What should I do if I have a splitting headache and feel like my head is about to explode?

    In general, the sensation of a splitting or exploding headache may be caused by lack of sleep, excessive mental stress, migraines, hypertensive encephalopathy, increased intracranial pressure, and other related factors. It is recommended to seek timely medical attention, identify the underlying cause, and then improve the condition under a doctor's guidance through general treatment, medication, and other methods. A detailed analysis is as follows:

    1. Sleep deprivation: Long-term staying up late and poor sleep quality prevent the brain from getting sufficient rest, causing persistent tension in cerebral blood vessels and resulting in severe headaches. Immediately stop working or studying, lie down and rest in a quiet and dimly lit environment, ensure 7-8 hours of adequate sleep, and promote sleep through activities such as foot baths or listening to soothing music.

    2. Excessive mental stress: Prolonged anxiety and excessive pressure lead to sympathetic nerve excitement and abnormal cerebral vasoconstriction, causing intense headaches. Remove yourself from stressful environments, relax the body and mind through deep breathing, meditation, walking, and other methods, communicate with family and friends to relieve stress, and seek psychological counseling when necessary to alleviate mental tension.

    3. Migraine: Acute migraine attacks can be triggered by genetic factors, diet, and other elements. Symptoms include pulsating unilateral head pain accompanied by nausea and photophobia. Patients should follow medical advice to use medications such as ibuprofen sustained-release capsules, acetaminophen tablets, zolmitriptan tablets, and others to relieve pain.

    4. Hypertensive encephalopathy: A sudden sharp increase in blood pressure exceeding the upper limit of cerebral blood flow autoregulation leads to excessive cerebral perfusion and edema, resulting in severe headache and vomiting. Immediately follow medical instructions to use antihypertensive medications such as nifedipine controlled-release tablets, valsartan capsules, benazepril hydrochloride tablets, etc., for rapid blood pressure reduction.

    5. Increased intracranial pressure: Intracranial tumors, cerebral hemorrhage, and other conditions can elevate intracranial pressure, leading to severe headache and projectile vomiting. Under medical guidance, use medications such as mannitol injection, glycerol fructose injection, furosemide injection, and others to reduce intracranial pressure.

    In daily life, maintain a regular routine, avoid excessive fatigue, eat a light diet, and reduce intake of high-salt, high-fat, spicy, and irritating foods. Regularly monitor blood pressure, engage in appropriate exercise to strengthen physical health, and adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce the frequency of headaches and protect brain health.