Nearly everyone will experience headaches during their lives. It can be more complicated than most people think. A minor migraine is little more than a nuisance that can be treated by over-the-counter therapy, a short rest, or consuming hot coffee. But if the headache is unusual or severe, you might consider it as a blood clot, stroke, or tumor. Once you know which types of headache you have, you can choose the right migraine treatment that will most likely prevent the problem.
What is headache?
A ‘headache‘ is a general term that refers to any type of pain in any region of the face, head, upper neck, or back. Headaches can range in pain type, frequency, severity, and location, and can be accompanied by other symptoms like blurred vision, nausea, and noise sensitivity.
Which types of headaches do you have?
There are more than 150 types of headaches, but broadly they are classified into 3 major categories.
Tension headaches
Tension headaches are the most common types of headaches. In most cases, they are mild to moderate in severity and can last anywhere from half an hour to a few hours. The typical tension headache produces a squeezing pain on both sides of the head and is triggered by emotional stress, fatigue, or problems involving the joints or muscle areas of the neck. It can be treated using over-the-counter migraine treatment.
Migraine
Migraine is often described as throbbing, pounding pain and can last from 4 hours to 3 days. Though this occurs less often than a tension headache, it is usually much more severe. Along with the pain, people also suffer from other symptoms like sensitivity to noise, smell, or light, vomiting, upset stomach, loss of appetite, or belly pain.
Although a migraine can occur without any warning, it is often set off by major trigger things like changing weather, consuming alcohol, missing a meal, chocolate, lack of sleep, fatigue, and many.
Cluster headache
Cluster headaches are very uncommon but are severe problems creating piercing or intense burning pain behind or around one eye. The pain always strikes one side of the head region and is very severe. The eye on the painful side will become watery and red, the nose runs or is blocked and the eyelids may droop. Cluster headache occurs abruptly and lasts for 30 to 60 minutes. During this time, the sufferers will be unable to sit still, jog in place, or even try to beat their heads against the wall.
The good news is that all these types of headaches respond well to cupping treatment.
For most of us, an occasional headache is nothing more than a temporary bump in our busy life. Many people can ease the problem with simple lifestyle changes, yoga, relaxation, and medications. If your headaches are interfering with your daily functioning, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider. By providing essential information about your headache, you’re more likely to get an accurate diagnosis and migraine treatment that will help you feel better.