9 Common Types of Headaches

What is a headache?

A headache is a pain in any region of the head including the top of the neck. The form of pain might be dull, sharp, throbbing, continuous, or intermittent.

Headache symptoms

The symptoms of headaches vary according to the area, type, and causing factor of the headache, and the only common symptom is pain.

Common types of headaches

Below we shed some light on the common types of headache:

1. Tension headaches

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache among young adults. It causes mild to moderate pain which feels like a light band around the forehead, might be felt behind the eyes and in the head and neck region as well.

2. Migraine

A migraine headache can be felt on one side of the head as a moderate or severe throbbing pain.

3. Cluster headaches

It is characterized by a series of short but very painful headache episodes every day for weeks or months at a specific time of the year, that’s why people often mistake seasonal allergies and cluster headaches.

4. Sinus or allergy headaches

The allergy itself does not cause headaches.

But they can make sinus congestion which leads to pressure, pain, and infection which in turn leads to headaches.

5. Hormone headaches

Fluctuation and imbalance in Hormones like estrogen may cause headaches, or influence the severity of chronic ones.

6. Rebound headaches

Also called Medication overuse headaches, it’s caused by frequent and excessive use of analgesics to treat already progressing headache attacks.

7. Hypertension headaches

This headache occurs on both sides of the head in a pulsating manner and worsens with any activity, it is caused by high blood pressure.

8. Post-traumatic headaches

Post-traumatic headaches feel like migraine and range from moderate to severe, it happens because of the muscle tensing the continues during the injury.

9. Exertion headaches

It is a moderate to severe throbbing pain, felt across the entire head or just on one side. Starts during or after hard physical exercise.

In which cases, a headache may require immediate medical attention?

If the headache is associated with loss of vision or uncontrolled vomiting or with fever and a stiff neck or if your headache persists more than 72 hours, in such cases you should seek immediate medical attention.

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