The different types of headaches and their symptoms:
There are many different types of headaches. Main headaches will be discussed below:
- Tension headaches
- Migraines
- Cluster
Tension headache: Most popular headache! Steady, dull, non-throbbing, head gripped in a tight band or in a vice. Neck muscles knotted, head and neck sensitive to the touch. Triggered by many factors: stress, eye strain, poor posture.... It will induce fatigue, sleep problems, depression and anxiety.
Migraine: There are several types of migraines.
- Migraine with aura: It is a chronic disorder characterized by an acute disruption of the neurological system. Classic migraine with aura symptoms are nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light & sound (dizziness and blurred vision as well). You may experience impaired thinking, weakness, tiredness. They last 4 to 72 hours. They are usually inherited!
- Menstrual migraine: Will develop 2 days before to 4 days after onset of menstruation. Migraine attacks occuring 2-7 days before onset of menses are premenstrual. Between 7 to 14% of women experience "true menstrual migraines" during ovulation and/or menses only.
- BAM: Basilar Artery Migraine is a variant of the classic migraine. Has an aura and strikes near the skull in the back of the head but pain can be forward, above and behind eyeball (throbbing). Symptoms will include disturbance in vision, difficulty walking, ringing in ear, limb paresthesia (lack of sensation & tingling), numbness, dizziness, confusion, altered consciousness, slurred speech.
- Hormonal migraine: The reason for hormonal migraine is estrogen levels are high in the middle of the menstrual cycle. The brain chemical seratonin is produced which causes blood vessels in the brain to narrow. As estrogen and seratonin levels drop, blood vessels in the head expand, causing a throbbing pressure. True menstrual migraines occur during ovulation and/or menstruation. The symptoms are fatigue, breast tenderness, fluid retention, cramping, joint pain, food craving, anxiety, depression,impaired judgment/memory, clumsiness.
Many triggers for migraines. Keeping a journal is beneficial to see which to eliminate.
Cluster headache: It produces excruciating, severe, sharp, stabbing pain in eyeballs. Occurs in clusters of 1-8 a day for 4 to 8 weeks. They increase in intensity within 10-15mns. Last up to 180mns, disappear to reappear. Those headaches are very incapacitating and are sometimes mistaken for migraines. Stuffy or runny nose may accompany the attacks. Most sufferers are men. They are triggered by foods, stress, but the major offender is alcohol. They are known as "suicide headache" or "ice pick headache" because of the way they feel. Cluster headaches are not inherited.
PS: I did this research because I suffer from headaches. Thi information is mostly from "Headaches for Dummies". The Allen County Library is a great resource on this topic.