Headaches

What are Headaches?

Headaches are never pleasant, and most of us suffer from them at some point in our lives. There are many different types of headache and various causes, beyond the regretful hangover headache or those we experience when we have a cold. However, it is important to see a medical professional if you are experiencing persistent headaches on a regular basis. Sometimes these can be due to something as simple as needing glasses or even a symptom of food allergies.

In the UK alone, 25 million working and school days are lost due to migraines, with the same number of absences also caused by chronic daily headaches (CDH) and tension-type headaches (TTH). (See headache types below.) That’s 50 million days lost in total.

Behind these rather startling figures is an epidemic of desperately stressful lives, with this stress frequently compounded by psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. Disturbingly, there is a three times higher than average occurrence of depression in the headache population, particularly in chronic headache sufferers, but a lot can be done to alleviate this pain and improve people’s quality of life.

Types

There are 150 different types of headaches. They can be split into PRIMARY and SECONDARY. The most common ones are:

PRIMARY HEADACHES …

… are those when the pain in your head is the condition. In other words, your headache isn’t being triggered by something that your body is dealing with, like illness or allergies.

These headaches can be episodic or chronic:

• Episodic headaches may occur every so often or even just once in a while. They can last anywhere from half an hour to several hours.
• Chronic headaches are more consistent. They occur most days out of the month and can last for days at a time. In these cases, a pain management plan is necessary. They are Tension Headaches, Cluster Headaches and Migraines.

Tension headaches and headaches from the neck.

A tension-type headache is the most common type of headache and the one we think of as a normal, everyday headache. It often feels like a constant dull ache that affects both sides of the head and a feeling of pressure behind the eyes. You may have tenderness or sensitivity around your neck, forehead, scalp, or shoulder muscles.

Anyone can get a tensions headaches and they are the most common type of headache among adults and teens. They are often triggered by stress and cause mild to moderate pain and come and go over time and usually have no other symptoms.

Cluster Headaches

This type of headache is intense and feels like a burning or piercing pain behind or around one eye, either throbbing or constant. It’s the least common but the most severe type of headache. The pain can be so bad that most people with cluster headaches can’t sit still and will often pace during an attack. On the side of the pain, the eyelid droops, the eye reddens, pupil gets smaller or the eye tears.  The nostril on that side runs or stuffs.

They’re called “cluster headaches” because they tend to happen in a series. Each individual headache can last from 15 minutes to 3 hours. After one headaches resolves, another will soon follow. You might get them one to three times per day during a cluster period, which may last 2 weeks to 3 months. The headaches may disappear completely (go into “remission”) for months or years, only to come back again. Cluster headaches are three times more common in men than women.

Migraine

Migraine pain is an intense pulsing, pounding , throbbing from deep within your head. They can last from 4 hours to 3 days and significantly limits your ability to carry out your daily routine.They usually happen one to four times per month. Along with the pain, people have other symptoms, such as sensitivity to light, noise, or smells; nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; and upset stomach or belly pain.

Some migraines are preceded by visual disturbances. About one out of five people will experience these symptoms before the headache starts. Known as an aura, it may cause you to see:

• flashing lights
• shimmering lights
• zigzag lines
• stars
• blind spots

Auras can also include tingling on one side of your face or in one arm and trouble speaking. However, the symptoms of a stroke can also mimic a migraine, so if any of these symptoms are new to you, you should seek immediate medical attention.

When a child has a migraine, she  or he may look pale, feel dizzy, and have blurry vision, fever, and an upset stomach.

A small percentage of children’s migraines include digestive symptoms, like vomiting, that happen about once a month. 

Migraines might run in your family, or they can be associated with other nervous system conditions. Women are three times more likely to develop migraines than men. People with post-traumatic stress disorder also have an increased risk for migraines.

Certain environmental factors, such as sleep disruption, dehydration, skipped meals, some foods, hormone fluctuations, and exposure to chemicals are common migraine triggers.

If you experience headaches that are:

• debilitating more than three days a month,
• are somewhat debilitating four days a month, or
• occurring at least six days per month,

talk to your doctor about taking a daily medication to prevent your headaches.

Research shows that preventative medications are significantly underused. Only 3 to 13 percent of those with migraines take preventative medication, while up to 38 percent actually need it. Preventing migraine greatly improves quality of life and productivity.