There are different kinds of headaches – tension headaches, migraines, chronic headache and so on – sometimes a headache could be a symptom of another problem, of which the headache could be a warning sign.
To evaluate and assess what kind of headache you have, you can take a headache quiz that arrives at a conclusion based on the kind of pain you experience, whether there are problems with vision, accompanying symptoms, the duration and frequency of the headaches, its triggers, and the location of the headache.
Many of us suffer from headaches that are more painful one side of the head than on the other.
These are known as cluster headaches or one sided headaches, which more men have than women, and which seem to pass from one to another generation.
Cluster headaches tend to occur do to the sudden production of serotonin or histamine in the body.
Though this kind of headache may start suddenly and without warning, there could be a pattern as to the time of day when it starts.
It could strike during working hours or it may occur at night when one is asleep and undergoing the rapid eye movement phase of sleep.
The pain may be sharp or burning and may quickly escalate within a few minutes to last for half an hour to two hours.
Other symptoms could also accompany a cluster headache – there could be a blocked nose or a runny nose that occurs along with a one sided headache. There could also be watering of the eyes. The area around the eyes could swell and the eyes could also redden. The face could flush as well.
The good news about cluster headaches is that they are rarely cause for any concern. They are not life threatening and nor do they cause any harm other than the person having to suffer pain and discomfort.
The main problem with one sided headaches is that they could be very severe and as such could interfere with daily functioning and the quality of life.
The possible problems that could result from one sided headaches may be muscle weakness on the affected part of the face/head and lowered sensation there. If symptoms such as vomiting, seizures, dizziness and vision changes occur along with the headache, a doctor should be told.
