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 Sometimes
you don't have to think very hard to figure out why you have a
headache. Maybe you've consumed red wine or cheese or lingered
in a smoke-filled room, all of which can trigger migraines. Or
perhaps you're tired from lack of sleep or stressed from a
tough day at work. Such circumstances can give rise to
tension-type headaches or migraines, the most common types of
headache.
Types of headaches
Different types of headaches cause different types of pain.
The pain of tension-type headaches is usually a dull,
squeezing pain that may involve the forehead, scalp, back of
the neck and both sides. However, many other headaches
are less common and are brought on by a variety of factors
that may surprise you. The following headaches represent only
a few of the more than 150 types of headaches recognized by
the International Headache Society, which maintains a
comprehensive guide for classifying headache and facial pain.
In some cases, these headaches are directly related to a
specific action. They typically resolve after the offending
factor — for example, alcohol or ice cream — is gone, and they
usually have no lasting impact on your health. However, some
headaches can be symptoms of serious problems, which need to
be checked out by a doctor.
Sex headache
If you experience a severe headache during intercourse,
know that it usually isn't serious. One type of sex-related
headache brings a dull ache in your head and neck that builds
up during intercourse. These headaches are caused when you
tighten muscles in your neck and head during sex. A second
type appears as a severe, explosive pain during orgasm, which
may be due to increased blood pressure in the head caused by
expanding blood vessels. The pain may last anywhere from a
minute to a few hours. Sometimes taking a nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) before sexual activity can
prevent the headache.
On occasion, a headache that occurs at orgasm can be a sign
of something more serious, like a hemorrhage or stroke. If you
experience this type of headache, particularly the first time,
contact your doctor to rule out these other possible problems.
Hangover headache
If you've ever felt the pain caused by drinking too much
alcohol the night before, you're not alone. This malady,
technically known as "delayed alcohol-induced headache," is a
pulsating pain that's felt in the front and on both sides of
your head. It may worsen when you move around.
Excessive drinking may cause these delayed headaches
through a variety of means. Alcohol contains ethanol, a
chemical that causes blood vessels to expand, which can give
you a headache. The ethanol may also cause dehydration, which
contributes to headaches. Ingredients called congeners, which
give many types of alcohol their flavor, also can cause
headaches. These are found in larger amounts in dark liquors,
such as brandy, tequila and whiskey, than in clear liquors
such as vodka and gin.
Primary cough headache
Coughing, sneezing, laughing or bending over may cause this
type of headache, most likely by increasing blood pressure in
the veins in your head. The headache typically comes on
suddenly and lasts for a few seconds to several minutes. The
pain is often described as sharp or stabbing and is typically
located on both sides of your head and at the back of your
skull.
You're most likely to experience this type of headache if
you're age 40 or older and male — these headaches affect
roughly three times as many men as women. If you experience
such headaches, it's a good idea to see your doctor —
particularly if they're frequent, severe, long-lasting or
represent an increasing pattern.
Your doctor may recommend a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
exam. This exam can help determine whether you have a primary
cough headache, which isn't serious, as opposed to another
sort called a secondary cough headache. Secondary cough
headaches can occur as a result of serious problems, including
brain tumors and brain malformations.
Primary exertional headache
You might experience an exertional headache after prolonged
physical exercise, such as weightlifting, dancing, running,
bowling or football. It's more likely to occur if you're
exercising in hot weather or at a high altitude.
Like the cough headache, these headaches sometimes occur as
a result of increased pressure in your head, particularly if
the exertion is from lifting weights. While straining to heave
a weight, you may inadvertently do what's called a Valsalva
maneuver, which is the term for trying to exhale while holding
your breath. This act — which also can play a role in primary
cough headaches — increases pressure in blood vessels in your
head. Exertional headaches cause a throbbing pain that
gradually builds in intensity and is felt on both sides of
your head. The pain can last from five minutes to 48 hours.
Headaches after exertion can be a benign issue, but they
also can point to a serious underlying cause, such as bleeding
in the brain or a separation in the lining of an artery in
your brain. If you have an exertional headache, see your
doctor for an evaluation, particularly if it's your first
headache of this type.
Carbon monoxide-induced headache
Headache is a common symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can poison
you if you breathe too much of it. It reduces your blood's
ability to carry oxygen throughout your body, including to
your brain. Sources of carbon monoxide poisoning might include
an improperly vented gas heater, a charcoal grill used indoors
or a car running in an enclosed garage.
The sensation of the resulting headache varies widely,
though you may feel the pain — potentially constant and dull
in nature — in the front of your head. The headache should go
away within 72 hours after you stop breathing the carbon
monoxide. However, if you suspect you've been exposed to a
poisonous dose of the gas, immediately get into fresh air and
contact your doctor for a diagnosis.
External compression headache
This condition, sometimes known as "swim-goggle headache"
results from continuous pressure on your forehead or scalp,
such as from a tight hat, headband or — not surprisingly —
swim goggles. The pain is constant and hurts the worst where
the object is pressing on your head. A simple solution
relieves the pain: Remove the head wear causing the pressure.
If you leave the troublesome item on your head for too long,
your headache could turn into a migraine.
Thunderclap headache
This headache really lives up to its name, grabbing your
attention like a boom of thunder. It's a severe headache that
reaches its maximum intensity in less than a minute, then
lasts for an hour to 10 days.
Occasionally these are nothing to worry about, or they're
the symptom of a relatively minor problem such as an acute
sinus infection. However, visit your doctor promptly upon
having one. In some cases the headache may be caused by a
bleeding in the brain, an unruptured aneurysm — a weakening in
an artery that may burst — or other blood vessel problems.
The next time you're squeezing your aching temples with one
of these unusual headaches, keep in mind that what would be
really unusual is if you managed to make it through an entire
year without having some sort of headache. According to the
American Council for Headache Education, almost 90 percent of
men and 95 percent of women have at least one during a year's
time.
Knowing more about why these unusual headaches develop —
and how to treat them and avoid them — may help you prevent
your share of them.
content by:
Mayo Clinic
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