When a friend or family member complains of a headache, we know immediately what they are feeling. Everyone has had to deal with that dull or sharp, constant or throbbing, pain in their head. While a headache may not always be severe, it is typically enough to put you in a funky mood and distract you from the task at hand. What some people don’t know, is that there is a variety of headaches that we can experience, each with a difference in severity and location of symptoms. Here are 5 of the most common types of headaches and how to know it is the one you are experiencing.
1. Migraine
One type of headache almost everyone has heard of is a migraine. A migraine is a severe headache that is typically unilateral (one-sided). The pain is often described as a throbbing or pulsating pain that worsens with any physical activity past walking. Some of the more common symptoms are nausea, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, and trouble sleeping due to pain. One of the largest telling signs that a headache is a migraine is that they last longer than most headaches, ranging anywhere from just a few hours to a few days.
2. Tension Headache
A tension headache is typically mild to moderate and is described as a pressure or tight sensation in the head. Some signs that your headache is a tension headache is that there is no throbbing or pulsating, there is no increase in pain with physical activity, and there is no nausea. Tension headaches are as basic as they come.
3. Sinus Headache
As the name suggests, a sinus headache occurs around the sinus passages in your head. This includes behind the eyes, the bridge of the nose, across the cheeks, top of the teeth, and along the forehead. The pain is described as a building pressure that is constant. Actions that worsen the headache are leaning forward, sudden activity, and exercise. Typically, a sinus headache is the result of sinusitis, which is the swelling of the sinuses due to an infection or allergy. Symptoms that often accompany a sinus headache are discolored mucus, congestion in the nose and ears, and swelling of the face.
4. Cluster Headache
A cluster headache is a one-sided headache that is accompanied by a severe stabbing pain. Cluster headache usually only last a few minutes but have been known to last up to three hours. While short in length, they typically occur multiple times throughout the day. Symptoms of a cluster headache include watery eye on the side of the headache, congestion on the side of the headache, and droopy eyelid. The most common cause for a cluster headache is alcohol consumption.
5. Mixed Headache
A mixed headache derives its name from the fact that it is a mix between a tension headache and a migraine. It typically involves symptoms from a migraine such as nausea, light sensitivity, and sound sensitivity with a dull pain that can be constant or throbbing.
Knowing what type of headache is affecting you can help you find ways to treat them and ways that manage them most effectively. At Duncan Chiropractic, we can help you determine the cause of your headaches and help you treat the cause--not just the symptoms.