Got Headaches?

Types of headaches:

• • Tension headache: This is the most common type of headache. Their cause is not well understood, but they are treatable. The most likely cause is severe tightening of the muscle that covers the skull. A tension headache feels like a tight band around the head or pain on both sides of the head. You may also feel pain or tension in the face and neck muscles, as well as difficulty falling asleep and sensitivity to light and loud noise
    
  • Migraines: With or without auras, migraines are the second most common form of headache. They are the 3rd most common disease in the world, with 1 in 4 households in America with a member that suffers from chronic migraines. Migraines may last for hours, days, or weeks.Retinal migraines, also known as ocular migraines or migraines with auras, are less common than migraines without auras. An aura is a visual disturbance in one or both eyes that can include flashes of bright light, shimmering spots or stars, blind spots, geometric designs, and floating zigzag lines. An aura usually precedes head pain by less than one hour and can be accompanied by tingling in the face or one hand and may travel up or down the arm. Concentration may become difficult, including speech and language difficulty.

    Head pain from a migraine attack is often described as dull, acute, or throbbing pain. Migraine sufferers often report other symptoms including sensitivity to light, distorted vision, dizziness or lightheadedness, general malaise, sensitivity to light and/or sound, nausea, vomiting, irritability, nasal congestion, and scalp tenderness.
    

  • Cluster headaches: The third type of major headache is the cluster headache which occurs in patterns over time. Cluster headaches my last weeks or months, followed by a long period of remission for months or years. A cluster headache is severe and always on one side of the head. They are often accompanied by nasal discharge, red eye, or a tearing eye on the same side of the head. You may also experience drooping upper eyelid, small pupils, flushing, sweating, or agitation.