Headache: common types, causes, home remedies and when to worry

Almost everyone gets a headache sometimes. Worldwide, about 4 in 10 people have headaches that keep coming back. Most headaches are not a sign of something serious and go away on their own.

The most common types are:

• Tension headache: a dull, pressing pain on both sides of the head, like a tight band. It is the most common kind.
• Migraine: a throbbing pain, often on one side, with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.
• Cluster headache: a very severe, sharp or burning pain around one eye, lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours, sometimes several times a day for weeks. The eye may water and the nose may run on that side. It is rare and more common in men. Ordinary painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen do not work for it, so see a doctor.
• Medication-overuse headache: a headache on most days from taking painkillers too often (see headache every day).

Headaches can also come with another illness, such as a cold, a fever or a head injury.

A tension headache usually feels like pressure or tightness on both sides of the head. The pain is dull, not throbbing, and may spread to the temples, the back of the neck or the shoulders. The scalp may feel tender.

You can usually keep doing your daily activities, and moving around does not make it worse. It rarely causes vomiting. It lasts at least 30 minutes and sometimes several days.

Tension headaches are linked to tight muscles in the neck, shoulders, scalp and jaw. Stress, poor sleep, eye strain, clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth, and holding your head in one position for a long time can bring them on. They are not a sign of a brain disease.

A migraine attack often has a throbbing headache, often on one side, that gets worse when you move. Many people feel sick or vomit and want to lie down in a dark, quiet room. Attacks usually last 4 hours to 3 days.

Some people first get warning signs called an aura: zigzag lines or flashing lights, tingling or numbness, or trouble speaking. An aura comes on slowly, over several minutes, and usually lasts less than an hour. Weakness of an arm, a leg or one side of the face is not a usual aura: call 911, because it can be a stroke.

Migraine is more common in women and often runs in families. Common triggers are periods, stress, tiredness, skipped meals, and too much caffeine or alcohol.

Migraine can't be cured, but treatment helps. Painkillers work best as soon as the pain starts. A doctor may prescribe migraine medicines called triptans, medicine for nausea, or daily medicine to prevent frequent attacks.

Pain at the back of the head or in the nape (batok) is most often a tension headache. It can come from poor posture, bending over a phone or laptop for hours, sleeping with your neck at an odd angle, or stress.

What can help: sit up straight, take short breaks to move your neck and shoulders, try a low, firm pillow, and use a warm or cold pack on the neck. Gentle massage helps some people.

Many people take a heavy, tight batok as a sign of high blood. Usually it is not, and you cannot feel your blood pressure. Check it with a blood pressure monitor (see headache and high blood pressure).

Get help straight away if a headache starts suddenly and is the worst you have ever had, especially with a stiff neck or vomiting. This can be a sign of bleeding around the brain.

Common causes and triggers include:

• colds, flu and sinus infections
• stress or worry
• lack of sleep (puyat)
• skipping meals or not drinking enough water
• alcohol, or too much coffee, or suddenly cutting down on it
• eye strain from screens, or needing glasses
• periods or menopause
• taking painkillers too often

Causes to think of in the Philippines:

• Dengue: severe headache with high fever, pain behind the eyes and body aches. See our guide on dengue symptoms and warning signs.
• Heat: headache, dizziness, heavy sweating and thirst in hot weather or after work or exercise in the sun can be heat exhaustion. Move to a cool place, drink water and cool the skin. You should feel better within 30 minutes; if not, it can be heatstroke, which is an emergency.
• Carbon monoxide: a generator, charcoal stove or engine running in a closed room makes a poisonous gas you can't see or smell. Headache and dizziness that ease when you go outside are a warning. If you suspect it, switch off the source if you can, get everyone outside and see a doctor the same day. Use generators and charcoal outdoors only.

• Drink water and eat regular meals.
• Rest. For a migraine, lie down in a dark, quiet room. Don't sleep much longer than usual, as this can make a headache worse.
• Relax. Relaxation exercises, yoga, regular exercise or a massage can ease a tension headache.
• Use a warm or cold pack on the neck or forehead, and take screen breaks.
• Avoid alcohol and cut down on coffee, tea and cola.

