Headache is one of the most common medical problems affecting thousand of individuals on a daily basis. There are various types of headaches ranging from mild to severe intensity and can cause a great deal of turbulence in your daily life if let untreated.

Headaches can be classified into various categories depending upon their frequency and causes. While a headache might not be a life threatening ailment, it might indicate an underlying disorder that can be mild or serious in nature.

Types of headaches:

On the basis of frequency, headaches can be classified as:

Episodic headaches: The duration of this type of headache ranges from 30 minutes to one week. These headaches are bilateral in nature and occur less than 15 days a month.

Chronic headaches: These headaches are experienced for more than 15 days a month and the pain can be experienced on one or both sides of the head.

On the basis of severity, headaches can be classified as:

Primary headaches: These headaches do not have any underlying disorder.

Secondary headaches: These headaches are caused by an underlying ailment or disease such as meningitis, sinusitis, brain tumor, hypertension etc.

To understand the various types of headaches, it is important to know their causes and symptoms. Some of the most common types of headaches are:

Tension headaches: These are also known as stress headaches or tension-type headaches. They are the most common headaches and are known to affect 30-40% of adults at some point of time. Tension headache can be episodic or chronic and are caused by excessive stress or fatigue. The most common factors responsible for triggering tension headaches are physical, psychological and emotional strain and depression.

Sinus headache: The most common symptom for sinus type headache is painful pressure in the forehead and around the cheek and the eyes. Pain is also experienced on the bridge over the nose accompanied by inflammation of the channels behind the nose leading to nasal congestion, dripping nose and sore throat. Sinus headache can also cause a general feeling of being unwell known as malaise and can be very uncomfortable.

Cluster headaches: These headaches are extremely painful and come is a set of 1to 4 headaches par day. The cluster period can last from a few days to few months. Also known as suicide headaches, they tend to disrupt the normal functioning of an individual and are caused by excessive smoking, lack of sleep, exposure to toxins and strain.

Hormonal Headache: They are quite similar to migraines and are caused due to fluctuations in the female sex hormones. The main causes of this type of headaches are intake of oral contraceptives, pregnancy, menstruation, pre menstrual syndromes (PMS) and menopause. The symptoms include pain on one side of the head accompanied by throbbing sensation, nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to light, sound and smell.

Organic Headaches: These are very rare but indicate the presence of another ailment which can be quite serious. These can be caused by brain tumors, aneurisms, head injury, meningitis, brain abscess etc.