Types of Headaches: Identification & Management Guide
Learn about different headache types, their triggers, how to identify yours, and the best evidence-based treatments.
Tension Headaches — The Most Common Type
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache by a wide margin. They feel like a tight band or pressure around the head, often affecting both sides. The pain is usually mild to moderate and doesn't worsen with physical activity. Common triggers include stress, poor posture (especially 'tech neck' from screen use), eye strain, jaw clenching, dehydration, and skipped meals. Treatment involves over-the-counter painkillers (paracetamol or ibuprofen), rest, hydration, and stress management. But taking painkillers for headaches too often can start causing the headaches. NICE regards regular use of paracetamol, aspirin or an anti-inflammatory on 15 or more days a month, or triptans, opioids or combination painkillers on 10 or more days a month, for three months or longer, as the point at which medication overuse headache becomes likely. For prevention: regular exercise (even a 30-minute walk 5x/week), good posture, regular meals, adequate hydration, and stress reduction techniques like progressive muscle relaxation or meditation.
Migraines — More Than Just a Bad Headache
The Migraine Trust says migraine affects around 1 in 7 people worldwide, and that it is two to three times more common in women than men. They cause intense, throbbing pain usually on one side of the head, lasting 4–72 hours. They're often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Up to 1 in 3 people also get an 'aura' before the headache — visual disturbances like zigzag lines, flashing lights, or blind spots. Common triggers include hormonal changes (menstruation), certain foods (cheese, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine withdrawal), stress (or the 'let-down' after stress), disrupted sleep, weather changes, and dehydration. Keep a headache diary to identify your personal triggers. Treatment includes triptans (prescription medication that works best when taken at the first sign of attack), anti-sickness medication, and lying in a dark, quiet room. For prevention, your GP can discuss a daily preventive medicine (NICE lists propranolol, topiramate or amitriptyline) if migraine is having a real impact on your life. There is no fixed number of attacks you have to reach first — the decision is based on how much it is affecting you, alongside any other conditions you have.
Cluster Headaches and Other Types
Cluster headaches are rarer but extraordinarily painful — often described as the worst pain imaginable. They cause excruciating pain around one eye, lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours, occurring in 'clusters' of daily attacks over weeks or months, separated by pain-free periods. They typically strike at night and may include eye watering, nasal congestion, or eyelid drooping on the affected side. But the first time you get a drooping eyelid, or one pupil smaller than the other, call 999 or go to A&E — even if you have already been diagnosed with cluster headaches. The NHS treats a first occurrence of either as an emergency. Unlike migraines, sufferers tend to pace restlessly rather than lie still. The NHS says they're more common in men in their 30s and 40s. They require specialist neurological treatment — standard painkillers are ineffective. Other headache types include: medication overuse headache (caused by taking painkillers too frequently — a very common and underdiagnosed problem); sinus headache (deep, constant pain in forehead and cheeks, worsened by bending forward); and cervicogenic headache (originating from the neck, often one-sided and related to posture).
When to Worry About a Headache
While the vast majority of headaches are benign, certain features are 'red flags' requiring urgent medical attention. Seek emergency care for: the worst headache of your life with sudden onset ('thunderclap headache') — could indicate a subarachnoid haemorrhage; headache with fever, stiff neck, and sensitivity to light (meningitis); headache following a head injury with confusion, vomiting, or drowsiness; headache with vision loss, weakness, or difficulty speaking (stroke); headache that wakes you from sleep consistently; and a new headache pattern in someone over 50 (could indicate temporal arteritis, which can cause irreversible vision loss if untreated). Keep a headache diary for your GP: note frequency, duration, location, severity, triggers, and what helps. This information is invaluable for diagnosis and treatment planning.
- headache
- migraine
- pain management
- neurology
Sources and further reading
This page was written from the following published guidance. All links checked 26 August 2026.