Headache and Nausea: Causes and Treatment

Headache and nausea often occur together. This can happen in primary headache disorders like migraines in which the headache causes the nausea.

Headache and nausea can also occur together as co-symptoms of an illness such as stomach flu or food poisoning. Other health factors may be at fault such as dehydration, menstruation, and alcohol consumption can be at fault.    

While it’s not uncommon to experience headaches with nausea, it is important to talk to a healthcare provider if these two symptoms occur together often.

Migraines and Nausea

Migraine is a common type of headache accompanied by nausea. This primary headache disorder, of which there are several types, causes a range of symptoms that can vary from person to person.

Nausea and vomiting are very common, but other symptoms of a migraine can include the following:

• Severe, sharp, throbbing and/or pulsating head pain (often on one side of the head)
• Light and sound sensitivity
• Fatigue
• Irritability and restlessness
• Depression and anxiety
• Auras (visual disturbances, such as flashing lights or lines)
• Tingling or numbness on one side of the body

Migraine Triggers

Migraines often have triggers, which are sets of stimuli, foods, drinks, and other factors that can cause attacks. Common triggers include:

• Bright or flashing lights, and direct sunlight
• Certain odors or exposure to smoke
• Alcohol
• Certain foods, including cured meats, aged cheeses, avocados, yogurt, and many others
• Estrogen level changes in people with ovaries, due to menstruation, menopause, or hormone therapies
• Abruptly stopping caffeine use or medications containing caffeine
• The side effects of certain medications, including Nitrostat (nitroglycerin, a vasodilator, meaning it dilates the blood vessels) among others
• Overexertion and physical exhaustion

Specific triggers vary from person to person. If you experience this condition, it’s important to determine what your triggers are.

Common Causes of Headaches and Nausea

In addition to nausea caused by headaches, you may experience both nausea and a headache as symptoms of an underlying disorder. These symptoms can vary in severity.

Infection or Illness

Many illnesses and infections can make you nauseous and leave your head aching. These symptoms are common in:

Stress or Anxiety

If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, you’re at risk for migraines accompanied by nausea. However, feelings of stress or anxiety are closely linked with other types of headaches as well, some of which may be accompanied by nausea.

In addition, chronic stress negatively impacts your overall physical health and can affect your immune system. This may make you more susceptible to diseases such as respiratory infections or the flu that cause a headache and nausea.

Food Allergies

Nausea and headache can arise as part of your body’s allergic reaction to certain foods, drinks, or medications. Dietary allergies can also help set off migraine attacks. Every case is different—and researchers are still exploring the connections—but many allergens have been linked with symptoms, including:

• Dairy products
• Wheat and corn
• Cane sugar
• Yeast
• Citrus
• Grains

Hypertension

High blood pressure, clinically referred to as hypertension, can be debilitating and dangerous to live with. It raises the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and many other issues. While hypertension itself, isn’t directly linked to headaches and nausea, these symptoms can arise as part of a hypertensive crisis. This is a medical emergency characterized by very high blood pressure.

Low Blood Sodium

Low levels of salt (sodium) in the bloodstream cause a condition called hyponatremia, which may have dehydration-like symptoms if dehydration is the source of it. In addition to headache and nausea, it can cause:

• Irritability, confusion, and restlessness
• Fatigue
• Convulsions (uncontrollable muscle contractions)
• Appetite loss
• Muscle spasms, weakness, or cramps
• Vomiting

Food Poisoning

When you consume foods or drinks that contain certain bacteria or viruses, you can develop food poisoning. Specific symptoms vary based on the pathogen that’s infected you, but food poisoning generally causes stomach upset and cramping, fever, diarrhea, and nausea and vomiting. This condition also causes dehydration, which can trigger migraines.

Common bacteria and viruses that cause food poisoning include:

COVID-19

COVID-19, the disease caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can cause a wide array of symptoms. Mild to very severe headaches are common along with nausea. Other symptoms include:

• Chills
• Fever
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue and/or muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste and smell
• Congestion 

Menstrual Cycle

Fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels can also bring on headaches and bouts of nausea. Menstrual migraines (or hormone headaches) can arise either before your period (triggered by premenstrual syndrome) or while you’re menstruating.    

Other Health Conditions

A wide range of other conditions are also associated with the onset of headache and nausea symptoms, such as:

• Hematoma (brain bleeding due to head trauma)
• Seizures (sudden, uncontrollable electrical activity in the brain)
• Cluster headache (cyclical patterns of intense headaches)
• Sinus infection (inflammation of the cavities around the nasal passages)
• Tumors or growths in the head

Lifestyle Factors

In many cases, nausea and headaches result from lifestyle and dietary choices and underlying health conditions. Common among them are:

