Headaches come in a variety of types and severity. 90-95% of Americans will have a least one headache in the past year. Many suffer regularly. The four types of headaches are tension or stress headaches, migraine headaches, cluster headaches or organic-caused headaches. The most common form of headaches is Tension headaches. Tension headaches account for 78-80% of all headaches. Migraines are less common but can be more severe. Approximately 20-25% of the US population experiences migraine headaches at some time in their lives. Both Tension and Migraine headaches occur more frequently in women than in men. But a third type, Cluster headaches occur far more often in men though they only affect approximately 2-3% of the population. Cluster headaches can last for days, and like Migraines, immobilize people. Finally secondary headaches caused by some other problems account for less than 1% of headaches. The American Council for Headaches suggests that during the past year, nearly 90% of men and 95% of women have had at least one headache.

Maintain good health habits to avoid headaches.  These include adequate and regular patterns of sleep, healthy diet, regular exercise and good stress management.  Quitting smoking is essential in reducing the risks for all headaches.

Relaxation and related stress reduction therapies can diminish the frequency and intensity of headaches.  Any over-the-counter pain medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium or acetaminophen can be very useful. No one medication has ever been proven to be more effective than the other, though there is great variability in effectiveness from person to person.  Alternative therapies may be useful for headache management including biofeedback, meditation, visualization, acupuncture, acupressure, yoga and other physical relaxation exercises.

The American Council for Headache Education whose goals are to empower headache sufferers through education, and to support them by educating their families, employers, and the public in general has a resourceful website.

Try this brief online quiz to assess whether or not your headaches may be migraines.

The American Academy of Family Physicians has some great information on tension headaches, migraine headaches, cluster headaches and their treatments.

The National Headache Foundation provides information on many types of headaches, their causes, tools for better assessing headaches, treatments and an interesting report on caffeine and headaches.

WebMDHealth is an excellent resource for all types of headaches. They provide links to up-to-date information on headache treatment and health findings related to headaches.