What Are the Causes of Headaches & Lightheadedness?

When headaches and lightheadedness occur together, they typically indicate an underlying health condition. In most cases, these symptoms are not serious and can be treated successfully at home. However, the symptoms could indicate a serious medical problem of the blood vessels, brain or heart.

Identification

• A headache is a pain or feeling of discomfort felt in the area of the head, scalp or neck. Lightheadedness is a feeling that you might faint; it may or may not occur with a feeling of vertigo (an unbalanced, spinning feeling).

Causes

• Lightheadedness and headache can be caused by a variety of conditions, such as the common cold, flu, dehydration, anxiety and allergies. Occasionally, chronic headaches and lightheadedness could indicate more serious medical conditions, such as vascular problems, neurological disorders or problems with blood pressure.

Considerations

• Oftentimes, the condition of headache and lightheadedness is not serious and medical attention is not necessary. However, if the symptoms persist over the course of several days or become significantly worse, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to determine the exact cause of the symptoms.

Treatment

• Treatment depends on the cause of the symptoms, and ranges from quite simple to quite extensive. Headaches can commonly be treated with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, massage or heat therapy. The feeling of lightheadedness will often go away when you lie down or drink water. If the symptoms are caused by a serious medical condition, your doctor will determine the proper form of treatment.

Prevention/Solution

• There are certain strategies you can take to prevent lightheadedness and headaches in your daily life. Avoid anything that triggers your allergies, get sufficient sleep, stay hydrated at all times, avoid stress and add relaxation techniques do your daily routine.