They can be painful and even disabling. Get to know the different types of headaches and learn how to act in each particular case.
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Migraines, headaches, tension headaches, headache on one side of the head or both. Meet the different types of headache.
Headaches can become disabling, especially when there is sensitivity to light or noise. Medicines and quiet spaces to rest are some of the safe havens to control these pains.
5 types of headache
One of the most painful types of headache is the migraine. More common in women than men, migraines affect one in seven adults.
The main symptoms are characterized by intense headaches, with a feeling of throbbing, sensitivity to light and noise, nausea and possible vomiting. As a rule, the pain focuses more on one side of the head, and the symptoms can last for 3 days.
According to the Sociedade Portuguesa de Cefaleias (SPC), the medicines to be taken for these cases should be based on anti-inflammatories or analgesics, such as ibuprofen, aspirin or paracetamol.
A headache is distinguished from migraine essentially by the fact that the latter presents a bilateral pain. Despite being less intense, it can still last longer in time, and can manifest itself daily. That is, of the different types of headache, tension-type headache is the most common.
It is described as a pressure in the area of the temples, which spreads to the neck and shoulders, mainly affecting the trapezius muscle. This headache, as the name implies, is mainly characterized by accumulated tension, which can be either emotional or physical.
One of the recommendations to help with the treatment of this headache can be through medications, mentioned above, or activities that help you relax, such as pilates.
Also known as cluster, since its location is very specific, more precisely behind the eye. Cluster headache is characterized by one-sided pain. But, of the different types of headache, this is probably the one that causes the most severe pain, which often leads to this headache being confused with a migraine.
The pain is so severe that it often causes people to wake up in the middle of the night. Another characteristic of this headache is that it mostly affects men.
In addition to these particularities, there are other symptoms, including: redness in the eye, watery eyes, runny nose, and some agitation. For all these particularities, the treatment of this headache is also different. One of the ways to alleviate the symptoms is by inhaling oxygen.
4.
chronic daily headache
As the name implies, this is one of the types of headache that can be considered the most painful, because it can manifest for 15 days or more. However, this headache can be a result of chronic headache and as a consequence of recurrent medication use.
Thus, the use of drugs is ambiguous. On the one hand they alleviate the symptoms of headache, but on the other hand they are contributing to worsening the symptoms.
5.
sinus headache
One of the main symptoms of sinusitis is a severe headache, a pain that extends to the jaw and around the eyes, in addition to the main characteristic: inflammation of the sinuses.
The symptoms are quite uncomfortable and can progress to chronic or recurrent sinusitis, lasting up to 10 days. In case of doubt, you should consult your doctor, as it may be necessary to resort to medication, such as antibiotics or antihistamines.
