Conditions
Headaches: common types, triggers and red flags
How to recognise tension-type headache, migraine and cluster headache, practical self-care, medication-overuse headache, and warning signs that need urgent care.
Key takeaways
- Most headaches are tension-type or migraine and are not dangerous.
- Using pain relievers on more than 10–15 days a month can cause more headaches.
- A sudden, severe “worst ever” headache needs emergency care.
Headaches are among the most common health problems worldwide. Most are not caused by anything serious, but frequent headaches can seriously affect work, family and quality of life — and good treatment exists.
Common types
Tension-type headache — a pressing or tight feeling on both sides of the head, mild to moderate, often linked to stress, poor sleep or long screen time. You can usually carry on with daily activities.
Migraine — moderate to severe throbbing pain, often on one side, lasting hours to days, with nausea and sensitivity to light or sound. About a third of people with migraine have an aura beforehand, such as zigzag lines or blind spots in their vision.
Cluster headache — rare but extremely severe pain around one eye, with a red, watering eye or blocked nostril on the same side, occurring in bouts.
Medication-overuse headache — daily or near-daily headaches caused by taking pain relievers or migraine medicines too often, typically on more than 10–15 days a month.
Self-care that helps
- Keep regular sleep, meal and hydration routines.
- Take breaks from screens and stretch your neck and shoulders.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol, and avoid skipping meals.
- Over-the-counter pain relief can help occasional headaches — use it early in a migraine and not on more than a few days a week.
- Keep a symptom journal to spot triggers such as certain foods, hormones, sleep loss or stress.
Call your emergency number or go to the emergency department for: a sudden, very severe headache that peaks within seconds to a minute (“thunderclap”); a headache with fever and a stiff neck or a rash; headache after a head injury; headache with weakness, numbness, confusion, trouble speaking or loss of vision; or a headache with a seizure or fainting.
See a doctor if
- Your headaches are new and you are over 50
- The pattern changes, or they are getting steadily worse
- They wake you from sleep or are worse when lying down, coughing or straining
- You need pain relief on several days every week
- You have migraine and current treatment is not working
Effective preventive treatments for migraine exist, including several types of daily medicine and newer targeted therapies. A primary care doctor can start treatment and refer you to a neurologist when needed.
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