Don’t Lose Your Head: Types of Headaches — Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

Did you know that headaches cost society around $14 billion annually, including direct and indirect expenses? If headaches have left you writhing in pain or reducing screen time, you aren’t alone. There are different types of headaches. It is sometimes tricky to unearth their root cause, but once diagnosed, there are measures to go around this irritating ailment.

Early references to headaches date back to 400 BC, when the great Hippocrates described them. Studies have also found evidence of different types of headache treatment in the Egyptian civilisation dating back to 1200 BC. Headaches are painful sensations and discomfort experienced in the head and face. The pain can be dull, boring, lingering, throbbing in spurts, or excruciating and unbearable. 

While some headaches have transient causes, others signify an underlying health condition. Having chronic headache episodes should be a red flag that needs immediate attention. There are miscellaneous types of headaches, each with its specific causes, signs, and treatment protocols.

It’s interesting how every headache is unique. Each has a distinct set of causes with specific symptoms and can also be resolved through targeted actions. The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) was published for the first time in 1988. It has undergone two revisions, the most recent of which occurred in 2013.

The ICHD gets updated regularly. New headache types or criteria are added through the appendix system, while outdated criteria are moved to the appendix and eventually removed if they're not useful. Find it in Table 1:

Picking up the most common and relatable head pain types from Table 1, let’s get down to discussing some of the most common types of headaches, with references to their causes, symptoms, and cures.

Discussing the types of head pain entails one thing — headaches always have a backstory. It is a response to an ongoing discomfort in some part of the body. Let us understand the top causes of different common headache types:

As the name suggests, this is the headache you get after a stressful day at work, when in extreme grief/anger, before an upcoming major event, and pretty much anything that gets you worked up or stressed. You will usually experience dull discomfort all around your head and sensitivity or tenderness in your neck, forehead, scalp, or shoulders. They are also caused by poor posture, tight muscles, or weak muscles in the head and neck area. 

Physical therapy can help by including mobility stretching, strengthening exercises, muscle re-education, and relaxation techniques. Meditations, slow breathing techniques, and socialising with your partner, friends, family, or a therapist can sometimes resolve the issue. 

Migraines are nightmarish — and those of you who have had them know why. They are more unpredictable compared to other headache types. They often affect one or both sides of the head with a throbbing or pulsating sensation and tend to occur in episodes. They are more prevalent among women and often have a genetic link.

Migraine sufferers are often super sensitive to light, sound, and smells, and some may experience additional symptoms such as dizziness or visual disturbances, while others only experience severe headaches.

Various factors can trigger migraines, such as insufficient sleep, fasting state, ‘acidity’, exposure to excessive sunlight, strong odours, exertion, and stress. Certain foods, such as processed meats (e.g., hot dogs, bacon), caffeine, sugar, and alcohol (especially red wine), can also trigger migraines.

Managing and preventing migraines involves making lifestyle changes, including reducing stress, ensuring adequate sleep, and adjusting your diet. Cutting down on sugar and avoiding foods that trigger migraines may help reduce their frequency. 

A recent study suggested that physical therapy techniques can help with migraines, too. This may reduce your dependency on a boxful of meds. Methods like relaxation techniques and applying cold packs to the neck can provide relief. Exercises focusing on posture, strength, weight, and muscle flexibility are recommended to manage migraines better.

While both are primary headaches, migraines are far more severe than usual headaches. They generally involve one side of the head and have multiple triggering factors. Migraines are also accompanied by light, smell, and sound sensitivity.

Known as trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TACs), they are rare and affect only 0.1% of the population, which makes them difficult to comprehend.

Cluster headaches are painful and intense in nature. They typically appear on the face and around the eyes but can also occur on one side of the head. They are easier to identify owing to their short-lived and one-sided nature. You may also have nasal congestion, tears in your eyes, or eye redness. These headaches can recur several times every day, usually at the same time (mostly at night). They occur at certain times of the year and resolve after a few repeated episodes. 

Thunderclap headaches get their name because they are severe and come too quickly, as opposed to other headaches that begin on an intense note and gradually become better. They're often caused by serious conditions like subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) and need immediate medical help; they can be life-threatening.

Dr Monteiro Grancy Vijayraj, consultant surgeon, St Joseph's Mission Hospital Mananthavady, says, “I had recently seen a patient who had a headache for a very long time. She also said she had pain while she chewed food and sometimes when she combed her hair. We later found that she had what we call temporal arteritis, which is rather rare — inflammation of the temporal artery, which runs by the side of the head. Therefore, a headache could be innocuous due to dehydration and could be as serious as a possible stroke.”

These headaches are also grouped under the TACs. Hemicrania continua is typically a moderate headache that affects one side of the head. It is very rare and mainly affects youngsters. This type of headache can also come with symptoms like tearing or redness in the eye, stuffy or runny nose, drooping eyelid, sweating on the forehead, excessively small pupil size, and feelings of restlessness or agitation.

Alcohol-induced headaches are classified as secondary headaches, although for those who suffer from migraines or cluster headaches, alcohol can cause primary headaches, too. Hangover headaches may come with nausea and sensitivity to light. Symptoms usually disappear within 72 hours. 

You can ease them by drinking water with electrolytes like a pinch of salt and sugar and eating a good carb-rich breakfast the next morning. Drinking a lot of caffeine, more than 4 cups of coffee a day (400 mg), can cause headaches. On the flip side, sudden caffeine withdrawal may also trigger migraines. Hence, moderation with your cup of coffee is key.

Menstrual cycles have often been related to headaches. Menstruation, birth control, and pregnancy can affect oestrogen levels, leading to headaches.

These headaches, called menstrual migraines, can occur from three days before your period to the third day of your period and during ovulation. These headaches resolve soon after the menstrual cycle without any active involvement.

Cervicogenic headaches come from neck problems. They cause more pain when turning your head and often include neck stiffness. The pain usually spreads out and does not throb.

These headaches, caused by irritated nerves in the upper neck, can also be due to other issues with the cervical spine's discs, ligaments, or muscles. Head rotations, chin tucks, high arm stretches, etc., often relieve the neck and back muscles. 

The bottom line behind treating headaches is simplicity. It’s important to have a balanced lifestyle — this includes a nutritious diet with less sugar and oily stuff, no skipping meals, drinking enough water, keeping screen time to a required minimum, checking your vitamin status (especially vitamin B12 and magnesium), having healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids, and more.

When asked about myths related to possible cures for headaches, Dr Vijayraj says, “One of the popular myths I’ve heard about headaches is placing a cold towel around the head in order to relieve the pain. However, I have never really found any real evidence in support of this practice.”

Headaches can be distracting — but they are also perfectly treatable. Our bodies are unique, as are the ways we experience headaches. What works for you may not work for your friend, making it important to see a doctor in the case of chronic headaches. If you have been battling different types of headaches often, it is best to consult your doctor and take further steps accordingly.

Certain headaches are caused by diseases such as allergies, sinusitis, brain infections like meningitis/encephalitis, a blood clot in the brain, a head injury, etc. These are called secondary headaches.

Drinking sufficient water, relaxing with eyes closed, hot or cold compresses, etc. may help get you the fastest relief from headaches.

Acupuncture is a form of pressure therapy that suggests that applying pressure and massaging the area between the thumb and index finger can help alleviate headaches.

Headaches that start suddenly with minor symptoms and become severely excruciating in no time are serious and may be caused by a brain clot; for example, thunderclap headaches.

Normally, people with chronically high blood pressure don't have headaches. However, if levels exceed 180/120, high blood pressure can cause severe headaches. These headaches often pulsate and worsen with activity, affecting both sides of the head.