From time to time, you might have had the sensation of a cold spot on your head. Although it may not be an actionable medical emergency, you should know that the feeling is centered on the nerves, pressure, and blood flow within the head. Several factors that can change the mentioned parameters include sinusitis, paresthesia, diabetes, injuries, burns, medications, drug and substance abuse, etc.
Most people may complain about experiencing a cold sensation on their heads. You may feel like cold water is trickling down the scalp of their head.
Sometimes, the feeling may be accompanied by mild or severe headaches.
Consequently, if you experience that cold sensation on your head, you may as well believe it could be a symptom of some underlying medical condition.
Conditions that would cause cold spot
The range of the conditions that could cause the cold spot on your head may be extensive. Even so, incorrect blood pressure and insufficient blood flow may be the most common causes of such symptoms.
Nerve-related conditions such as paresthesia may also be the reason why you feel that cold patch on your head. In our article, we will discuss in detail the various reasons or causes for a cold sensation on your head.
We may also discuss the several measures you can take once you feel the said cold sensations on your head regarding diagnosis and treatment of the same.
Doing that may be instrumental in dispelling any misconceptions; hence fear most people tie to some fatal conditions such as brain tumors and cancer.
1. Paresthesia
The condition named above could best be described as a tingling sensation in parts of our body that may even at some points cause visible twitching of muscles in the body.
Possibly, the conditions may be caused by some issues with the body’s nerves. The issue at hand may be a dysfunction of the nerves.
Another probable scenario could be when the nerves are subjected to much pressure, such as blood pressure or physical strain. It may also be that blood flow in the same area may be insufficient, causing the nerves to behave in such a manner.
Given that the scalp of our heads has lots of muscles and nerves, it may not be uncommon or unheard of to experience paresthesia attacks on the head.
Even more, it may be probable to have a cold sensation on the scalp of your head, which may supplement the paresthesia or even most likely cause it.
2. Sinus inflammation
Sinusitis, or in other words, sinus infections and other respiratory infections such as flu, cold, and covid-19, cause sinuses to get irritated and hence grossly inflamed. Sinuses happen to be located inside the frontal part of the head.
They are a network of four paired chambers connected to the nasal cavity. The work of sinuses may be to produce mucus which plays a vital role in human respiration.
When the sinuses become inflamed, pressure builds up within the head, and the blood flow to the entire tissues of the head may be affected. When that happens, the inflammation may affect the nerves on the scalp of the head.
When the nerves become involved, it becomes evident that it may register as a sensation of a cold spot on the head and may be accompanied by paresthesia and even headaches.
3. Diabetes
Our bodies secrete an enzyme called insulin responsible for converting the blood sugar in our bodies into glycogen which is easier to assimilate and store in the body.
When the insulin is not produced or used correctly, blood sugar levels escalate, a condition known as diabetes.
As a result of the condition, many symptoms are registered in the body, and among them may be a substantial level of nerve damage.
Although clinically, the nerve damage in diabetic people becomes extensive in the limbs like arms legs, it might be possible to register on the head and face.
Therefore that cold patch feeling on your head may be just the symptom signifying the onset of diabetes.
If you have a history of the condition in your family or past health record, it probably may be as good you get your blood sugar levels tested.
4. Injuries and burns
Internal or external injuries to the head may cause possible damage to nerves that may lead to feelings or sensations like cold patches on the head.
Internal injuries, probably from falls, car accidents, or assaults, may cause extensive damage to nerves inside the head.
The damage to nerves combined with blood pressure and flow changes may very likely elicit peculiar sensations like coldness on a specific part of the head.
On the flipside, healed scars from burns, cuts, lesions, boils, and wounds on the skull may cause a cold feeling on the head.
The healed scars most probably may lack hair for the most part, and that would mean no hot air will be trapped above them, leaving them to lose their heat and hence the cold feeling.
5. Drug and substance abuse/medications
Medications and drugs, when used whether prescribed or not or even when misused or abused, can affect several things in the body, such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, nerves, and even mental judgment.
Consequently, it may be possible that if you feel a cold spot on your head, it may be a side effect of a substance that you may have used or abused or some medication.
Some drugs and substances have, in the extreme, the capability to damage the body’s nerves beyond repair, and such sensations may be registered even for a more extended period or more intensely.
FAQs
Can covid-19 make the head feel weird?
Just like all other respiratory infections, covid-19 may irritate the sinuses, thus making them become inflamed.
When the sinuses become inflamed, the head’s pressure will increase and affect blood flow.
The brain is susceptible to blood pressure and flow changes, so you will feel weird when you contract covid-19.
You may even experience a headache, among other symptoms.
Why do I feel like water running in my head?
When you experience a sensation like water running in your head, it may probably be the nerves reacting to some changes such as pressure and blood flow within your head.
The same may be brought by other situations like if you had a severe fall or accident and knocked your head; any feeling in your head may signify symptoms like internal bleeding or even inflation of the brain, both of which need emergency treatment.
Conclusion
When subjected to the experience of feeling a cold spot on their head, many people would probably behave differently, each given to the specific circumstances surrounding their life across all scopes.
Some may freak out based on a wild guess about cancers and tumors.
Others will ignore, yet others, who I may call decisive, will do the right thing, not rush to conclusions, seek correct diagnosis and implement actionable treatment procedures.
