Many people who suffer from migraines aren’t aware that they might be suffering from something else, too. In fact, of the 488 million Indians who suffer from migraines, up to 374 million are actually suffering from another type of headache altogether, often without even realizing it! If you have been diagnosed with migraines and are looking to remedy your pain in a new way, learning about the different types of headache may help you. It can help you to figure out what’s really going on behind your pain and improve your quality of life overall. Here are five types of headaches that might be behind your migraines.
Also Read: 8 Headache Home Remedies That Actually Work
Types Of Headache:
What Are Headaches?
Headaches are pain felt in the head, neck, or upper back. They can be caused by a variety of reasons and manifest as different types. Tension headaches, cluster headaches, migraines, side effects from prescription medication, and rebound headaches, are some types. Many times people try to ignore the feeling or take an over-the-counter medication when they’re getting a headache because they aren’t sure what it is, but this won’t actually do anything to ease the pain. In fact, it may just mask the symptoms temporarily and make them worse later on when the drug wears off.
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Cluster Headaches – Types Of Headache
If you’ve never experienced these types of headache before, cluster headaches may come across as intense migraines. There are two types of cluster headaches- episodic and chronic. Episodic cluster headaches only happen once a year while chronic headaches happen more than twelve times per year. Chronic cluster headaches usually have an accompanying atypical facial pain or other symptoms, but most people experience relief during the headache and for a few hours afterward.
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FMS (Fibromyalgia) Headaches
To start with, FMS headaches have many of the same symptoms as migraine headaches. Typical FMS headaches are characterized by tender points in the neck and shoulders and pain is often present on one side of the head. A throbbing sensation is also common when a person suffers from FMS. It’s not uncommon for someone to experience nausea, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, vertigo, and tingling sensations when they’re dealing with an FMS headache. It should be noted that people who don’t suffer from chronic migraine can still experience symptoms that mirror those of an FMS headache.
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Muscle Tension Headaches – Types Of Headache
When your head hurts after a long day at work when you’ve been staring at the computer for hours on end. When you are in the midst of studying for an exam, it could be caused by something as simple as muscle tension. The head pain may stem from clenching your jaw muscles too tightly and can make your headache feel worse if you don’t relax them. Here are some tips to help relieve this type of headache:
– Take a five-minute break and massage your temples, forehead, and neck to release tension.
– Avoid sitting up straight in an effort to avoid headaches.
– Stretching is often helpful in releasing tense muscles in the neck.
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Tension-type Headaches
The most common type of headache is tension-type headache. It may not be serious and could go away without treatment. However, it can also be a sign of something more serious like high blood pressure or kidney problems. If your headaches become progressively worse and last for an extended period of time, see your doctor immediately. They might give you medication to treat the cause of the pain and then monitor you closely.
Cluster headaches: Cluster headaches are very intense and typically only occur on one side of the head, either near the eye or temple. You may experience nausea, a dry mouth, dilated pupils, and redness in the eye on that side of the head. You may also experience vomiting if they’re not treated quickly enough. For this reason, they are sometimes called suicide headaches because they can cause people to do anything to stop them from happening again.
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Sinus Headaches – Types Of Headache
Congestion of the sinus passages behind the eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead can cause sinus headaches. The pain is usually felt around the eyebrows or on one side of the head. You may also experience facial pressure, a runny nose, watery eyes, swollen glands in your neck or face, difficulty breathing through your nose, and a stuffy or sore throat.
A humidifier at night can help clear up congestion. Take an over-the-counter decongestant before bed to reduce swelling in your nasal passages.
Having headaches is never fun, but you can find relief. If your symptoms fit one of the five types of headache listed in this blog post, contact your doctor. They will be able to help you get back to feeling better quickly.
