Home Brain and nervesHeadache Headache after eating: causes and treatment

Headache after eating: causes and treatment

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

There are many people who frequently suffer from headaches after eating, it can even be a habit with which many are resigned to live. Sometimes they refer to this headache as a shooting pain that comes on suddenly and sometimes goes away without even realizing it.

On some occasions, this condition is linked to different pathologies; from nutritional (especially after the intake of sweet or salty foods), psychological, stress or symptoms of a disease that requires medical evaluation and studies

In many people, this alteration is linked to other symptoms, which is why in this FastlyHealarticle all the necessary information about headache after eating: causes and treatment .

What’s a headache

It is a pain or discomfort that occurs in the head or scalp that can occur permanently or intermittently, in different ways and of different intensities .

For those people who are exposed to this ailment, knowing the causes of its appearance and reaching the precise diagnosis can lead to its disappearance, always hand in hand with the evaluation of a specialized doctor who makes the diagnosis and indicates the appropriate treatment. immediate and depending on the symptoms that the patient presents.

There are many causes that give rise to the appearance of headaches, however, below we are going to mention the specific ones to detect why it appears after eating .

Causes of headache after eating

The causes that give rise to headache after eating are multiple and must be known in order to make a precise diagnosis and start treatment to eliminate this discomfort, which can become chronic or even be the beginning of a disease. Here are the main causes of headache after eating :

Allergic reaction to any food

This is a response of the immune system after having consumed a substance that the system considers a threat. At this time, immunoglobulin E (IgE) is released by the immune system. The antibodies expel the mast cells and the release of histamine begins , producing the appearance of some symptoms.

An allergic reaction to a food can lead to a headache or even what is known as a migraine. Certain foods like yogurt, butter, or blue cheese can trigger tyramine headaches. There are other foods capable of triggering a migraine such as:

  • Chocolate.
  • Banana.
  • Chicken meat and liver.
  • Cured meats.
  • Soy sauce.
  • Citrus

In addition to the headache, other symptoms may appear that will establish the difference if it is a migraine process or not, among them are:

  • Sickness.
  • Vomiting
  • Sensitivity to light or fading.

The differential diagnosis is made with the intake of these foods, in this way, by eliminating their consumption, the headache is eliminated.

Blood sugar levels

Extreme changes in blood glucose can lead to pain or discomfort in the head. If it is the product of hyperglycemia, discomfort may occur after the consumption of foods with a high sugar index due to the immediate increase in blood glucose concentrations. This action occurs as a compensatory mechanism producing a greater amount of insulin that will lower blood glucose levels.

The increase in the latter is not perceived by the brain, which is why there is an increase in blood pressure, which causes headache.

In the opposite case, the decrease in glucose levels can cause a headache, this is known as reactive hypoglycemia , where the characteristic is the decrease in blood glucose levels and headache after eating.

Hypertension

In this case, the consumption of salt can trigger a headache, if this happens, blood pressure should be monitored .

Typically, people with high blood pressure are advised to eat a low-salt diet . Because the high consumption of it could cause kidney damage and the loss of the ability to control the entry of salt into the bloodstream, which causes high blood pressure.

In the following FastlyHealarticle you can see normal blood glucose values .

Headache after eating: treatment

To implement the treatment it is important to know the cause and the precise diagnosis of the condition that generates it, only then will you get definitive relief from this alteration.

Allergic reaction

In cases where it is due to an allergic reaction to some food, pharmacological treatment should be started to reverse the symptoms with antihistamines, analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in addition to suppressing the intake of the food that caused the problem.

High tension

If tension headache occurs due to increased salt intake, a low-salt diet with blood pressure controls should be implemented . In cases where there is a disease of this nature, the antihypertensive should be indicated after consulting with your specialist, in this way he will indicate the treatment that best suits the patient’s symptoms, with this the headache will be reversed.

Sugar levels

In the case of a headache due to the increase in glucose levels due to excessive intake of sugar or carbohydrates and previous blood tests, high glucose or insulin levels are corroborated . Medical indications should be followed by changing eating habits and lowering the consumption of foods capable of raising insulin or glucose levels in the blood, in addition to consuming the medications indicated by the specialist to control the levels of both parameters.

It is advisable to attend a medical consultation where through the medical history, the interrogation of personal and family history in addition to the physical examination where vital signs will be taken and it will be verified if there are changes in blood pressure levels in addition to the request for Complementary studies where glucose and insulin levels in the blood will be measured in this way, the precise diagnosis and solution of the problem will be reached.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Headache after eating: causes and treatment , we recommend that you enter our Brain and Nerves category .

You may also like

Leave a Comment