Painkillers you can buy without a prescription include paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin. Follow the directions on the label exactly.

• Paracetamol is the first choice in pregnancy. Too much can seriously damage the liver. Many cold and flu medicines also contain paracetamol, so check the label and don't take two products with the same medicine at the same time.
• Too much ibuprofen or aspirin can irritate the stomach and damage the kidneys. Ibuprofen is not recommended in pregnancy.
• Never give aspirin to children under 16.
• If you have a fever and it could be dengue, use paracetamol only. Ibuprofen and aspirin raise the risk of bleeding in dengue.
• Ask a pharmacist which painkiller is safe for you if you have a stomach ulcer, liver or kidney disease, or take other medicines.

Buy medicines from a proper pharmacy (botika), where a pharmacist can check that the medicine suits you.

Unsure what is behind your headache? Describe it to our AI symptom guide at any hour.

Tension headache and migraine can become chronic, which means headache on 15 or more days a month for more than 3 months.

A common cause of headache every day is the painkillers themselves. This is called medication-overuse headache or rebound headache. It can happen when, for 3 months or more, you take simple painkillers on 15 or more days a month, or combination painkillers (more than one pain medicine in one tablet or capsule) or triptans on 10 or more days a month. The headache is often worst when you wake up.

As a simple rule, try not to take painkillers for headache on more than 2 or 3 days a week.

It can be treated. Usually the overused painkillers are stopped for at least a month, with a doctor's guidance. Headaches often get worse for a while before they get better, so ask for follow-up and support.

Many people take a headache as a sign that their blood pressure is high. But high blood pressure usually causes no symptoms, and you can have it and feel fine. Rarely, it causes headaches, blurred vision or chest pain.

• Don't guess: measure. See our guide on how to check your blood pressure at home.
• See a doctor if you often have headaches or blurred vision, and ask for a blood pressure check.

Call 911 for a headache with chest pain, confusion, or weakness or numbness on one side of the body: these can be signs of a heart attack or stroke. A severe headache with a very high reading also needs to be checked by a doctor right away. Read more in our high blood pressure guide.

Rarely, a headache is a sign of a stroke, bleeding in or around the brain, or meningitis (an infection of the lining of the brain). Go to the emergency room or call 911 if a headache starts suddenly and is extremely painful, or comes with weakness, slurred speech, confusion, a seizure, loss of vision, or fever with a stiff neck. Don't drive yourself, and bring the medicines you take. See the full list in when to get help now.

Children: see a doctor the same day if a child's headache wakes them at night, is there when they wake up, keeps getting worse, gets worse with coughing or bending down, comes with vomiting, or comes with a squint (eyes pointing different ways). Call 911 if a child has a headache with trouble walking, balancing, speaking, swallowing or seeing, is unusually drowsy or has no energy, or gets a headache within 5 days of a head injury.

A headache diary helps your doctor. For at least 8 weeks, write down:

1. the date, how long each headache lasted and how bad it was
2. other symptoms, such as nausea or seeing lights
3. every medicine you took for it, with or without a prescription
4. what you were doing or eating before it started
5. for women, the days of your period

Do you need a CT scan or MRI? Usually not. For a typical tension headache, migraine or cluster headache, guidelines advise against a brain scan just for reassurance. Your doctor may order tests if there are warning signs.

PhilHealth YAKAP lets every Filipino with a PhilHealth number (PIN) choose and register with one YAKAP clinic. Your YAKAP doctor can see you for headaches, order tests you need, and prescribe medicines that are then given free. Check-ups are free at public YAKAP clinics. Private YAKAP clinics can ask for a co-payment, capped at 900 pesos per person for the whole year. According to the July 2025 YAKAP FAQ, free medicines are limited to 20,000 pesos per person each year. As of January 2026, paracetamol and several blood pressure medicines are among the 21 medicines given at YAKAP clinics. Our PhilHealth YAKAP guide explains how to register.

To see someone sooner, find a health center or clinic near you or talk to a nurse by phone.