Types of Headaches

Headaches can be caused by many different situations or triggers, and can manifest in different ways. The situations or triggers that kick off the pain include hormonal imbalances, dietary factors, stress, environmental conditions, poor posture and lack of sleep, just to name a few. The headache pain produced might be dull, throbbing, pounding, stabbing, or all encompassing, and may last minutes, hours or even days. While most headaches are not life-threatening, they can drastically affect one’s quality of life and ability to function.

There are almost 150 different diagnostic categories of headache. Here are the most common types that can be treated with Dr. Mauskop’s Migralex:

Tension-type Headaches

Tension-type headaches are the most common form, affecting some 100 million Americans every year. They are believed to stem from muscular or emotional tension, although some experts think they may result from biochemical changes in the brain. Triggers include stress, lack of sleep, hunger, caffeine withdrawal, and overindulgence in alcohol. Tension-type headaches usually affect both sides of the head, and are characterized by a pain or pressure around the forehead, scalp, back of the head or neck that has been compared to wearing a too-tight headband. There may be pain, knotting or stiffness in the neck, shoulders and/or upper back, with the pain manifesting as a steady dull ache or an intense “viselike” pressure, rather than a throbbing or stabbing pain. There is usually no sensitivity to light or noise, no nausea or vomiting, and these headaches are not aggravated by physical activity.

Sinus Headaches

Sinus headaches are caused by sinusitis, an inflammation of the sinus cavities in the face and head that is usually due to infection. These headaches include a buildup of mucus in the sinuses, nasal congestion and discharge, tenderness below the eyes or over the forehead, and sometimes fever, nausea and dizziness. If the sinus headache is caused by an infection, there may be fever, tenderness in the sinus area, and a yellow-green discharge from the nose or back of the throat. If this happens consult a physician, for sinus infections can be dangerous if they migrate to the brain. Seasonal and other allergies can cause nasal congestion which can trigger a headache, even in the absence of a sinus infection.

Exertion Headaches

Some people experience headaches when they exert themselves physically. This doesn’t mean that the exertion has to be strenuous. In fact, subtypes of exertional headache are cough headache and laughter headache, as well as the lifting headache. Symptoms are a throbbing, sharp pain that can last for minutes or hours. These headaches can sometimes be prevented by taking anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin) before engaging in physical activity. Since the sudden onset of any headache symptom could signal a dangerous underlying cause, it’s important to seek medical advice if the headache persists or occurs for the first time.

Stress Headaches

Many researchers have tried to figure out how stress causes headaches. It is a complicated question since not everyone responds to stress by getting a headache. We have convincing evidence to suggest that those people who tend to get headaches have a genetic predisposition. This is to say that they are born with a lower threshold to suffer from headaches than people without such genetic predisposition. But having a lowered threshold is not enough, a trigger usually is required to cause a headache. Stress is one of such triggers, along with lack of sleep, alcohol, loud noise, strong odors, bright light, and others. So, how does stress cause headaches? Our research suggests that depletion of magnesium could be the culprit. Mental stress is known to cause release of adrenalin in the so called fight-or-flight response. The release of adrenalin was shown to cause the release of magnesium into the bloodstream, after which this circulating magnesium is excreted in the urine.

Eyestrain Headaches

Headaches that settle in the front of the head and around the eyes may be due to eyestrain. Common causes of eyestrain headaches are an astigmatism, insufficient light when reading and too much time spent at the computer or watching television. Headaches accompanied by redness of the eyes, poor night vision or the appearance of halos around lights might indicate glaucoma. If any of these symptoms should occur, consult an ophthalmologist, as glaucoma can lead to blindness.

Alcohol Headaches

Alcohol initially causes blood vessels to dilate. The body counteracts the dilation by clamping down on the blood vessels and making them constrict, which is thought to be one of the causes of alcohol-induced headaches. Surprisingly, it may not be the alcohol itself that causes the hangover, but additives, colorings, preservatives (sulfites), or impurities in the liquor.

