Some headaches have a known cause while others, like migraine headaches, do not. Postural changes, prolonged coughing, sneezing, or exposure to sunlight may contribute to headache. Serious headaches include those that are sudden and severe, associated with convulsions or seizures, accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness, associated with a blow on the head or pain in the eye or ear, or persistent in a person who was previously headache-free. Recurring headaches in children, those associated with fever, or those that interfere with normal life should be checked by a doctor. The most common types of headaches include migraine, cluster, and tension-type.
Migraines produce throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head.
Symptoms, besides pain, may include nausea, vomiting, light and noise sensitivity, fever, chills, flu-like achiness, and sweating. Some sufferers have warnings before a migraine, such as visual disturbances. Migraine attacks may last from a few hours to days, and may recur several times a week or once every few years. Cluster headaches, which mainly occur in men, occur as a series of one-sided headaches that are sudden and excruciating and may continue for 15 minutes to 4 hours. Tension-type headaches, which are the most common headache type, produce a dull, achy pain that feels like pressure is being applied to the head or neck.