Why do you really have a headache?
The Australian Women's Weekly|September 2022
Finding the cause of your head pains your no more suffering in silence.
JO HARTLEY
Why do you really have a headache?

It's been a busy day, It's you're juggling a million things and your head is banging. But the show must go on. You pop a painkiller and carry on regardless. Sound familiar? You're not alone.

Headaches are one of the most common neurological diseases globally, with an estimated 50 per cent of the adult population suffering at least one headache in the past year.

Headaches are categorised as tension, cluster or migraine, and migraines significantly affect more women than men.

While Australian data is currently limited, stats from a 2018 Deloitte white paper found that 4.9 million people in Australia suffer from migraines. Seventy-one per cent of these migraine sufferers are women and 86 per cent are of working age.

Yet, headaches remain one of the most underestimated, underrecognised and under-treated disorders throughout the world. But have we contributed to this? Are we so desensitised to pain that we're dismissive of our suffering?

"When it comes to pain, many women have grown up with the attitude to 'just deal with it'," says Associate Professor Lauren Sanders, a neurologist and the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society co-secretary. "Our experiences of pain have been downplayed, and often this has been perpetuated by society. It's common for women with headaches and migraine to also have menstrual problems, and it's disheartening how many women haven't even considered that it could be better." Professor Sanders notes it's common for women to refer to their headaches as "normal"; however, this can backfire and exacerbate the underlying condition.

"Headaches may be the result of a night out or a stressful day, but they indicate that your body's out of balance and needs attention," she says.

For people with a primary headache disorder such as migraine, physiological, mental or emotional stress will increase the chance of the body responding with a headache.

Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLYSe alt
Maggie's kitchen
The Australian Women's Weekly

Maggie's kitchen

Maggie Beer's delicious veg patties - perfect for lunch, dinner or a snack - plus a simple nostalgic pudding with fresh passionfruit.

time-read
1 min  |
January 2025
Reclaim your brain
The Australian Women's Weekly

Reclaim your brain

Attention span short? Thoughts foggy? Memory full of gaps? Brigid Moss investigates the latest ways to sharpen your thinking.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
The girls from Oz
The Australian Women's Weekly

The girls from Oz

Melbourne music teacher Judith Curphey challenged the patriarchy when she started Australia's first all-girls choir. Forty years later that bold vision has 6500 members, life-changing programs and a new branch of the sisterhood in Singapore.

time-read
9 mins  |
January 2025
One kid can change the world
The Australian Women's Weekly

One kid can change the world

In 2018, 10-year-old Jack Berne started A Fiver for a Farmer to raise funds for drought relief. He and mum Prue share what happened next.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
AFTER THE WAVE
The Australian Women's Weekly

AFTER THE WAVE

Twenty years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami tore across the Indian Ocean, shredding towns, villages and holiday resorts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia to Africa. Three Australians share their memories of terror, loss and survival with The Weekly.

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me
The Australian Women's Weekly

PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me

Patricia Karvelas hustled hard to chase her dreams, but it wasn't easy. In a deeply personal interview, the ABC host talks about family loss, finding love, battles fought and motherhood.

time-read
10 mins  |
January 2025
Ripe for the picking
The Australian Women's Weekly

Ripe for the picking

Buy a kilo or two of fresh Australian apricots because they're at their peak sweetness now and take inspiration from our lush recipe ideas that showcase this divine stone fruit.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
Your stars for 2025
The Australian Women's Weekly

Your stars for 2025

The Weekly’s astrologer, Lilith Rocha, reveals what’s in store for your astrological sign in 2025. For your monthly horoscope, turn to page 192.

time-read
10 mins  |
January 2025
MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'
The Australian Women's Weekly

MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'

One year on from going public with her bowel cancer diagnosis, Mel Schilling reveals where she's at with her health journey and how it's changed her irrevocably.

time-read
9 mins  |
January 2025
Nothing like this Dame Judi
The Australian Women's Weekly

Nothing like this Dame Judi

A few weeks before her 90th birthday, the acting legend jumped on a phone call with The Weekly to talk about her extraordinary life – and what’s still to come.

time-read
10 mins  |
January 2025