There are many different types of headaches.
Although not all headaches are the same, there is at least one thing that all headaches have in common. Many headaches also cause other unwanted symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.
Migraine:
If you have a throbbing sensation that starts on one side of your head and causes nausea or makes you sensitive to sound and light, you may have a migraine. Symptoms vary from person to person.
You may have a variety of warning signs before a migraine. These include changes in mood (for example, feeling “high,” irritable, or depressed) or changes in your senses (such as a loss of taste or smell). Fatigue and muscle tension are also common. Some people experience food cravings, constipation, or yawning.
Aura: This is usually a visual disturbance. Some people with migraines see spots of geometric patterns or flashing colorful lights; They may lose vision on one side of their head or have a specific smell and become sensitive to smells.
Headache: Most people with migraine headaches feel nauseous and some vomit. Most people become sensitive to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia) during a migraine. This stage can last from 4 to 72 hours.
Headache resolution: Even without treatment, your headache may go away. In most cases, the pain usually goes away with sleep.
Other symptoms of a migraine (for example, inability to eat, difficulty concentrating, or fatigue) may persist after the pain has gone.
Sinus headaches:
If you have a persistent pain in the back of your face that gets worse when you bend forward, and if you also have a stuffy nose, you may have a sinus headache. This type can cause: Deep, constant pain in the cheekbones, forehead, or bridge of the nose. Pain that gets worse with sudden head movements. The pain may be accompanied by other sinus symptoms, such as nasal discharge, stuffy ears, fever, and facial swelling.
Tension or stress headaches:
A tension headache is usually a sudden, mild to moderate headache that often feels like a feeling of tightness around the head. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache, but their cause is not well understood. There are several types of tension headaches:
Episodic tension headaches:
Episodic tension headaches can last from 30 minutes to a week. These types of headaches usually last less than fifteen days. Episodic tension headaches may become chronic.
The pain is mild to moderate, constant, aching or pressure-like, like a bandage.
The pain affects the front, top, or both sides of the head
The pain usually starts gradually and often occurs in the middle of the day
The pain may last from 30 minutes to several days
Chronic tension headache:
Occurs more than 15 days a month
The level of pain may vary throughout the day, but the pain is almost always there
The pain comes and goes over a long period of time.
Symptoms of tension headaches include:
Headache upon waking
Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep
Chronic fatigue
Irritability
Trouble concentrating
Slight sensitivity to light or noise
Muscle pain
Cluster headache:
With this type of headache, you will likely notice severe pain on one side of your head. People often describe it as a burning, stabbing, throbbing, or constant, aching pain behind or around one eye that doesn’t change sides and is constant.
The pain lasts for a short time, usually 30 to 90 minutes (but can last up to 3 hours).
The headache goes away but comes back later in the day. Most people with this type have one to three headaches, and some have up to eight headaches a day during a cluster period. The headaches occur regularly, at the same time every day, and often wake the person up at the same time during the night.
Call 911 if:
If you have these symptoms, it could be a sign of a stroke: sudden, severe headache, feeling like you’re having the worst headache of your life, having seizures or confusion, losing consciousness, or having changes in behavior.
If you have a severe headache with vomiting, weakness, double vision, slurred speech, or trouble swallowing. This could be a sign of a stroke, brain hemorrhage, or aneurysm.
If you have a type of headache you’ve never had before, such as one that occurs first thing in the morning, you vomit, and then goes away during the day. You have a high fever and severe pain along with nausea and a stiff neck. You may have meningitis.
Drowsiness along with dizziness, nausea, or vomiting after a head injury, you may have a concussion.