Throbbing head pain, nausea and fatigue that’s experienced the morning after a night of heavy drinking is undoubtedly due to a hangover. Alcohol causes significant loss of magnesium and this loss along with dehydration is the likeliest cause of hangover headaches.

Caffeine Withdrawal Headaches

When it comes to headaches, caffeine is a double-edged sword. In small amounts it constricts blood vessels and promotes pain relief, which can help control headaches. But in large amounts, it can make headaches worse by causing a caffeine dependency. Those who drink 2-3 caffeine-containing beverages daily put themselves at risk of developing such a dependency. Over time the caffeine starts to become less and less effective and the body requires more to produce the same physiological effects. At first, only if caffeine consumption is suddenly stopped or drastically lowered (which can easily happen on a weekend or during a vacation), a caffeine withdrawal headache may strike. But with continued consumption even a few hours without caffeine can result in a withdrawal headache. Caffeine is contained in many foods, drinks and medications, including medications designed to relieve headaches.

Post-Traumatic Headaches

This type of headache results from a head injury, although there is no correlation between the severity of the injury and the severity of the headache. A headache stemming from a severe injury may be relatively mild, and vice versa. Sometimes a post-traumatic headache can feel like a tension-type headache or even a migraine. But no matter how it feels, it’s very important to consult a physician regarding any headache resulting from a head injury.

Sex Related Headaches

This is not the same as the “not-tonight-honey” headache. More often it is men who are afflicted with this type of headache. The medical term is benign orgasmic cephalalgia. This translates as harmless headache related to orgasm, which is a misnomer because sex-related headaches are not always benign, nor do they always occur with orgasm. The pain is intense and throbbing, like in a migraine. Indeed, some experts believe that the physiological effects of sexual excitement, such as dilation of blood vessels, sets in action the same biochemical mechanisms that are responsible for migraine. The pain can last minutes or endure for several hours. Though the tendency is to dismiss sex-related headaches as harmless, occasionally, they can be related to stroke (bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain). A small but significant percentage of strokes occur after sexual activity. It is very important to see a doctor immediately the first time this headache occurs.

Temporomandibular Joint Headaches

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is located in front of the ear, at the juncture of the jawbone and the skull. This headache is caused by spasm of the muscles around the joint. It is one of the most over-diagnosed conditions, leading to the unnecessary pain and expense of corrective appliances and surgery. In addition to pain – headache, ear, or jaw pain – true symptoms of TMJ syndrome include pain caused or aggravated by chewing, inability to open the mouth fully, and tenderness of the TMJ. Some people also hear clicks or pops in their jaw, but this symptom is also seen in people without headaches or TMJ syndrome.

Menstrual/Hormonal Headaches

A significant number of women experience headaches that correlate with hormonal changes of their menstrual cycle. Menstruation, use of birth control pills, pregnancy and menopause can all affect headaches. Fortunately, headaches stop in 2 out of 3 women during pregnancy and after menopause. In many women, the precipitous drop in estrogen is thought to be responsible for premenstrual headaches. There is significant evidence that magnesium levels are reduced during the premenstrual phase and magnesium deficiency has been linked with blood vessel constriction and with the release of biochemicals that set in motion pain-causing inflammation. In my studies, up to 50% of people with migraine headaches are magnesium deficient and this deficiency strikes women more often than men. Low magnesium levels also seem to be responsible for other PMS symptoms.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Headaches

Chronic fatigue syndrome is thought to be caused, at least in some people by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The symptoms are varied, nonspecific, and flulike. Fatigue is the main symptom, but headache is often present as well. Because of the general symptoms, EBV is hard to diagnose, but it’s estimated that tens of thousands of Americans have the virus, either with or without symptoms. Highly contagious, EBV is spread by close contact. Upon contacting EBV, the body forms antibodies, which can be measured, but these tests are not accurate. There is no vaccine or cure. Some researchers suspect Candida albicans, or yeast infection, as a potential instigator; 60 percent of EBV sufferers also have candida infections. Some suspected contributing factors include low blood pressure due to too low salt intake, low magnesium levels, vitamin B12 deficiency, anemia, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, and sleep disorders.