Patients often ask, “why does my head feel heavy and dizzy?” The following article will help you understand the problem, its causes, symptoms and treatment options.
Your head weighs about a few pounds and comprises the skull, brain tissue and other factors. Therefore, it is a considerably heavy task to hold up the head. According to the journal Surgical Technology International, the weight of an adult head in the upright position is between 10-12 pounds. But sometimes, the weight of your head might feel heavier than it usually is.
Why does your head feel heavy sometimes? It can be a result of the mechanics of the spine and neck. It may also arise due to some medical conditions. But you do not need to panic or seek emergency treatment.
What are the causes?
Here are the causes that might make you wonder why does my head feel heavy:
Balance Disorders: Sometimes, the balance of the head is affected by dizziness and lightheadedness, which in turn can cause your head to feel heavier. It can also be a sign of a balance disorder. Some of the balance disorders are:
- Meniere’s disease.
- Positional Vertigo.
- Vestibular Neuronitis.
Each of these symptoms may make you wonder, “why do I feel my head heavy.”
Myasthenia Gravis: It is a condition that results in the weakening of the muscles, more than usual. Fatigue in the neck muscles and weakness are consequences of Myasthenia Gravis.
It can also make simple functions like chewing, talking or even holding up the head more difficult. These symptoms are also known as bulbar weakness symptoms.
Poor Posture: Did you know that if you tilt your neck and your head by about 15 degrees, the weight of your head can feel like 27 pounds? The head can weigh around 60 pounds at an angle of 60 degrees or looking down at the ground.
Suppose you wonder, “why do I feel my head heavy” you should check how you are holding it. For example, if you are not holding it in an upright or neutral posture for a prolonged period, your head might feel heavy.
Sinus Headaches: A headache caused due to the sinus can result in pain and pressure, which makes you wonder why my head feels heavy and dizzy. It happens when the sinus passages in front of your face are swollen.
Bacterial or viral infection can affect the sinus passages, which leads to inflammation, yellow discharge or stuffiness in the nose.
Tension Headaches: It is a common kind of headache that occurs frequently. It makes you feel like your head is squeezed, and you will observe mild pain. In addition, it can result in shoulder and neck muscle tension which makes your head feel heavier than usual. The headache can last between 20 minutes to 2 hours.
If you happen to think, “why does my head feel heavy and dizzy” or you are facing any of these symptoms, then you may reach out to Ujala Cygnus Hospital and get in touch with an expert doctor.
Associated Symptoms
The symptoms associated with your head feeling heavy can depend upon the following causes:
You might experience tension in the muscles of your head and neck. It can make your neck stiff, making it difficult for you to move your head from side to side.
Other consequences include headaches on both sides of your head. These are some of the reasons that make you think, “why my head feel heavy and dizzy.”
Treatment Options
If you think, “why does my head feel heavy and dizzy,” you should try to take a break from looking down. You should cut down on activities like typing, texting or trying to stretch your neck. You must keep your head upright and in the neutral position as much as possible.
If a headache is making your head feel heavier, you should take medications like acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen. These will help the pain to subside.
If you are experiencing a tension headache, you must figure out the reasons that are causing it. Some of the causes can be hunger, lack of enough sleep, or grinding the teeth at night. You must avoid the habit causing the headache or seek treatment to get over them. It will help you overcome tension headaches.
Some medications that help to treat balance headaches are:
- Anticholinergics- It includes scopolamine, which is primarily used to treat seasickness.
- Antiemetics- It is used for treating dizziness caused due to nausea. For example, the combination of dexamethasone (Decadron) and ondansetron (Zofran).
- Antihistamines- It helps in reducing the feeling of motion sickness. Examples are meclizine (Antivert), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and promethazine (Phenergan). Some of the antihistamines can also be purchased online.
- Benzodiazepines- Apart from helping to subside motion sickness and vertigo, these medications help in reducing anxiety. Examples are diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin) and alprazolam (Xanax).
Other treatments include some exercises to avoid dizziness. For example, Epley Manoeuvre helps treat dizziness related to the inner ear.
If you want to treat any of these problems, you should consider consulting a doctor at Ujala Cygnus Hospital.
A heavy feeling in the head after a tiring day is pretty normal. However, starting your day with a headache can break it before starting. If your head feels heavy and it seems like you can’t keep it together or hold it upright, it may be because of the following troubles:
- Brain fog
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Neck pain
- Dizziness
- Pressure in the face or head
When your head feels heavy and dizzy, it may indicate quite a few conditions. Precisely pinpointing the reason is difficult; however, if you assess other symptoms along with it, your search can come down to a few. Let’s figure out what it means when your head feels heavy and the root causes in depth.
Your Head Feels Heavy – Here Are the Reasons
The conditions range from mild ones such as headaches and sinus infections or severe ones like brain tumors. Usually, the reason for a heavy head is not serious, and here are some potential causes.
Balance Disorder
A person with balance issues has a dizzy head that feels heavy most of the time. There are multiple kinds of disorders, including:
- Positional vertigo
- Vestibular neuronitis
- Meniere’s disease
Myasthenia Gravis
In this condition, the muscles grow weaker than usual with each passing day. The symptoms initially seen are weakness and fatigue in the neck muscles. Myasthenia gravis makes mundane tasks such as eating or chewing along with keeping the head upright quite tricky.
Posture Issues
According to a study structured by Surgical Technology International, if the head tilts in the front approximately 15 degrees, the head feels as heavy as holding a 27-pound item. Moreover, if the head shifts to 60 degrees angle, the head may weigh as if it is 60 pounds heavy.
If someone has issues with their head feeling heavy, they should re-evaluate their posture and hold it upright.
Sinus Headache
A sinus headache causes pressure buildup and consequent pain making the head feel heavy. Bacteria or viruses get trapped in the sinus canals, causing swelling, stuffy nose, and yellow discharge.
Tension headaches
This type of pain is widespread amongst people; it feels like a squeeze, pinch, or dull ache in the head. Other than that, it also increases tension in the shoulder and neck muscles, making your skull heavy.
Muscle Strain
Any unfortunate incident can lead to muscle strain and injury, resulting in pain and heaviness, making it difficult for the head to hold its upright position. Usually, people involved in sports or heavy exercise suffer from this.
Whiplash
Whiplash is when the ligaments and neck muscles go beyond their normal motion range. The head moves backward and forwards with sudden force. It is mostly seen when a car suffers from rear-end accidents, abuse, and falls.
Head Injury / Concussion
Direct injury to the head and scalp, or if the brain bounces against the inner wall of the skull, is a concussion and results in a heavy head. Some other symptoms include confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, memory issues, etc.
Fatigue
Fatigue is basically excessive tiredness which may be because of lack of sleep, hangover, or other medical conditions such as:
- Anemia
- Sleep apnea
- Heart disorders
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- PCOS
- Lupus
When you are tired all the time, keeping your head high is not an easy task making it feel cumbersome.
Migraines
Migraines are not like typical headaches. They have much more intensity, are debilitating, and appear with symptoms such as one-sided headache, fatigue, stiff neck, throbbing head pain, etc.
Final Take Out
The treatment varies according to the reason; if your head feels heavy, it is most likely because of a non-serious issue. However, if the problem is still there, reach out to our expert physician at San Ramon Urgent Care. Our doctors are trained in treating headaches and related issues with due diligence. Call now at San Ramon 925 361 5959, Manteca 209 825 5155, or Lathrop 209 983 9000.