How To Differentiate Between Migraine And Headache

At the point when there is weight or agony in your head, it can be hard to tell whether you are encountering an average cerebral pain or a headache. Perceiving a headache cerebral pain from a conventional migraine, and the other way around, is critical. It can mean speedier alleviation through better medications. It can likewise help keep future migraines from happening in any case. Things being what they are, how might you differentiate between a typical cerebral pain and a headache?

What Is a Headache?

Headaches are unpleasant pains in your head that can cause pressure and aching. They can range from mild to severe pain and usually occur on both sides of your head. Some specific areas where headaches can occur include the forehead, temples, and back of the neck. A headache can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a week. According to the Mayo Clinic, the most common headache type is a tension headache. Triggers for this headache type include stress, muscle strain, or anxiety.
Tension headaches aren’t the only type of headache that occur. Other headache types include:

Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches are severely painful headaches that occur on one side of the head and come in clusters. This means you experience cycles of headache attacks, followed by headache-free periods.

Sinus headaches

Often confused with migraines, sinus headaches co-occur with sinus infection symptoms like fever, stuffy nose, cough, congestion, and facial pressure.

What Is a Migraine?

These headaches are intense or severe and often have accompanying symptoms in addition to head pain. Symptoms associated with a migraine headache include:

• nausea
• pain behind one eye or ear
• pain in the temples
• seeing spots or flashing lights
• sensitivity to light and/or sound
• temporary vision loss
• vomiting

When compared with tension or other headache types, migraine headache pain can be moderate to severe. Some people may experience headaches so severe they seek care at an emergency room. Migraine headaches will typically affect only one side of the head. However, it is possible to have a migraine headache that affects both sides of the head. Other differences include the pain’s quality: A migraine headache will cause intense pain that may be throbbing and will make performing daily tasks very difficult.
Migraine headaches are typically divided into two categories: migraine with aura and migraine without aura. An “aura” refers to sensations a person experiences before he or she gets a migraine. The sensations typically occur anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes before attack. These can include:

• feeling less mentally alert or having trouble thinking
• seeing flashing lights or unusual lines
• tingling or numbness in the face or hands
• unusual sense of smell, taste, or touch 

Some migraine sufferers may experience symptoms a day or two before the actual migraine occurs. Known as the “prodrome” phase, these subtler signs can include:

• constipation
• depression
• frequent yawning
• irritability
• neck stiffness
• unusual food cravings

 

Treating Headaches

Over-the-counter Treatments

Fortunately, most tension headaches will go away with over-the-counter treatments. These include:

• acetaminophen
• aspirin
• ibuprofen

Relaxation Techniques

Because most headaches are stress-induced, taking steps to reduce stress can help relieve headache pain and reduce the risk for future headaches. These include:

• heat therapy, such as applying warm compresses or taking a warm shower
• massage
• meditation
• neck stretching
• relaxation exercises 

Treating Migraines

Prevention Tips

Prevention is often the best treatment for migraine headaches. Examples of preventive methods your doctor may prescribe include:

• Making changes to your diet, such as eliminating foods known to cause headaches. These could include alcohol or caffeine.
• Taking prescription medications, such as antidepressants, blood pressure-lowering medicines, or antiepileptic medications.
• Taking steps to reduce stress.

Medications

People who have migraines less frequently may benefit from taking medications known to reduce migraines quickly. Examples of these medicines include:

• Antinausea medicines, such as promethazine (Phenergan), chlorpromazine (Thorazine), or prochlorperazine (Compazine).
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as acetaminophen, aspirin, naproxen sodium, or ibuprofen.
• Triptans, such as almotriptan (Axert), rizatriptan (Maxalt), or sumatriptan (Alsuma, Imitrex, and Zecuity).

If a person takes migraine headache medications more than 10 days a month, this could cause an effect known as rebound headaches. This practice will worsen headaches instead of helping them feel better.

Identify and Treat Early

Headaches can range from being a mild inconvenience to severe and debilitating. Identifying and treating headaches as early as possible can help a person engage in preventive treatments to minimize the chance of another headache.

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