Many people are interested in how to reduce intracranial pressure, because the situation not only threatens a stroke, but can also turn the patient’s life into hell: constant headaches prevent them from working and sleeping normally. Like arterial, intracranial changes throughout the day, but people suffer more in the morning. Then the headaches become unbearable. But there are ways to eliminate this problem. Often it can be resolved with the help of medications and traditional medicine, but sometimes surgical intervention is required.
Symptoms of increased intracranial pressure
The clinical picture of the phenomenon when cranial pressure increases is quite bright, it affects various organs and systems. Low blood pressure also occurs quite often in humans, but most people experience high blood pressure. In order to relieve intracranial pressure, you need to know its symptoms and the reasons why they have increased. The reasons may be as follows:
- Headache, dizziness, loss of consciousness. The pain, as a rule, affects the entire head, compresses blood vessels and disrupts blood flow.
- Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite.
- Poor sleep, sometimes insomnia, and sometimes drowsiness.
- Problems with mental activity, decreased attention, loss of concentration.
- Sudden jumps in blood pressure. Hypotension and hypertension occur against the background of intracranial pressure.
- Changes in heart rhythm. Sometimes it becomes too rare, and sometimes it rises to prohibitive proportions.
- Decreased visual acuity. Since intracranial pressure is closely related to intraocular pressure, vision may be affected. The World Health Organization even shows cases where blindness has occurred.
- Tremor of the limbs occurs.
Often, any of these reasons can signal that problems are occurring in the body, and increased intracranial pressure can provoke brain diseases.
How to be treated
If you have increased intracranial pressure, treatment cannot be delayed. You need to urgently seek help from a specialist. Treatment methods depend quite strongly on the causes of such high blood pressure. Much also depends on the age of the patient who consults the doctor.
The main methods of treatment are taking drugs that affect blood vessels, as well as sedatives and diuretics.
In addition, manual therapy and gymnastics are prescribed.
The patient is put on a specific diet, the essence of which is to consume foods rich in vitamins. It is necessary to avoid taking large amounts of liquid and salt.
In especially severe cases, drainage and insertion of shunts are indicated - this is necessary to reduce the amount of cerebrospinal fluid.
Complications
Almost any disease in medicine negatively affects the body and its structures and leads to disruption. In particular, intracranial pressure negatively affects the brain and compresses its structures. Everyone knows that the brain is closely connected with the nervous system; together they control the entire body. Complications can even result in death.
So what happens in the body? Speech functions are primarily affected. A person becomes unable to competently and clearly formulate proposals and express them. This happens because the speech centers in the brain are disrupted. Since the respiratory centers are also located there, a person’s breathing becomes impaired and shortness of breath appears. It can be either too fast or interrupted and stop. This also reduces the flow of oxygen, which can further cause headaches. In this case, you should definitely reduce your blood pressure, as there is a possibility of processes such as a heart attack or stroke. Such processes in the body occur due to blockage of blood vessels, their closure and oxygen deficiency.
Cases have been recorded when a person develops epileptic syndrome. These are seizures that occur due to decreased brain performance.
A person often experiences mental disorders. Against the background of increased intracranial pressure, there is a likelihood of frequent depression, stress, irritability and bad mood.
Hydrocephalus of the brain can also be accompanied by high blood pressure. With hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid accumulates and a compressive situation occurs.
The brain may swell, often accompanied by internal swelling.
You should first consult a doctor about how to reduce intracranial pressure, but you can also help yourself at home.
How to recognize ICP
As mentioned, headache is a symptom of many diseases. Increased intracranial pressure can be recognized by the accompanying characteristic symptoms.
- With ICP, the headache has a certain coloration. The head often hurts completely, the pain is not localized to individual areas. The pain intensifies when lowering the head, sneezing, coughing, screaming. Pain often strikes a person in the morning when he is in a horizontal position. In this state, the cerebrospinal fluid flows more to the head and the pain intensifies.
- Nausea, vomiting that is not caused by poisoning or toxicosis.
- Various vision problems - blindness, decreased visibility, blurred vision. Also, with high ICP, the eyes may hurt, the pupils become red and swollen. The person feels that the eyeballs seem to “bulge out”. When examining an object for a long time, vision may “split into two.”
- ICP also brings symptoms of general malaise - shortness of breath, sweating, weakness, irritability. The patient looks exhausted and has severe bags under his eyes.
- The pain may radiate to the back.
- ICP is often accompanied by an increase in blood pressure, the heart rate increases, and at high levels, fainting can occur.
- ICP can also occur in newborns. The disease can be recognized in an infant by the following symptoms. The child becomes restless, cries a lot, and constantly spits up (not only after eating). With severe ICP, the skull becomes enlarged, and strabismus and other vision problems may appear. With ICP, the baby's fontanel swells. Failure to respond promptly to these symptoms can lead to serious consequences, so it is very important to show the child to a specialist as early as possible.
