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New Thinking About Sinus Headaches
This Week's Tips
Sinus pain. Nasal congestion. Watery eyes. You've got a sinus headache, right?
Not so fast. Turns out that more than 80 percent of "sinus headaches" are really migraines. And over-the-counter pain meds, antihistamines, and decongestants are unlikely to completely relieve them. Here are the questions that help determine which kind of headache you have.
A Real Head Case
Many people (and even doctors!) attribute symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, and watery eyes to sinus headaches. But the real deal is that (1) true sinus headaches are rare, and (2) these same symptoms occur in about 50 percent of migraines.
4 Questions to Ask
Do you have any of these additional symptoms?
- Is the pain on one side of your head?
- Does activity make your symptoms worse?
- Do your symptoms make you sensitive to light and noise?
- Would you describe the pain as pulsating or throbbing?
Only your healthcare provider can diagnose your headaches, but if you answered yes to any of these questions, your "sinus headaches" may really be migraines.
Take the RealAge Headache Assessment for an in-depth analysis of your headache symptoms and headache type.
RealAge Benefit:
Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger.
Prevalence of migraine in patients with a history of self-reported or physician-diagnosed "sinus" headache. Schreiber, C. P., Hutchinson, S., Webster, C. J., Ames, M., Richardson, M. S., Powers, C., Archives of Internal Medicine 2004 Sep 13;164(16):1769-1772.
