Severe sudden headache: As soon as headache strikes, leave the place if you feel uncomfortable due to heavy noise and sound.

  • If you are outside or outdoors, then come inside your home.
  • Splash your face with cold water or wash your face or apply a cold, soft cloth or ice pack.
  • Apply an ice pack or cold cloth to your forehead.
  • Minimize noise, light and odours (especially cooking odours and tobacco smoke, fumes).

Take Rest if you get a severe sudden headache

  • When you get headache, it is always better to take rest. Close all lights of the room. Stop whatever you are doing and just relax or lie down in a dark, cool and quiet room with a soft pillow under your head.
  • For migraine headaches, make the room dark and close it to make it quiet. Lie down on the bed with pillows under your head. Just relax if it is not possible to sleep.
  • Many medicines can help reduce migraine pain or keep migraines from coming back. Your doctor can help you decide on a medicine or treatment program.
  • Don’t drive or use heavy machinery during an attack.

Maintain a Headache Diary

Keep a headache diary (write down whenever you get headaches). This may help find out what is causing the headache; what you eat and drink; how much sleep you get, and any changes in your diet or medicine.

Try to Relax

  • When you get headaches start deep breathing exercises. They will help you with headaches.
  • If you are sleep deprived then take rest, relax and sleep if possible. Set a sleep routine daily
  • Biofeedback and cognitive-behavioural therapy are also helpful – get the help from your doctor

When to see a neurologist if you get a headache?

Book an appointment with the neurologist if you experience headaches that are frequent, long-lasting, severe and unusual. If headaches don’t improve with OTC medicines or become worse and make you sluggish, feel lethargic, weak and keep you away from participating in normal activities, play, and work, then you should consider seeing a neurologist.

When to seek immediate medical help?

Do you know? A severe sudden and unusual headache can be a symptom of a very serious condition such as brain stroke – in most cases. It can also mean meningitis or encephalitis.

Therefore, if you think that you are experiencing a very severe, sudden headache – which is the worst headache of your life, then you must seek immediate medical help. You should seek medical help in these circumstances as well – headache with numbness in the arms and legs and trouble walking and speaking or headache with a high fever and blurred vision or get a headache after head injury

If you get severe, sudden headache with trouble seeing, stiff neck, fever, fainting, trouble speaking, walking, nausea or vomiting, confusion or trouble understanding speech, numbness, weakness, or paralysis on one side of the body – then get emergency medical help immediately.