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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Almost everyone has had a headache. Headache is the most common form of pain. It's a major reason people miss days at work or school or visit the doctor.

The most common type of headache is a tension headache. Tension headaches are due to tight muscles in your shoulders, neck, scalp and jaw. They are often related to stress, depression or anxiety. You are more likely to get tension headaches if you work too much, don't get enough sleep, miss meals, or use alcohol.

Other common types of headaches include migraines, cluster headaches, and sinus headaches. Most people can feel much better by making lifestyle changes, learning ways to relax and taking pain relievers.

Not all headaches require a doctor's attention. But sometimes headaches warn of a more serious disorder. Let your health care provider know if you have sudden, severe headaches. Get medical help right away if you have a headache after a blow to your head, or if you have a headache along with a stiff neck, fever, confusion, loss of consciousness, or pain in the eye or ear.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

• Headache (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Headache (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary
• Headache: Hope through Research (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Headaches (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Headaches: Treatment Depends on Your Diagnosis and Symptoms (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Do I need an imaging study for my headache? (American Migraine Foundation)
• Headaches (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• When to Go to the Emergency Room for a Headache or Migraine (American Migraine Foundation)

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Headaches: Reduce Stress to Prevent the Pain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Acute Therapy: Why Not Over-The-Counter or Other Nonspecific Options? (American Migraine Foundation)
• Headaches: In Depth (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Living With

• Diet for People with Headache Disorders (National Headache Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Headache Hygiene -- What Is It? (American Migraine Foundation)
• Low-Tyramine Diet for Migraine Disease (National Headache Foundation)
• Tension-Type Headaches: Self-Care Measures for Relief (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Allergies and Headache (National Headache Foundation) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Chronic Daily Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Cluster Headache (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Cough Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Exercise Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• External Compression Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Hemicrania Continua (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Ice Cream Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Intractable Headache - The Pain in Your Head that Just Won't Quit (American Migraine Foundation)
• Nighttime Headaches: How Can I Get Relief? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Occipital Neuralgia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Paroxysmal Hemicrania (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Sex Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Sinus Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Spinal Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• SUNCT Headache (Short-Lasting, Unilateral, Neuralgiform with Conjunctival Injection and Tearing) (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Tension Headache (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Thunderclap Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cluster Headache (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Headache (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Headache Disorders (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tension Headache (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tension-Type Headache (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The burden attributable to headache disorders in children and adolescents in...
• Article: Reference programme: diagnosis and treatment of headache disorders and facial pain....
• Article: Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of children with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case...
• Headache -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find a Doctor or Treatment (American Migraine Foundation)
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Children

• Headaches (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Headaches in Children (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Headaches in Children (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Oooh, Your Aching Head! (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

• Headaches (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Women

• Headaches and Hormones: What's the Connection? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Headaches during Pregnancy: What's the Best Treatment? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Cluster headache (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Headache (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Headaches -- danger signs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Managing tension headaches at home (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Tension headache (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish