Evert type of headache means a different thing, and their causes and symptoms can vary. Most of them are temporary and not a cause for worry. Understanding what type of headache means a person will tell them how best to handle them and when to see a doctor.
Headaches are a common concern. According to the World Health Organisation, most people will suffer headaches from time to time.
While they can often be painful and debilitating, most of them can be managed with basic painkillers and go away within a few hours. However, repeated attacks or certain kinds of headaches may be a symptom of something more serious.
This article gives details about what your type of headache means.
What Is A Headache?
Headache is characterized by pain from the head or upper neck of the body. This type of headache means the pain comes from tissues and structures surrounding the skull. The following can all get irritated and cause a headache:
- A thin layer of tissue (periosteum) cover the bones
- Muscles that encircle the scalp
- Sinuses, eyes, and ears
- Thin tissues that cover the surface of the brain and spinal cord (meninges)
- Lungs
- Glands
- Nerves
The pain can be dull, sharp, throbbing, constant, intermittent, moderate, or extreme.
1. Migraine Headache
The hardest thing about migraine pain is it will last for days. The discomfort is usually on one side of the head, making one sensitive to light and sound. Nausea and vomiting can also occur in some situations.
Women are three times more likely than men to feel migraine pain. And people with PTSD are also at greater risk. Factors such as sleep disruption, skipped meals, dehydration, hormonal deficiency, and allergy can cause the condition.
You can see flashing lights, zigzag patterns, shimmering lights, blind spots, or stars even before the pain begins.
Just 3-13% of migraine sufferers take preventive treatment. But 38% of migraine sufferers need it. If you have throbbing and pulsating headaches that last three to six days a month, you should consult your doctor.
2. Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are pressure or a tight feeling, often characterized as “vice-like” in quality. The pain is normally mild to moderate, but it can be extreme.
Some Of The Symptoms Of A Tension Headache:
- There is no related throbbing or pulsing with tension headache pain.
- There is no exacerbation or rise in the pain with exercise
- Nausea and vomiting are not linked with headache tension.
- Some patients may sometimes describe either light sensitivity or noise sensitivity
3. Sinus Headaches
The Discomfort Associated With Sinus Headaches Is Usually Located:
- Near or behind the eyes
- Around the cheeks and bridge of the nose
- Around the forehead
- Or with the upper teeth
The pain is sometimes characterized as a sense of pressure and is continuous. Leaning forward or upside down, sudden activity or exercise may make the pain worse.
Symptoms Of Upper Respiratory Diseases, Including:
- The nasal mucus discolored
- Nasal congestion
- Plugged ears
- Swelling of the face
- A fever could accompany a sinus headache
4. Thunderclap Headaches
Unexpected and strong, just like the thunderclap, these headaches can go severe in just 60 seconds. These headaches could last for just five minutes. But, it could be a sign of an emergency and even a life-threatening situation.
They may be caused by life-threatening situations such as stroke, brain hemorrhage, brain aneurysm, brain infection, blocked veins in the brain, and spinal fluid leakage.
If you undergo one such headache, see the doctor right away.
5. Cluster Headaches
Cluster headache is also a very distinct type of head pain. During a cluster attack, the pain is always one-sided. However, the side that is affected may vary from headache to headache.
- The pain is usually a stabbing or piercing pain, which is particularly serious.
- Despite the severity, the headache typically lasts just 10 minutes to 3 hours and then resolves.
- However, headaches can recur many times in a day or week.
- Lying down also makes the pain worse.
Symptoms Are Commonly Seen With Cluster Headache Include:
- Watering of the eye on the side of the headache
- Nasal congestion at the side of the headache.
- The eyelid on the affected side may tend to be droopy.
- Cluster headaches are also caused by alcohol intake.
6. Exertional Headaches
As the name suggests, headaches occurred due to any exertion are called exertional headaches. This could happen during or after a certain activity, for example, during exercising. This type of headache could last from 5 minutes to 3 days in the worst cases, says the American Migraine Center.
This form of pain is rare and typically goes away after six months. The pain may be on one side or even both. It can be pulsating, making you feel nauseous. Taking a nap before doing an activity that induces pain may help.
7. Mixed or Mixed Tension Migraine
This form of headache has characteristics of both migraine headache and tension headache.
- The pain is characterized by sufferers as dull and constant or throbbing. And the severity can be mild, moderate, or extreme.
- Other signs of a migraine, including light and sound discomfort or nausea and vomiting, may be present.
- There may be a pain in the neck or muscle strain in the scalp.
Type Of Headache Mean By Location
Forehead: Headaches that arise along both sides of the forehead are mostly tension headaches or headaches. If the pain is one-sided, migraine or cluster headache might be more likely.
Top of the head: The pain around the top of the head is non-specific and can be seen in tension headaches and migraine headaches.
Back of head: Headache pain occurring along the back of the head is often linked with headache tension, especially when the neck or cervical muscle spasms are identified. Other causes are shingles and occipital neuritis.
Side of head: Pain on the head’s side can be linked with migraine headaches, particularly if the pain is one-sided or unilateral. Very extreme pain on one side of the head may suggest a cluster headache. Tension headache may cause pressure and pain on both sides of the head. Giant cell arteritis is a less frequent cause of headache in people over 55 years of age.
Behind the eye: The pain behind one eye can be seen in migraine headaches. If the pain is located behind both eyes, a sinus headache may be considered. Orbital tumors rarely cause pain in the eye.
The Bottom Line
In most cases, episodic headaches will disappear within 48 hours. If you have a headache that lasts more than two days or rises in intensity, you should see the doctor for help and support.
If you have headaches more than 15 days a month for three months, you may have a chronic headache. You can visit the doctor and figure out what’s wrong, even though you can manage the pain with aspirin or ibuprofen.
Headaches can signify more serious health issues, and some need treatment outside of OTC and alternative treatments.
