Accessed on 13.01.21 at https://schmerzklinik.de/medikamenten-uebergebrauch-kopfschmerz-10-20-regel/

Lesener, T., Blaszcyk, W., Gusy, B. & Sprenger, M. (2018). How healthy are students at the University of Kaiserslautern? Results of the survey 06/18 (Publication series of the AB Public Health: Prevention and Psychosocial Health Research: No. 02/P18). Berlin: Free University of Berlin.

Pain Clinic Kiel GmbH & Co KG (2016). Medication overuse headache: 10-20 rule. Accessed on 13.01.21 at schmerzklinik.de/medikamenten-uebergebrauch-kopfschmerz-10-20-regel/

Frisch, K. & Göbel, H. (n.d.). Preventing headaches & migraines competently at university. Accessed on 19.01.21 at headache-hurts.de/headache

DMKG (n.d.). DMKG headache calendar. Accessed on 18.01.21 at https://www.dmkg.de/files/dmkg.de/PDF-Dokumente/Kopfschmerzkalender_DEUTSCH_5.11.2019.pdf.