Your right temple pounds to the beat of the thousand angry gremlins hammering your skull. You want answers to what’s causing this misery. What is the difference between a headache and a migraine, and how should you address your current agony? 

While both can make you miserable, there are several critical differences between a headache and a migraine you should understand. Recognizing the symptoms of each can help you choose the right path to relief. 

What Is a Migraine? 

According to the Association of Migraine Disease, a migraine is a complicated neurological disorder. Symptoms can stem from many causes or a combination, including genetic predisposition, nervous system differences, underlying disease, exposure to certain types of light, sound or food and stress. 

1. Migraine Symptoms 

Many people confuse the difference between a headache and a migraine because a throbbing, one-sided ache is a classic symptom. However, head pain isn’t the only sign of a migraine. Those who experience this disorder have accompanying symptoms that can be far more disabling than the agony in their temples, including: 

• Nausea and vomiting 
• Visual disturbances
• Dizziness and fainting 
• Fatigue
• Confused or garbled speech
• Difficulty with motor function 

These symptoms can significantly impair daily functioning, making it difficult to hold a job or meet other responsibilities. That’s why the World Health Organization considers migraines the second most disabling disorder. 

Unfortunately, those with migraine disorder often struggle to find the help and support they need, especially women. The bias against female pain is real, and the condition’s invisibility, paired with how symptoms fluctuate in severity, leads many, even health care professionals, to doubt complaints. Those who seek help are often accused of attention-seeking or told the problem is all in their head. 

2. The Many Types of Migraine 

Migraines can occur with or without aura. An aura is a visual or somatic disturbance in perception that happens before pain strikes and may continue through it. Auras often take the form of kaleidoscopes or flashes of light that block the visual field, although they can include partial paralysis and even loss of consciousness in some types of migraine. 

Subtypes of migraine disorder include:

• Chronic migraine: Symptoms fluctuate in severity but never completely disappear.
• Abdominal migraine: Often occurs in children, may not involve head pain and causes diarrhea, constipation, nausea or vomiting. 
• Acephalgic migraine: Symptoms occur with no head pain. 
• Hemiplegic migraine: Migraine that causes partial, one-sided paralysis, often of the facial muscles, similar to a stroke. 
• Retinal migraines: Flashes of light that cause vision loss in one eye. 
• Migraine with brainstem aura: Migraine that occurs with slurred speech, uncoordinated body movements, vertigo, unsteadiness and numbness. 
• Menstrual migraines: Migraines that occur at specific points in your menstrual cycle. 
• Vestibular migraine: Affects the inner ear and causes loss of balance, nausea, sensitivity to motion and muffled hearing. 

As you’ve probably guessed by now, one key difference between a migraine and a headache is the range of symptoms. Another key point is that while certain conditions, such as stress, can make you more prone to a migraine attack, the symptoms can strike independently of a specific trigger. 

What Are the Different Types of Headache? 

Headaches also come in various flavors. 

1. Is a Migraine a Type of Headache? 

Many popular sources list migraines as a type of headache. However, it’s crucial to note that while headache is a symptom of many types of migraine, head pain alone doesn’t mean you have the disorder. 

2. 6 Different Types of Headache

All head pain is not created equal. Various types of headaches include the following:

• Tension headaches: This common headache type results from stress and frequently strikes after long sessions at the computer. 
• Cluster headaches: These cause severe burning pain on one side and often cause nasal congestion and tearing on the same side. They typically strike one after the other and last about 15 minutes at a time, with pain repeating over several hours. 
• Hemicrania continua: Ongoing pain on one side of the head that continues for more than three months, often accompanied by nasal and eye disturbances. 
• Ice pick headaches: Short, intense stabbing pains that last only a few seconds. 
• Thunderclap headaches: These severe headaches reach peak intensity in under a minute and can signify a serious underlying condition that warrants immediate medical attention, such as a stroke. Seek care without delay. 
• Secondary headaches: These stem from something else occurring in your body, such as hormonal shifts, too much caffeine, extreme exertion, allergies, a sinus infection or high blood pressure. 

Headaches may resolve quickly once you address the underlying problem. For example, a secondary headache resulting from dehydration should ease once you consume enough water. 

While most headaches clear up within a few hours with home remedies, they can indicate an underlying problem. Seek medical attention if you suddenly experience the worst head pain you’ve ever felt in your life, if you have recurring headaches that increase in intensity, especially in the same area, or one that lasts more than two days. 

Treating Headaches and Migraines 

Another difference between a headache and a migraine is treatment. While both disorders respond well to lying down quietly in a darkened room, the remaining protocol varies. 

Headaches often respond well to over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen. This medication works by blocking pain signals to your brain. Some people also get relief from OTC NSAIDS, including aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen. These work by lowering inflammation. 

However, one difference between a headache and a migraine is gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting. If you have a migraine, you might find swallowing medication impossible.  In such cases, it’s best to lie down quietly until your symptoms subside enough to take an abortive medication if prescribed by your doctor. Some of these now come in nasal spray form to eliminate the need to swallow. 

Other innovations in treating migraines include special glasses and contact lenses that cast an imperceptible green tint on the world. Green soothes the nervous system in ways medical science doesn’t yet fully understand. Additionally, your doctor can prescribe preventive medications such as topiramate, intended to decrease the frequency and severity of your attacks and anti-nausea medications if gastrointestinal distress prompts frequent call-outs from work.  

If vertigo or dizziness and feeling faint strikes with your migraine, you might try certain exercises at home to see if they bring relief. These only work if the problem lies in your inner ear, but if so, the Epley maneuver or a similar exercise may ease that symptom in minutes. 

Is Severity the Difference Between a Headache and a Migraine? 

Pain severity is not the difference between a headache and a migraine. Both conditions may range from mild to disabling. For example, cluster headaches go by the nickname “suicide headache” because the pain can become so intense that it drives you to irrational thoughts, even if it causes no lasting physical harm. 

The primary difference between a headache and a migraine is the range of symptoms. Headaches remain confined to the head — even those that bring accompanying disturbances affect only the nose and eyes. Migraines, conversely, affect multiple bodily systems, including your gut and physical coordination. 

Can You Have a Migraine Without Having a Headache? 

Yes, you can have a migraine without having a headache. These types of migraines often occur in children, who frequently complain of stomachaches instead, although youth with abdominal migraines usually develop other migraine types as adults. Migraines without headache can also strike adults, causing symptoms ranging from visual disturbances, dizziness, disorientation and gastrointestinal distress. 

Explaining the Difference Between a Headache and a Migraine to Friends, Family — Even Doctors

Unfortunately, you can’t expect those you love or even your family doctor to recognize the difference between a headache and a migraine. Gentle explanations often help loved ones — or you could share this article to help them understand. 

Your best approach with medical professionals is to keep a log of your symptoms, including which ones most disable you. Bring an advocate with you, such as a friend or family member, especially if you feel your physician dismisses your concerns. While some folks with chronic or severe migraine may need ongoing support, many manage their symptoms well with the help of the right medications. 

The Difference Between a Headache and a Migraine 

It’s not always easy to distinguish between a headache and a migraine. However, you’ll do well if you remember that a headache is only one symptom of migraine and can occur independently of the disorder. Understanding the differences helps you find the right treatment and achieve more rapid and lasting relief. 

If this article helped you understand the difference between a headache and a migraine, please consider sharing it on your social media. Spreading information and awareness to all can help more people find the relief they deserve.