Headache: common causes, relief and when to get checked
Most headaches are tension headaches or migraines, and they ease with rest, fluids and over-the-counter pain medicine. Headaches also come with colds, flu, sinus problems and dehydration. Get checked if your headaches are new, frequent or getting worse, or if you need pain medicine more than a few days a week.
Cleveland Clinic reports that about 96 percent of people have a headache at some point in their life.
Tension headaches are the most common type and feel like a dull, squeezing pain on both sides of the head.
Using pain relievers on more than a few days a week can cause rebound headaches, also called medication overuse headaches.
A headache diary helps you and your clinician spot triggers such as poor sleep, skipped meals or caffeine withdrawal.
Carbon monoxide can cause headaches, so keep CO detectors working through the Illinois heating season.
What usually causes a headache?
Doctors sort headaches into two groups. Primary headaches are the condition itself, such as tension headaches, migraines and cluster headaches. Secondary headaches are a symptom of something else, such as a cold or not drinking enough water. Cleveland Clinic notes that common secondary headaches from dehydration, sinus problems or medicine overuse usually go away once the cause is treated.
Tight muscles and stress: the neck, shoulders, scalp and jaw tighten up
Sleep changes: too little sleep, or sleeping much later than usual
Food and drink: skipped meals, alcohol, certain foods and caffeine withdrawal
Illness: colds, flu, COVID-19 and fever often bring a headache
Sinus problems: pressure in the forehead and face during a cold or allergy flare
Dehydration: after a stomach bug, a hot day or a hard workout
Hormones: some people get headaches around their period
Rarely, a headache is a sign of a serious problem. Those warning signs are listed at the bottom of this page.
Headache types compared
Where it hurts and what it feels like are strong clues. This table is based on MedlinePlus and Cleveland Clinic.
Common headache types and their clues
Type
Where it hurts
What it feels like
Other clues
Tension
Both sides, forehead or back of the head
Dull, squeezing, like a tight band
Tight neck and shoulders, stress
Migraine
Often one side
Throbbing
Nausea, light or sound sensitivity, sometimes a warning aura
Cluster
Varies
Sharp and very painful
Comes several times a day for weeks, each lasting under an hour
Most everyday headaches respond to simple steps. Start early, when the pain is mild.
Drink waterHave a glass or two, especially if you have been sick, sweating or busy.
Rest in a quiet, dark roomMedlinePlus suggests this at the start of a migraine. A cool cloth on your forehead may help.
Try heat or coldA warm or cold pack on your head or neck can ease tension headaches.
Loosen upStretch or massage your neck and shoulders, or take a short walk.
Eat somethingA small meal or snack helps if you skipped one.
Use pain medicine wiselyAcetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin can help adults. Follow the label, and talk with a clinician if you need it 3 or more days a week. Don't give aspirin to children or teens.
How long to wait
Many everyday headaches ease within a few hours with these steps. Keep a headache diary that notes the time, what you ate and drank, your sleep, and how long the pain lasted. It helps you spot triggers and gives your clinician useful clues.
When to visit urgent care for a headache
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Usually fine at home
Your usual headache pattern, easing with rest or medicine
A headache with a mild cold
A headache after a poor night's sleep or a skipped meal
Come in to urgent care
Headaches one or more times a week
Needing pain relievers more than 2 to 3 times a week
A change in your usual headache pattern
A headache that keeps getting worse over a day
Headaches set off by coughing, bending or exercise
A new kind of headache after age 50
Headache with flu-like fever and body aches
Sinus pressure and congestion that isn't improving
Walk in or book a visit online. A sudden, severe headache, or a headache with any warning sign listed at the bottom of this page, needs the nearest emergency room or 911.
What happens at our Westmont, IL clinic
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Urgent Care Center of Westmont, also known as Immediate Care Center of Westmont, evaluates headaches for adults and children at two Westmont, IL clinics, open 7 days a week. Our team is led by board-certified physicians.
Questions. When the headache started, where it hurts, what it feels like, your sleep, caffeine and every medicine you take.
Exam. As MedlinePlus describes, your clinician checks your head, eyes, ears, nose, throat, neck and nervous system, and takes your blood pressure.
Tests when they help. If you are sick, a COVID-19 test or flu test may explain the headache. Lab tests can be done when needed.
Treatment. Your clinician may recommend medicine for the pain, nausea or an underlying cause, such as sinusitis, when appropriate.
Next steps. For frequent headaches, we explain how to avoid rebound headaches and when to see a primary care doctor or specialist.
Kids get headaches with colds and fever, and from too little sleep, skipped meals, not drinking enough and stress. Migraines can start in childhood and often run in families. Rest, fluids and a snack help many headaches. Use children's acetaminophen or ibuprofen dosed by weight, and never give aspirin to children or teens.
Bring your child in if headaches happen often, keep them home from school, or change pattern. Any headache after a hit to the head during sports or play needs an exam.
Older adults
MedlinePlus advises prompt care for new headaches that start after age 50, and for headaches with jaw pain when chewing, vision problems or weight loss. Blood pressure and medicine changes are worth checking too.
How to prevent headaches
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Keep a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends.
Eat regular meals and drink water through the day.
Cut back slowly on caffeine instead of stopping all at once.
Limit alcohol, a common migraine trigger.
Take breaks from screens, and sit with good posture.
Manage stress with exercise, walking, relaxation or stretching.
Keep pain relievers to a few days a week to avoid rebound headaches.
Have your furnace and water heater serviced every year, and check carbon monoxide detector batteries each spring and fall, as the CDC advises.
Worry about a headache that comes on suddenly and severely, feels like the worst of your life, or comes with weakness, numbness, confusion, slurred speech, vision changes, a stiff neck with fever, or a recent head injury. Those need 911 or the nearest emergency room. Most other headaches are tension headaches or migraines.
Should I go to urgent care for a headache?
Yes, if headaches are new, happen once a week or more, keep getting worse, or need pain medicine more than 2 to 3 times a week. Urgent care can examine you, test for flu or COVID-19 when you are sick, and recommend treatment. A sudden, severe headache needs the emergency room instead.
What helps a headache go away?
Drink water, rest in a quiet, dark room, and put a warm or cold pack on your head or neck. Stretching your neck and shoulders or taking a short walk helps tension headaches. Over-the-counter pain relievers often help adults, but avoid using them more than a few days a week.
Can dehydration cause a headache?
Yes. Cleveland Clinic lists dehydration as a common cause of secondary headaches, which usually go away once you replace fluids. Headaches often follow a stomach bug, a hot day or a hard workout. Drink water steadily over the next hour or two. If you can't keep fluids down, get checked.
What is a rebound headache?
A rebound headache, also called a medication overuse headache, keeps coming back because you are taking pain relievers too often. MedlinePlus links it to regular use of pain medicine on more than 3 days a week. A clinician can help you cut back safely and find a better plan to prevent headaches.
How do I know if my headache is a migraine?
Migraines usually cause throbbing pain, often on one side of the head, and may come with nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound. Some people see flashing lights or other warning signs, called an aura, before the pain starts. Tension headaches feel more like a dull, tight band on both sides.
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