Discover the truth about head pain and spare yourself the suffering.
As common as headaches are, there is still much misunderstanding about what they are and how to treat them. For instance, there’s more than one type—you might have a tension headache (the most common variety), a sinus headache, or a nighttime headache. Each one follows its own treatment plan, but before you can deal with the specifics, you have to sort through a myriad of myths about headaches in general. Separating fact from fiction will help you find relief and get on with your life, so read on for the top headache myths out there—and for the truth behind them.
Myth: Headaches and migraines are the same thing.
Truth: The most comment type of headaches, referred to as “tension headaches,” are recognizable by the sensation of tightening pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head—that “head in a vise” feeling. Tension headaches are usually not accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or visual disturbances; it’s migraines that are often coupled with these symptoms.1 Researchers think that migraines and headaches even have different causes and biological mechanisms for creating pain.2
Myth: The bigger the stress, the more likely you’ll get a headache.
Truth: It’s easy to think that a change in job or marriage status, a move, or other major life stressors are the dominant cause of tension headaches. But it’s the everyday stuff—sitting in a traffic jam, too-tight deadlines, your neighbor playing their music too loud—that is more likely to trigger tension headache trouble. On top of that, stressors like these often make you clench your jaw or tense your shoulders, which can escalate the likelihood of a headache.3
Myth: Sugar causes headaches.
Truth: It’s actually a low blood sugar that can cause a dull ache in your head. In some people, blood sugar spikes and then falls after eating lots of simple carbohydrates (that includes refined carbs like white bread and pasta, as well as pastries and cookies), and it’s that drop a little while later that causes symptoms such as headache, lightheadedness, and weakness.4