• Dehydration: Not drinking enough water causes headaches and is associated with migraines. The daily recommendation for adults is about 2.7 liters (90 ounces) for women and 3.7 liters (125 ounces) for men.
• Low blood sugar: Skipping meals or not eating enough can cause levels of sugar in the blood to drop considerably, leading to headaches and nausea. Low blood sugar is also known as hypoglycemia.
• Alcohol use: Drinking alcohol can lead to dehydration as well as fluctuations in blood sugar. These occurrences cause the headaches and nausea associated with hangovers. Alcohol may also trigger migraines.
• Medication side effects: Many prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can cause these symptoms as side effects, so it’s important to know what you’re taking. Notably, using too many pain-managing medications can cause headaches, a condition known as medication overuse headache (MOH).
• Caffeine withdrawal: If you’re a regular coffee or tea drinker, you can develop headaches and nausea if you don’t get your regular cup. Interestingly, caffeine influences the activity of blood vessels in the brain and can serve both as a headache trigger and a means of relief.
• Nicotine use: A history of smoking is associated with cluster headaches that can cause both headaches and nausea.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the underlying cause of your symptoms and whether the headache is causing the nausea or if the two are symptoms of another disorder. There are some basic strategies, though, that can help with many cases of headaches and nausea.

Rest and Relaxation

Getting enough rest and being relaxed can help prevent migraines and other kinds of headaches. Strategies to try include:

• Getting rest during an attack: If you’re experiencing a migraine, one of the best methods of easing the severity of the attack is to go to a dark, quiet place and try to take a nap.
• Stress management: Learning relaxation techniques to manage stress can also help with headaches and nausea. This may involve certain breathing exercises, listening to calming music, working on muscle relaxation, and employing mindfulness strategies.
• Biofeedback: Since muscular tension and stress are closely linked with headache onset, identifying when these levels are high can be key for managing symptoms. Biofeedback involves using devices to monitor physiological markers such as muscle tension, skin temperature, and heart rate variability. By becoming more aware of these changes, individuals can develop strategies to reduce stress and tension, which may help prevent or lessen the frequency and severity of headache symptoms over time.

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches and nausea. Drinking water when you have an attack can go a long way in easing it. Not only that, headaches are less frequent if you ensure proper daily intake of fluids. Notably, if you’re vomiting, you’ll need to pay extra attention to hydration.

Eat Bland Foods

Certain foods help manage digestive issues, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcers, and heartburn. Called a bland diet, it can also help ease nausea related to headaches.

The best foods for headaches and nausea include the following:

• Refined wheat foods, such as bread, crackers, and pasta
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy products
• Pudding and custard
• Cream of wheat or other refined wheat hot cereals
• Lean, tender meats, poultry, or seafood
• Eggs

On the other hand, you should steer clear of certain foods that can make your symptoms worse, such as:

• High-fat or fatty dairy products
• Raw vegetables, greens, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, and others
• Whole grain cereals and bread
• Spicy and strongly seasoned foods
• High sugar foods
• Fermented or pickled foods

OTC Pain Medicine

There are also a number of over-the-counter medications that can help ease headache pain and nausea. Common types include:

• Tylenol, Ofirmev (acetaminophen)  
• Aspirin
• Motrin or Advil (ibuprofen)
• Aleve (naproxen)
• Excedrin (combination of pain medications and caffeine)

Prevention

Making lifestyle changes and incorporating positive habits can also help prevent the onset of migraines or other conditions that cause headaches and nausea. Four ways to prevent migraines include:

• Exercise: Ensuring you get enough physical activity has many health benefits, and it’s essential for headache prevention. Even a little activity a day—30 minutes of walking or cycling—can help a great deal.    
• Avoid triggers: Pay attention to what you’re eating, scents, or types of lights that set off your headaches. Once you’ve identified your triggers, you can work to avoid them.
• Regular eating schedule: Another common factor in migraines and headaches is skipping meals. In general, aim to eat meals at consistent times every day, and avoid snacking.
• Good sleep hygiene: As with meals, disruptions in sleep and sleeping inconsistent hours can make you more susceptible to migraines. Aim to go to bed and get up at the same time, keep your bed a work-free zone, and try to get seven to eight hours of sleep every night.   
• Stress management: Lifestyle changes can also reduce your overall stress. Taking part in daily meditation or yoga—or even finding time to take a bath or do a relaxing activity—can help you manage tension, preventing attacks.

When to Call a Healthcare Provider

While headaches are very common and most aren’t dangerous, they can be signs of serious conditions. If you’ve experienced any of the following, you should get medical help:

• You’ve lost consciousness following a blow to the head.
• Your headaches set on very suddenly.
• The pain is unusually severe and debilitating.
• Your headache steadily worsens over 24 hours.

Also, get immediate help if your head pain is accompanied by any of the following symptoms:

• Fever and neck stiffness
• Confusion, slurred speech, and memory problems
• Loss of balance, as well as problems coordinating limb movements
• Severe pain in one eye with redness in that eye
• Vision problems
• Difficulty chewing and swallowing

Summary

Nausea accompanies headaches in cases of migraines, and these symptoms also arise in a range of other diseases, such as the flu, the common cold, and COVID-19. In addition, endemic health conditions, such as low blood sugar, low blood sodium, dehydration, pregnancy, and menstruation, can bring them on.

Treatments for headache and nausea depend on the specific case and include managing stress, sleeping consistently, ensuring hydration and a healthy diet, steering clear of triggers, and getting exercise. Additionally, over-the-counter medications or prescribed medications are considered.