GeneralHeadache Basics: 3 Common Types of Headaches

Headaches are one of the most common illnesses that affect people throughout their lives. Everyday headaches can occur for some people, while others have them at least once a month or more frequently.

Many factors can cause them, and sometimes, having headaches every day is only a symptom of something more serious.

Different things can cause different kinds of headaches at different times. They all have their own sets of symptoms and treatments too.

Here are some of the 3 common types of headaches.

Tension Headache

A tension headache, also known as a muscle contraction headache, is one of the most common types of headaches. They are usually caused by straining your muscles, especially in your neck and shoulders, so that they become tired and tight.

The pain tends to be mild to moderate, but it can be intense enough to cause problems with concentration or sleep.

Tension headaches can also be caused by stress, which causes muscles in the neck and shoulders to contract and tighten. Most people experience these headaches every day or from time to time.

When you get a tension headache, rest your body until the pain subsides, then try gentle stretching exercises or massage to relieve muscle stiffness.

Migraine

Migraine headaches are one of the most common forms of recurring headaches. All migraines are characterized by severe pain and nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light or sound. Not all migraines include auras. The pain can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as diarrhea or tingling in your arms and legs.

There are two significant types of migraine headaches:

Migraine Without Aura

This type of migraine is typically experienced by those under 45. Migraines without aura tend to occur randomly, without any warning or pattern. These migraines can last anywhere from four hours to three days.

Migraine with Aura

Aura symptoms occur before or at the onset of a migraine headache, and they affect some people with migraines more than others. They are usually visual disturbances, such as seeing shimmering spots, wavy lines, flashes of light, or blind spots. They can last five to 60 minutes before an actual headache occurs.

Sinus Headaches

Sinus headaches are the most common type of headache. They’re characterized by pain or pressure in the forehead, cheeks, and eyes. Sometimes this headache is accompanied by a runny nose, cough, fever, or other symptoms of a cold.

Sinus headaches are caused when an infection irritates the nasal passages, which leads to inflammation in nearby blood vessels. This causes a pressure build-up that triggers pain in your head.

Treatment for sinus headaches primarily involves relieving the pressure in your sinuses with medications and other treatments, like steam inhalation and nasal irrigation. In rare cases, surgery can also be used to drain your sinuses, so they don’t continue to press against nearby blood vessels.

Bottom Line

Most headaches can be treated, and many people, especially migraine sufferers, learn to deal with them. A headache can vary from mild to severe, and intensity levels may range from mild to excruciatingly painful.

If you have been experiencing headaches every day or for days or weeks, you should seek a check-up to ensure that the cause of the headaches is not something more severe than just tension in the muscles of the head and the neck.

This is a sponsored post