These headaches usually begin without warning, and they can last for several hours. A person may experience more than one of these headaches a day. People can experience bouts of cluster headaches that go on for weeks or months, usually 4—12 weeks. These headaches tend to occur around the same time each day and often wake people up. The cause of cluster headaches is not well-understood, but they may run in families.
Alcohol, smoking, and exposure to strong-smelling chemicals can trigger attacks. Learn more about cluster headaches.
An infection or allergic reaction can cause the sinuses to become inflamed, which is known as sinusitis. The swelling of the sinuses can result in a frontal headache and tenderness around the forehead, cheeks, and eyes. People often have sinusitis following a cold or the flu , and it usually resolves without treatment.
However, a person looking to relieve the associated congestion can use a saltwater solution to clear their nostrils or inhale steam from a bowl of hot water. The best way to manage sinusitis depends on the cause:.
A doctor might also provide a corticosteroid nasal spray to relieve swelling. In some cases, it may be necessary to refer a person with sinusitis to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, known as an ENT. Anyone who has sinusitis that persists for longer than a week or gets worse should speak with a doctor.
Learn more about sinusitis-related headaches here. Certain lifestyle practices can help prevent or reduce the frequency of headaches. So if a parent, grandparent, or other family member gets them, there's a chance you could get them too. Some people are sensitive to things that can bring on migraine headaches called triggers , such as some foods, stress, changes in sleep patterns, or even the weather. If you think your headaches may be migraines, you'll want to see a doctor to treat them and learn ways to try to avoid getting the headaches in the first place.
Sometimes relaxation exercises or changes in diet or sleeping habits are all that's needed. But if needed, a doctor also can prescribe medicine to help control the headaches. If you do see a doctor for headaches, he or she will probably want to do an exam and get your medical history to help figure out what might be causing them. The doctor may also do blood tests or imaging tests, such as a CAT scan or MRI of the brain, to rule out medical problems. Sometimes doctors will refer people with headaches they think might be migraines or a symptom of a more serious problem to a specialist like a neurologist , a doctor who specializes in the brain and nervous system.
It's very rare that headaches are a sign of something serious. But see a doctor if you get headaches a lot or have a headache that:. Most headaches will go away if a person rests or sleeps. When you get a headache, lie down in a cool, dark, quiet room and close your eyes. It may help to put a cool, moist cloth across your forehead or eyes.
However, you might also have an all-over headache from:. Do see your doctor if you experience 15 or more headache days per month. Migraine is a primary headache disorder that causes recurrent attacks. Symptoms of migraine typically include:. Migraine can be caused by a variety of contributing factors, including changes in brain chemicals.
In particular, a decrease in serotonin levels. Many other factors may also trigger an attack, such as:. These triggers vary from person to person. It can even be a combination of factors that bring on an attack.
Cluster headache is another primary headache disorder that causes pain on one side of the head. The pain is often located behind or around one of your eyes. In some cases, the pain may spread to your forehead, side of your head, nose, neck, or shoulders on the same side. These headaches often come on suddenly and the pain usually becomes severe within about 10 minutes of starting. A headache behind your eyes and nasal passages can be due to allergies , such as hay fever , which can also produce symptoms similar to that of the common cold.
However, true sinus headaches tend to be rare. These headaches usually turn out to be migraine, which can cause pain over the sinuses. Your doctor can help determine if your headache is truly caused by allergies, or if it could be migraine. If you experience headaches that radiate from the neck to the back of your head, you may have a cervicogenic headache. A cervicogenic headache is a secondary headache, which means that it is caused by another illness or physical issue.
You may find your headaches worsens with some neck movements or when pressure is applied to certain spots on your neck. If you experience pain from the base of your skull that radiated upward, it could be due to a rare type of chronic headache called occipital neuralgia. Occipital neuralgia can be triggered quickly, lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes.
There are many aspects to a headache and location is only a piece of the puzzle. To get the right treatment for your headache, you need the right diagnosis. And that starts with an appointment with your health care provider. Your health care provider will want to know the quality of the pain, how often your headaches occur, how long they last, the severity, the patterns to time of onset and whether the pain worsens with changes in body position.
Yancy advised. Yancy shared some red flag warning signs that should trigger a trip to the doctor:. You can find a Banner Health specialist by visiting bannerhealth. By Regan Olsson , Contributing Writer.
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