What type of headache do you have?

Although headaches are rarely life-threatening, they can make work more difficult or take the enjoyment out of your favorite leisure activity.

While painful and sometimes debilitating, the majority of headaches do not indicate a more serious problem.

With all the headache types and the variety of symptoms among individual sufferers, the National Headache Foundation recommends seeing a health-care provider as the first step in dealing with persistent and painful headaches.

The good news is that help is available and treatment options are increasing. Unfortunately, many headache sufferers don't know about the new treatment options or fail to see a health-care provider for diagnosis.

According to a study conducted by the foundation, 52 percent of the people whose headaches fit the medical definition of migraine remain undiagnosed.

Nearly six out of 10 people with migraine continue to rely solely on general over-the-counter pain relievers or don't use medications to relieve pain.

Migraine is misdiagnosed as sinus or tension-type headache almost as often as it is correctly diagnosed.

There is no single cause of headaches. However, headaches are legitimate neurobiological disorders. Science is rapidly progressing to better understand the cause of primary headaches.

Armed with more education about headache types, their causes and available treatments, people with headaches no longer have to suffer needlessly.

Approximately 78 percent of adults experience a tension type headache at some point in their lives, making it the most common form of headache.

The pain is often described as pressing or tightening of mild to moderate intensity and occurs on both sides of the head. There are two general classifications of tension type headache: episodic and chronic, differentiated by frequency and severity of symptoms.

Chronic tension-type headache can be the result of anxiety or depression. Changes in sleep patterns or insomnia, early morning or late day occurrence of headache, feelings of guilt, weight loss, dizziness, poor concentration, ongoing fatigue and nausea commonly occur.

As common as tension-type headaches are, their causes and symptoms are more complicated and unique than many might realize.

Often, people do not seek medical attention when they should because they assume that the cause of their headache is just tension.

Migraine pain and associated symptoms affect 29.5 million Americans. Both men and women experience migraines, although women are three times as likely to suffer from them.

Migraine is characterized by throbbing head pain, usually located on one side of the head, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Most migraines occur episodically; however, 10 million Americans have chronic headache (15 or more days per month). Many of these people have experienced episodic migraine that evolved over time into chronic migraine.

Many things might trigger a migraine, including one or more of the following: diet, stress, environment, odors/perfumes, emotions, medications and hormonal fluctuations. With proper diagnosis and treatment, migraine can be effectively managed.

For more information on headache causes and treatments, visit www.headaches .org or call 1-888-NHF-5552.