Managing Migraine Headaches

Migraine Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

Migraine Types & Their Remedies

Alternative Migraine Cures

Migraines in Children

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Recent studies and surveys have shown that about nine out of ten doctors' consults are about headaches. They are the most common problem among patients, and doctors estimate that almost everyone on earth will have a headache in their lifetime. Alongside these statistics come those of migraines, which is probably the most common neurological disorder, affecting an estimated 28 million Americans. So, migraine vs. headaches? Which do you have?

To properly determine migraine vs headaches, we must first look at their common characteristics. Both migraines and headaches are characterized by pain in the head. Neither of them will trigger red, watery eyes or a runny nose. If you have any of these symptoms, you might be dealing with an underlying problem, of which a headache is just a symptom. Past these two factors, migraines and headaches no longer have anything in common.

A headache is simply pain in your head. The pain often feels like pressure, and some people have likened it to the pressure from a head band or head wrap. Headaches can start without warning. They have been linked to stress, lack of sleep, and dehydration, though these are not the only things that can cause headaches. They are also, in healthy individuals, infrequent. A person can have a headache today and not have one for a year or more.

A migraine is also pain in your head. The pain experienced is a throbbing pain that occurs unilaterally, or on one side of the head. Many have complained that the headaches are sometimes centered around an eye. The pain of a migraine is much worse than that of a headache. Unlike plain headaches, migraines can have symptoms and auras (visual phenomena) prior to the occurrence of the attack, which is the headache itself. Also unlike headaches, migraines can last anywhere from several hours to several days. Another characteristic is that they occur much more frequently, anywhere from twice a month to two to three times a week. Often, patients will notice a pattern in their migraines.

Because of all these characteristics migraines are thought to be disorder of the central nervous system. Whereas a headache is unlikely to be a disorder of the nervous system.

Given the characteristics, which do you have?

When pitching migraine vs. headaches, consider the amount of pain you're in. Is it unbearable? Excruciating? You might be suffering from migraines. Also consider how frequently your headaches occur. If they happen once in a while, you probably are dealing with headaches. In which case you can think nothing of it!

To further look into the difference between migraine and headaches, read the different articles on this site that explain migraines and their types.

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