A Heads Up On Headaches

'The number of people suffering with headaches soared during the Covid pandemic - and headaches were already our most common health complaint.

- James Moore

A study for Nurofen found 34 per cent of people who had seen an increase in pain during Covid times said headaches were the culprit.

Other figures show half of us get at least one headache a year, while 10 million of us suffer regularly with a pain in our head or face. James Moore has the lowdown about this most common complaint...

What's your type?

Tension headaches are the most common. Triggers include stress, poor posture or dehydration. They last from 15 minutes to several hours, typically causing pain in your forehead and temples. Not usually severe, tension headaches can be simply treated with a dose of over-the-counter painkillers.

Is it a migraine?

Affecting nine million people in the UK and lasting up to 72 hours, these more painful headaches are often combined with other symptoms, such as pain in the face or neck, sensitivity to light, and nausea.

Some people also experience visual aura such as flashing lights. Check yours at migrainetrust.org.