Headache is one of the Long COVID-19 syndromes after COVID-19 infection. Present as intermittent or daily chronic headache. Daily chronic headaches often occur alongside other Long COVID symptoms such as long covid brain fog, most commonly a loss of sense of smell. Chronic headaches are often characterized by daily chronic migraines, or more commonly head tightness, also known as chronic tension headaches.

Despite the high prevalence of post-traumatic headaches, the mechanisms behind these headaches are still being researched. Not all cases of post-traumatic headaches are caused by the same process. The most common causes include: autonomic nervous system dysfunction, neurovascular coupling dysfunction, vision problems, vestibular problems, sleep disturbances.

Autonomic nervous system dysfunction

Headaches caused by disruptions to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are among the most noticeable after a head injury. The ANS controls breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure and many other bodily functions that keep us alive. PTH involves two parts of the ANS: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which regulates the "fight or flight" response, and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which controls the "rest and digest" process. In a healthy body, these two parts work in harmony, allowing the body to respond quickly to what is happening in the environment.

After a concussion, this balance is upset; for most patients, the SNS tries to remain in control. This means your body is constantly on high tension, which is stressful for your brain. This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory problems and headaches.

These headaches can appear in different ways. Some patients describe these headaches as feeling like the head is inflated like a balloon, or that a clamp tightens around the head. Others complain of headaches that start in the neck and move up the back of the head to the temples. This pain is thought to be related to ANS dysfunction, leading to problems with cortical blood flow regulation and cortical blood pressure.

Dysautonomia may also cause tension-type headaches. In this condition, the pain usually starts in the jaw and moves to the face and crown of the head. An ANS headache can also feel like pressure in the sinus area, pain around the cheekbones, and then spread to other parts of the head.

vestibular dysfunction

The article How To Remove Long COVID Headache? suggests that vestibular dysfunction may also contribute to headaches. The vestibular system, located in your inner ear, sends messages to the brain about how your body is moving. Your brain combines information from your inner ear, eyes, and body to understand where your head is relative to the rest of your body: whether you're moving or stationary, whether your environment is moving, and so on. Any communication breakdown during this process can lead to post-concussion dizziness, nausea, balance problems, and headaches.

neurovascular coupling dysfunction

Headaches can be the result of a malfunction in the mechanisms that ensure nerve cells in the brain get the oxygen and nutrients they need to function properly. If the dynamic between certain clusters of neurons and their surrounding blood vessels, called neurovascular coupling, or NVC, is disrupted, the brain has difficulty performing its normal functions, which can trigger headaches.

The more the brain is affected by NVC dysfunction, the more likely the patient is to experience headaches. If you notice your headaches getting worse while performing cognitive tasks, you may be experiencing headaches caused by NVC dysfunction. It is not uncommon for the effects of NVC dysfunction to combine with ANS dysfunction, resulting in symptoms of both.

vision problems

Head trauma often causes vision problems, which can lead to headaches. Many patients report that symptoms tend to get worse when they are in a visually busy environment, using a computer, or attempting to read. Vision problems may be related to NVC problems. NVC dysfunction in the occipital cortical area involved in vision can lead to visual headaches. The pain from vision-related headaches tends to be concentrated behind the eyes and forehead.

Poor Sleep and Other Sleep Disorders

Poor sleep quality is one of the most common complaints after a brain injury. Curiously, this symptom appears to be more common in patients with mTBI compared with those with moderate or severe TBI. Patients can be caught in a vicious cycle: Post-traumatic headaches lead to disrupted sleep, which leads to more headaches. At this stage, the mechanism by which abnormal sleep aggravates headaches is unclear.

If you're having trouble falling asleep, your brain isn't getting the rest it needs to recover. But one of the goals of our treatment is to restore the areas of the brain affected by the concussion, including the thalamus, which is involved in the concussion.

Analysis of the pathogenesis of coronavirus-induced chronic headaches revealed that persistent activation of the immune system and activation of the trigeminal neurovasculature are considered to be one of the causes of post-COVID-19 headaches. The author summarizes the treatment ideas of western medicine for this disease, and finds that the current treatment is mainly guided by the existing phenotype guidelines related to primary headache.

LongCovidCareCenter also recommends some traditional Chinese medicines, including traditional Chinese medicine formulas and acupuncture treatments, to treat symptoms related to headaches and brain fog. In addition, it is recommended that patients with Long COVID-19 chronic headaches, brain fog and other symptoms take symptomatic post covid brain fog treatment to take health care products, as well as exercise, diet and sleep.