Fact Checked
Overview Of Headaches
There are many reasons why a person may have a headache, and this is something that mostly everyone has suffered with at some point in their lives. In many cases, stress and anxiety are the root causes. Rarely is there something life threatening that is causing these headaches. There are several types of headaches that people need to be aware of.
Types of Headaches
The types of headaches include
- Tension headaches: This causes pain on both sides of the head or all over the head. They often appear when a person is stressed.
- Sinus headaches: The pain is often accompanying a stuffy head. The pain may be behind the eyes, either side of the nose, and may last for several days, depending on the reason behind the sinus headache.
- Migraine headaches: This affects around six to eight percent of men, while affecting fifteen to eighteen percent of women. The pain is throbbing and often found on one side of the head. The person may have a feeling of nausea and find that their eyes are sensitive to light.
- Cluster headaches: These are very similar to migraines in that they occur on one side of the head. They are often accompanying with watery eyes and a blocked nose. They can be brought on by alcohol.
When to See a Doctor
In most cases, headaches are not serious. However, there are times in which you should consider seeing a doctor:
- If you are getting these regularly and are over the age of 50
- Stiff neck accompanies this headache
- The headache is getting worse and is deteriorating
- You have a fever or vomiting which accompanies the headache
- You are suffering from confusion or memory loss
- You have had a head injury
- You are having weakness in any part of your body
- You are getting headaches more than twice a week
Is It Serious?
In some circumstances, a headache isn’t an indication of a severe problem. But, sometimes, it can be an indication of an illness such as meningitis, tumour or a stroke.
A headache is expected to be severe if:
- It occurs unexpectedly and can be quite severe – often labelled as a striking pain different to most types of pain
- It becomes worse as time goes on
- Takes place after a head injury
- It’s caused unexpectedly by laughing, coughing, sneezing, variations in your posture, or physical effort
- You have symptoms signifying an issue with your nervous system or brain, together with faintness, indistinct speech, confusion, loss of memory, and tiredness.