Vitamin D deficiency and sunlight
A vitamin D deficiency, according to research conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, increases the risk of persistent headaches.
Scientists looked examined the vitamin D levels in the blood of almost 2,600 persons. People with the lowest blood vitamin D levels were more likely to suffer persistent headaches than others. Men who were tested outside of the summer months were also more likely to report chronic headaches, as the intensity of solar radiation was lower during those months.
Anxiety and depression
In a research done at Taiwan’s National Defense Medical Center, 588 individuals with headaches took part. Anxiety, despair, and poor sleeping habits were the most common causes of pain.
It indicated that parameters like emotional distress and headache frequency might interact through the same pathophysiological mechanism. Emotional reactions, for example, can modify pain perception and regulation via specific signaling pathways.
Fu-Chi Yang, the author of this research, notes that the results potentially suggest that adequate medical treatment to decrease headache frequency may reduce the risk of depression and anxiety in migraine patients.
Codeine-containing medications
Taking significant dosages of codeine-containing drugs may lead to severe headaches, according to research performed at the University of Adelaide. It’s a common issue among people who are extremely sensitive to pain.
“Pain sensitivity is a huge concern for opioid drug users because the more you take, the more the medication might enhance your pain sensitivity, so you may never obtain the degree of relief you need,” Jacinta Johnson explains. It has the long-term impact of exacerbating rather than alleviating the problem.”
a bright source of light
People who suffer from headaches frequently attempt to avoid bright light and spend more time in dimly lit environments. New connections between neurons in the eyes and neurons in the brain that influence our mood in physical parameters including heart rate, shortness of breath, weariness, and nausea were discovered in Beth Israel Medical Center investigations.
Bright light not only causes headaches, but also causes frustration, wrath, anxiety, and despair in sufferers. Participants in the study also stated that they had persistent pain, nausea, and shortness of breath.
Thunder and lightning
Scientists from the University of Cincinnati utilized mathematical models to see if the higher incidence of headaches was caused by lightning or if it was caused by other meteorological phenomena. Even after controlling for meteorological parameters, the researchers discovered a 19% increase in the likelihood of headaches on lightning days. This shows that lightning has a one-of-a-kind influence on people’s headache susceptibility.
According to Geoffrey Martin, the specific processes by which lightning and other meteorological elements such as humidity and barometric pressure cause headaches remain unclear. Nonetheless, this research demonstrates a link between lightning and headaches.
Obesity
Obesity research at Johns Hopkins University has found a link between obesity and headaches in general, and migraines in particular, as well as secondary headache syndromes including idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Migraines are also more common in persons of reproductive age due to their extra weight.
The greater the BMI, the more probable it is that occasional headaches will become chronic. Physical exercise and weight loss, on the other hand, can assist to minimise the frequency of discomfort and even eliminating it.
Cold
People’s adaptability to low temperatures, according to scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, can contribute to alterations in headaches spreading throughout the population. In a chilly climate, Felix Key’s research also shows how previous evolutionary pressures might impact current phenotypes.
Low temperatures can trigger cerebral vascular spasms, which can disrupt the blood circulation process. The blood oxygen level in the blood lowers in a chilly climate, which is why people may feel headaches or migraines.