Whenever a person feels pressure or pain in his head; it is often considered a headache. But the pain in your head can be a migraine. Headache and migraine may look similar but are two different conditions. These conditions have different pain intensities and symptoms. There are several differences between headaches and migraines.
What is a headache?
Headache can be described as an unpleasant pain in the head. The headache pain intensity lies between mild to severe. This type of pain occurs on both sides of the bead. A person can get headaches in several areas such as the forehead, backside of the neck, temples, etc. Headaches usually last for a few hours. But it can also occur for a week.
What is a migraine?
Migraine is a type of headache disorder. The pain intensity of migraine is very high. People who are dealing with migraines often face recurrences that are known as migraine attacks. You can consider a migraine a type of headache. In this condition, you can feel an intense and throbbing pain in your head which can last for hours to several days. People usually get migraine pain in one side of the head. But some people can also experience pain on both sides of their heads. Many people also face migraine pain phases. However, not everyone faces all phases of migraine.
Types of Headache
There are several types of headaches depending on different symptoms and causes.
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. Many teens and adults face tension headaches in some phases of life. The intensity of these headaches ranges from mild to moderate. You can get a tension headache over time. Tension headaches don’t have any specific symptoms.
Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are very severe types of headaches. If you are facing its symptoms; get a proper Headaches treatment Parsippany. In this headache, the person faces pain on one side of the head. The pain usually occurs behind the eye. He faces headaches in clusters which means headaches appear every day around the same time for many weeks. Some symptoms of cluster headaches are sweating, red, severe pain on one side, restlessness, etc.
Hemicrania
These are persistent types of headaches with fluctuating severity. A person may face these headaches always on the same side. Some people get daily or chronic hemicrania headaches. Symptoms of hemicrania are nausea, vomiting, watery eyes, sweating, swollen eyelids, etc.
Secondary Headache Disorder
Several medical conditions can affect the nervous system. Due to this, the person can feel headaches of different intensities. Conditions that can cause secondary headaches are brain tumors, sleep disorders, head trauma, seizures, leaking spinal fluid, etc.
Phases of Migraine
Migraine occurs in four different phases. But not all people face all the migraine phases. Some people only get 2 or 3 phases of migraine.
Premonitory Phase
This is a type of pre headache phase of migraine. In this phase, a person faces non-painful symptoms. These symptoms appear hours or days before a headache. Common symptoms of the premonitory phase are food craving, yawning, diarrhea, mood swings, sensitivity to light, sound and smell, etc.
Aura phase
In the aura phase, a person faces sensory disturbance before or during the migraine attack. Your vision or speech may get affected due to this phase. In visual aura, you can face symptoms like flashing lights, blurred vision, zig-zagging lines, blind spots, etc. In sensory auras, a person can get numbness or tingle in his arms. Many people also face motor auras that affect their communication ability like jumbled speed, difficulty in talking, and can’t write or think properly.
Headache phase
The pain intensity in migraine can range from mild to severe. If you are facing severe headaches then you should seek medical help. The pain intensity gets increased when exposed to sound, light, and sound.
Postdrome Phase
This phase appears after the headache subsides. In this phase, many people feel confused, exhausted, or feel unwell.
Causes of Headaches
A person can face headaches due to several reasons. Different headaches may have different causes.
Causes of Tension Headaches
- Hunger
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Poor Posture
- Stress
- Sleep apnea
- Clenching the jaw
Causes of Cluster Headaches
- Alcohol abuse
- Smoking
- Underlying condition
- Stress
Causes of Hemicrania
- Head Trauma
- Tumor in the pituitary gland
- Arteriovenous malformations
Causes of secondary headache disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Physical deformations
- Seizures
- Inflammation
- Brain Tumors
- Leaking spinal fluid
Causes and triggers of migraine
There is no particular cause behind migraine pain. However, it can be caused due to genetics or environmental factors. A person is more prone to get migraines if any of his family members are facing migraine. In some people, migraine can occur due to changes in the brainstem or some brain chemical imbalance. Several things can trigger migraine such as hormonal changes in women. Alcohol abuse or too much caffeine can trigger migraine. Some other factors that can trigger migraine pain are stress, sleep disorder, several medications, sensory stimuli, weather changes, etc.