Medication-overuse headache Tension-type headache A very common type of pain, a headache is rarely a symptom of a serious underlying disorder. Most headaches are tension-type headaches, due to tightening of the muscles in the face, head, and neck. Other types include migraines (below) and cluster headaches (right).
Common causes of headaches include hangovers, stress, changes in sleep or eating habits, or poor posture. Food additives may be a cause in susceptible people.
Headaches can also result from overusing pain relievers (called medication-overuse headaches), or from conditions such as an inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis), toothache, arthritis affecting the neck (cervical spondylosis), and head injury. Among the rare causes are inflammation of the membranes around the brain (meningitis), high blood pressure, a brain tumor, inflammation of blood vessels in the head (giant cell arteritis), or a ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain (brain aneurysm).
Most headaches do not need medical treatment.
However, if a headache is severe, lasts for more than 24 hours, or is accompanied by other symptoms such as drowsiness, vomiting, a rash, or abnormal sensitivity to light, immediate medical help should be sought.

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