Serious illnesses can cause headaches and a numb tongue

Causes

When the tip of the tongue goes numb, the reasons can be very different. This problem in medicine is called paresthesia - short-term or permanent loss of sensitivity of nerve endings.

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is accompanied by numbness of the tongue. Due to changes in metabolic processes, the membrane of the tongue dries out and becomes thin, causing sensitivity to be lost.

In addition to paresthesia, a person experiences:

• absent-mindedness
• heaviness in the head
• visual impairment
• uncontrolled weight loss
• increased feeling of hunger
• decreased sexual activity
• frequent urge to urinate
• numbness of the limbs
• decrease in body temperature
• muscle cramps in the legs
• poor wound healing
• prolonged course of colds and infectious diseases

The presence of one or more symptoms is a reason to seek medical help. To diagnose the disease, you will need to take a blood sugar test. Some doctors prescribe a test to determine the level of glycosylated hemoglobin. It is used to detect changes in glucose concentration in the body over the past few months.

Pre-stroke and pre-infarction condition

A stroke is a disruption of blood flow in the brain, which provokes a deterioration in speech and motor activity. It is important not to miss the moment and to provide assistance to a person in the phase of a pre-stroke condition, which is accompanied by signs:

• dizzy
• nausea
• vomiting
• increased pressure
• increased heart rate
• difficulty breathing

Numbness of the tongue is also accompanied by a micro-stroke, when the patient’s condition worsens, but soon the alarming symptoms disappear. At the same time, pathological changes in the brain continue to progress. A pre-infarction condition consists of a disruption in the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. It leads to dysfunction of the heart, development of heart failure or death.

The pre-infarction state is accompanied by symptoms:

• angina pectoris
• chest pain radiating to the collarbone
• increased blood pressure
• chills
• suffocation
• nausea
• anxiety, fear of death
• increased heart rate

Pre-stroke and pre-infarction conditions often occur with numbness of the tip of the tongue. In this case, it is important to urgently call an ambulance, because timely treatment will help avoid irreversible consequences: loss of speech and motor activity, death.

Problems with the cervical spine

The spine provides the support and motor function of a person, so any problems associated with it require a timely response.

In diseases of the cervical spine, the following symptoms are observed:

• numbness of the tongue
• pain in the neck
• dizziness
• nausea

A problem with the spine is indicated by sharp tingling or pain that occurs when turning the head, as well as bending the body. Numbness of the tongue worries the patient after waking up or staying in one position for a long time. This is due to the close proximity of nerve endings and vertebrae.

Disruption of the functions of the spine impedes the functioning of nerve impulses, as a result of which the sensitivity of some organs decreases. Until irreversible changes in the brain occur, problems with the cervical spine are easy to cure. For this purpose, special massages and physical exercises are prescribed.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease caused by the formation of plaque, plaques and blood clots inside blood vessels, hardening and loss of elasticity of their walls. This problem often occurs in older people due to excessive consumption of fat and sugar. This pathology leads to a narrowing of the lumen inside the vessels and obstruction of blood flow.

Atherosclerosis often leads to death. As a rule, the disease is detected in the later stages, when irreversible processes occur in the body: disruption of the blood supply to vital organs and systems. This is the main reason for the development of concomitant pathologies such as heart attack or coronary heart disease.

It is known that atherosclerosis “gets younger” every year. This is due to an incorrect lifestyle, bad habits, and lack of physical activity. The symptoms of the disease depend on which organ or system is affected by the disease. The heart, brain, and lower extremities are most often affected. Numbness of the tip of the tongue is observed in cerebral atherosclerosis due to impaired blood supply and deterioration in the functionality of the nervous system.

Other signs of cerebral atherosclerosis:

• severe sharp or aching headaches
• auditory hallucinations
• bad dream
• increased nervousness
• loss of performance
• disturbance of motor activity, speech, appetite

The combination of the above symptoms indicates health problems. To exclude the diagnosis of atherosclerosis, you must consult a specialist.

Unhealthy lifestyle, poor environment, medications

Numbness of the tongue does not always indicate severe pathology. Often this phenomenon is the body’s reaction to a certain stimulus. Improper lifestyle, poor diet and sleep are the main causes of the problem.

Causes of numbness:

1. Long-term use of medications, in particular antibiotics, heavy chemicals or homeopathic drugs.
2. Smoking low-quality cheap tobacco products. If after or during smoking the sensitivity of nerve receptors decreases, you should choose a different brand of cigarettes. The same applies to some types of hookah refills. After smoking, a smoker may experience numbness not only in his tongue, but also in his fingertips on the lower and upper extremities. Switching to another brand of tobacco or quitting cigarettes will help eliminate the problem. As a rule, after a 1-2 month break, this problem disappears.
3. Improper nutrition leads to an imbalance of macro- and microelements in the body. In particular, a lack of vitamin B-12 and iron in the blood contributes to disruption of impulse transmission processes. In this case, anemia occurs, due to which the sensitivity of the tongue decreases, and it becomes smooth and red. Adding dried fruits and bran to the menu will help solve the problem. In severe cases, therapy with iron-containing medications and vitamins is prescribed.

