What are the Different Types of Headaches?

Headache, an umbrella term that shelters probably numerous types of headaches and neck pain, is a common term that everyone uses now and then. Every person has experienced some sort of headache at least at some point in their lives. But the cause and type of headache that you are having cannot be diagnosed on your own. You must visit a doctor and he will let you know what exactly causes your headache and how it can be treated.

Depending on the cause of headache, headaches can be of many types. Understanding what triggers your pain, may help you to understand the type of headache that you are suffering from.

Tension-type headache:

This is probably the most common type that you will find to occur in 30 to 70% of all people. Any and every person can have this headache once or more. As the name suggests, it is caused by tension and has nothing to do with any other causes. The feeling of pain too is quite different from migraine or sinus and is often described by patients as ‘grip-like' pain at the back of the head and on both sides. Unlike the other types of headaches, pain cause by tension is often mild and is not worsened due to any reason.

Cluster headache:

Have you ever felt your pain in head in batches? That might be a cluster headache. Unlike all other types of headaches, this one occurs only on one side of the head. It can stay for 15 minutes or eve up to 3 hours. In some cases, you might experience up to 8 attacks of pain, whereas certain people also experience this pain to recur on every alternate day. The symptoms are:

• Sweating on forehead and face.
• Restlessness.
• Nasal congestion.

Sinus headache:

This is caused by congestion in sinus. Sinus can easily be treated once it is diagnosed. Often it is mistaken as migraine. But as you see a doctor, he will let you know whether it is sinus or migraine.

Migraine Headache:

This is a throbbing pain in head. It can last for 4 to 72 hours and the cause is unknown. Usually associated with the imbalance in brain chemicals, this has no cure. Some factors worsen the pain and they are:

• Physical activity.
• Light.
• Sound.
• Smell.

Medication overuse headache:

You might not have thought of this, but the medicines that you are taking to cure some headaches or other medical conditions, might cause a rebound of headache. What makes it worse is every time you take those medicines the headache gets worse. "Triptans" are often blamed for these type of headaches. See a doctor to tell this problem at once, so that he can change your medication.

Other primary headaches:

This list doesn't end up yet. There are some other types of headaches that cannot be clubbed with either tension-type, cluster or caused by medicines. These are:

• ‘Thunderclap' headaches that occur in pregnant women with great intensity and suddenly. This is caused by a narrowing of blood vessels.
• Headaches caused by coughing.

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