- In a child over three to five years old, ICP may manifest itself as restlessness and inability to perceive new material at school. The child often becomes apathetic, lethargic, and nervous. He has a headache, feels nauseous and vomits. In some cases, bright flashes may appear before the eyes.
First aid for intracranial pressure
When there is a suspicion that intracranial pressure has increased, first aid should be taken immediately; this will help to quickly relieve the increased pressure. Medicines are prescribed when the patient cannot lower it on his own, and if the pressure does not decrease for a long time.
First of all, doctors advise to calm down and normalize the emotional background. There are currently a lot of ways to normalize blood pressure and they are not life-threatening.
Secondly, in order to help yourself and not delay treatment and restoration of normalcy, you should consult a doctor. A neurologist deals with such deviations. He will be able to assess the condition of the body, collect a complete picture of the medical history, and prescribe the necessary laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods.
Only an experienced doctor, after the picture is complete, will be able to prescribe the necessary measures for treatment, which should definitely be heeded. Any deviation from the principles of treatment can lead to disastrous consequences.
Sedatives
Treatment with sedatives is aimed at improving emotional balance and preventing surges in hypertension.
Novopassit
A complex herbal preparation that provides a mild sedative effect. May be prescribed in the form of tablets or drops. A patient who regularly takes sedatives experiences headache attacks much less frequently.
Valerian tincture
A herbal remedy that has a mild sedative effect. In addition to tincture, the drug can be taken in the form of tablets and herbal infusions.
Peony tincture
Has a sedative and slight hypnotic effect.
Reducing blood pressure at home
If this is not the first time a person has encountered high blood pressure, then he already knows how to eliminate it. You can easily overcome unpleasant symptoms at home. First recommendations:
- Massage your head with light movements . It is recommended to focus on the forehead, temples, back of the head and neck area.
- Apply a cold compress to your head . You can put a towel soaked in cold water, or you can put ice or any product from the refrigerator. In this case, it is additionally recommended to lie down.
- You should completely avoid drinks containing caffeine, both coffee and tea . It is recommended to exclude coffee completely, you can switch to chicory, and tea can be brewed weakly.
- There is enough information on the Internet and medical reference books about physical therapy exercises that are performed to normalize intracranial pressure.
- You should also adhere to proper nutrition . Alcohol, spicy, fatty, and sweet foods should be removed from the diet. Foods and dishes are best consumed steamed, boiled or stewed.
- Complete rejection of bad habits . This includes smoking, alcohol, and drugs. They irritate the centers of the brain and are able to maintain pressure above normal for a long time.
Treatment with traditional methods
Traditional medicine also has a beneficial effect on the body. They normalize the functioning of numerous organs, and you don’t have to go far to prepare a recipe - many ingredients can always be found at home. Natural remedies do not pollute the body with harmful chemicals and do not cause side effects. The following recipes are used:
- Crushed mulberry leaves are brewed and allowed to brew for 20-30 minutes. It is recommended to use the decoction 2-3 times a day, regardless of meals. Treatment is carried out for a month, then takes a break.
- Breathing exercises with a decoction of bay leaves. As soon as the decoction is ready, the head is lowered over the container and covered with a towel. Breathing is slow and full.
It is easy to cope with high blood pressure at home; the main thing is to start treatment on time.
Why does increased ICP occur?
The most common cause of increased ICP is the presence of concomitant diseases . Before starting treatment, it is necessary to undergo diagnostic tests that will determine the root cause of the disease.
That is why the initial treatment of intracranial pressure with folk remedies is not an entirely correct step towards solving the problem - doctors never prescribe treatment using traditional medicine, and their independent use can lead to a number of negative consequences.
Thus, ICP in adults can provoke temporary blindness due to damage to the optic nerve; in children - impaired cognitive functions, hydrocephalus, and damage to different parts of the medulla oblongata.
Therefore, before starting treatment, it is necessary to determine why increased ICP appears.
Intracranial pressure in adults can occur as a result of:
- Neuroinfectious diseases.
- Infectious diseases of the brain - encephalitis, meningitis.
- Tumor processes of the brain.
- Severe traumatic brain injuries.
- Microstrokes and strokes.
Intracranial pressure
ICP in infants and older children can be a consequence of:
- Brain hemorrhages due to TBI.
- Presence of genetic and autosomal diseases.
- Pathologies of cerebrospinal fluid outflow.
- Birth injuries.
- Tumor processes in the brain.
- The presence of neuroinfectious and general infectious diseases.
Ask a doctor. Intracranial pressure
Thus, it is impossible to cure the above diseases and pathological processes using traditional medicine. Such remedies can temporarily relieve symptoms and eliminate pain.
How dangerous is this? The danger is that a person with ICP can relieve symptoms, but not cure the root cause of ICP, thereby causing more severe consequences.