Loss of sensitivity can also be caused by alcohol or drug use. Giving up bad habits, improving nutrition, and daily moderate physical activity help get rid of numbness in the tip of the tongue.

Other reasons

Deterioration of tongue sensitivity is observed in patients of different ages. A doctor can figure out the reason for this phenomenon. In most cases, paresthesia is caused by the problems and pathologies described above, but other phenomena are also known that cause the tongue to go numb:

1. An allergic reaction to contact of the mucous membrane of the tongue with an allergen. Components of mouthwash, toothpaste, and seasonings act as pathogens.
2. Allergy to the material from which braces or dentures are made.
3. Nervous stress, depression, and prolonged anxiety can cause loss of sensitivity in the mucous membrane of the tongue. As a rule, this condition is accompanied by loss of performance, fatigue, and depressed mood.
4. Tumors of the brain and spinal cord lead to dysfunction of the nervous system. As a result, the sensitivity of some organs and systems of the body, including the mucous membranes in the mouth, deteriorates.
5. Hormonal disorders in women aged 40 to 55 years. During this period, menopause occurs, which is accompanied by a change in the functionality of the nervous system.
6. Bell's palsy is a disease that is accompanied by loss of sensitivity and numbness of individual organs and systems.
7. Glossalgia is a disease that affects the mucous membranes of the mouth. Its symptoms are numbness of the tongue, speech disorders.

Traditional medicine

Decoctions and oil applications successfully relieve unpleasant symptoms if used regularly. The following remedies will help restore tongue sensitivity:

• Alternately rinse your mouth with a solution of sage and celandine (a tablespoon of dry herb per 250 ml of boiling water). Treatment should last at least 2 months.
• Rinse with a decoction of oak bark with the addition of honey.
• Using infusions of chamomile, St. John's wort and rose hips in a 1x1 ratio.
• Infuse the thigh herb in boiling water. Drink a tablespoon twice a day and rinse your mouth.

• Warm applications with sea buckthorn oil.
• Rinsing the tongue with a solution of sea salt.

These procedures will relieve inflammation, eliminate accumulations of bacteria, and improve blood supply to tissues. If the problem is related to a central nervous system disorder, you can make the famous VKPB cocktail. To do this, mix pharmaceutical tinctures of valerian, corvalol, motherwort and hawthorn in equal parts. Take a teaspoon at night. Proven folk therapy, combined with an orderly lifestyle, will bring the nervous system into order.

Finally. Numbness of the tip of the tongue occurs infrequently and does not bring much suffering, but still it cannot be ignored. This symptom may be a harbinger of dangerous diseases, so the patient is recommended to undergo a medical examination.

Numbness of the tip of the tongue

Numbness of the tongue is a rather unpleasant phenomenon. The danger to a person is not the discomfort itself, but the reason that caused it. Characteristic symptoms can be felt both at the very tip and on the sides of the tongue. In this case, the following are observed:

• feeling of cold on the mucous membrane of the tongue
• burning
• tingling
• pinching
• slight itching sensation inside the tongue

If such symptoms recur repeatedly, with varying or equal intensity, it is recommended to seek medical help.

Sore throat

Discomfort and sore throat with VSD occurs due to spasms of the muscles of the pharynx and larynx. If patients feel a lump in the throat during VSD, an experienced neurologist at the Yusupov Hospital will tell you how to get rid of this symptom.

A sore throat occurs in patients with VSD during the daytime. Many people experience serious stress when this symptom appears, as they consider discomfort in grief to be a manifestation of dangerous diseases, such as a malignant tumor or goiter of the thyroid gland. To eliminate throat discomfort, many people prefer to drink water, which brings temporary relief, but to completely eliminate the symptom, it is necessary to get rid of the root cause.

Which doctor should I contact?

If your tongue becomes numb, you should consult a dentist, family doctor or therapist. Once diagnosed, treatment is aimed at eliminating the cause of paresthesia. You may need help with this:

• cardiologist
• gastroenterologist
• surgeon
• endocrinologist
• neurologist

Further therapy depends on the diagnosis and doctor's prescription. It may include taking vitamins, medications, physiotherapy, massage, or surgery.

Idiopathic facial neuropathy (Bell's palsy)

In rare cases (approximately 1-2%), after a medical examination it is not possible to determine the causes of numbness of the lips. Often in this case, people complain of complete paralysis of the face or that half of the face is numb. The doctor will tell you what to do in this case. Idiopathic neuropathy develops as a consequence of colds, flu, and sometimes the herpes simplex virus.

In most cases, patients with Bell's palsy recover without additional treatment, and there are no consequences for the nerves of the face.

If necessary, treatment with corticosteroid hormones is carried out in a hospital setting, which are combined with antiviral therapy for 1-2 weeks.

It is also advisable to practice gymnastic exercises for the facial muscles. Recovery can take a long time, up to one year.

Relapses of the disease are rare. But if they occur, it is necessary to additionally examine the brain in order to identify or exclude formations.