Having that pins and needle effect in your head is very unpleasant, especially when trying to concentrate. The numbness in the brain and tingling effect is the reason for this feeling, and it can happen for many reasons. These sensations can also affect the adjacent body parts like the neck and face. This condition is known as paresthesia, which is the tingling in arms, legs, hands, and feet. You also feel it when you sit with your legs crossed for too long. However, the prolonged sensation is a sign of something serious, and you should not ignore it. Head paresthesia happens due to various causes that we will be discussing in this article.
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Causes of Numbness in Brain and Tingling Effect
Most of the time the sensation of numbness or paresthesia (weird feeling in the head that comes and goes) is due to non-serious reasons and does no harm. However, in rare cases, it can be a sign of severe diseases. Following are some of the common causes of paresthesia that one may experience:
Sinus or Respiratory Infections
Sinus is a series of connected cavities behind the nose, cheeks, and forehead of living beings. Sinus infections like flu, cold, and other blockages can stop fluid drainage and add the risk of enlarging it. It can put pressure on different nerves, and head paresthesia occurs.
Anxiety
Anxiety can trigger numbness in the brain and tingling up to a great extent. Stress or anxiety initiates your body’s fight-or-flight response. The stress hormones, such as norepinephrine, direct major blood flow in one part of the body that triggers tingling sensations in the brain. People can also feel dizzy or lightheaded because of it.
Migraines
Headaches and migraines are other common causes of numbness in the head and dizziness. Strain, headache, pressure behind the eyes all contribute to changing pressure and blood flow that is a big reason for migraines.
Diabetes
An untreated diabetic can lead to nerve damage causing head paresthesia. It is a metabolic disease that is related to blood sugar levels. However, severe nerve damage is not caused by it, but it can cause tingling sensations on the face and other areas of your head.
Misuse of Medication
Taking an unprescribed or wrong dose of any medicine can cause numbness in the head and dizziness. It is because it changes the blood flow and pressure and focuses it on one part only. It leads to having tingling sensations in the head, and people can also faint if this issue escalates.
Head Injuries
If you injure the back of your head, it may have damaged the nerves inside your brain, resulting in face numbness and paresthesia. If the damage is extensive, you could also experience facial paralysis, and your muscles can cease to work. On the other hand, less critical head injuries can cause tingling in the brain or face for a definite time, and it will fade without causing much disturbance. However, you should always be watchful and avoid getting any head injuries.
Use of Drugs
Brain Tingling Effect when high is a real phenomenon, and people who use drugs often feel it. It is not just unprescribed drugs that cause such tingling effects; some strong medications used for cancer treatment can also trigger head paresthesia. Moreover, excessive use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs can also lead to dizziness and numbness of the brain.
Numbness on Sides of your Brain
Numbness can occur individually on either side or part of your head. It can be on the top, right, or even left side. At times, you may experience tingling on a particular side of your head only. Numbness on the left side of the head can occur because of nerve damage, including Bell’s palsy, infections, or migraine. On the other hand, numbness on the right side of the head happens because of stress mostly.
You may feel that either part of your head is hurting and has tingling sensations as well. Commonly, such sensations occur due to the following reasons:
- Bell’s Palsy (Facial drooping, drooling, abnormal saliva or tear production, decreased sensitivity to taste)
- Infections
- MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
- Migraines
Head Numbness and Tingling
People who experience anxiety seldom report numbness or tingling in their heads. A panic attack might trigger numbness and Tingling Effect in the scalp, face, and other body areas for some of them.
Although little is known about the connection between anxiety and numbness, it mostly has to do with the fight-or-flight response of your body. It affects the blood flow of your system, and without adequate flow, the body parts can start to endure paresthesia.
Help from Doctors
Normal tingling sensations will fade on their own. However, if it stays consistent, then you should visit your doctor and seek medical help. Your doctor will examine you and ask about all the symptoms that you have been experiencing. According to the information you provide, the doctors make you take some tests needed for proper diagnosis. Some of these tests are:
- Blood tests
- Neurological Exam
- MRI
- CT Scan
- Nerve Biopsy
Treating Head Numbness
Once you get your diagnosis, which is usually an underlying condition, you will get the treatment for that. It is because head paresthesia is a symptom, not a disease itself. Therefore, the actual cause must be diagnosed for the treatment to start. For instance, you are diagnosed with diabetes, you will be given treatment for your diabetes. If your posture is causing the pain, then ergonomic aids, massage, and acupuncture are suggested to relax your muscle and regain their actual posture.
All in all, head numbness can be caused by various reasons, and it is usually the symptom of some other disease that you may have. Thus, the best way to treat it is by visiting your physician and getting a thorough examination.
If you want more information regarding your head numbness, then contact the best neurologists in Karachi and book your appointment.
