A headache means pain or pressure in the head, scalp, face or upper neck. Most headaches are not dangerous, but a sudden or unusual headache can be a warning sign.
When to seek emergency care: Seek emergency help now for the worst or most sudden headache of your life; headache after significant injury; or headache with seizure, weakness, facial droop, trouble speaking, confusion, fainting, high fever with stiff neck, new double vision or loss of vision. Call 1122.
Common types of headache
Tension-type headaches often feel like pressure or a tight band around the head and may be linked with stress, poor sleep, long screen use or tight neck and shoulder muscles. Migraine more often causes throbbing pain with nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. Cluster headache is less common and causes severe pain around one eye in repeated short attacks.
Headache can also accompany fever, sinus or viral illness, dehydration, missed meals, eyesight problems, medication effects, very high blood pressure or excessive use of pain medicine. The cause cannot be reliably identified from location alone.
A practical self-care check
- Drink water and eat if you have skipped a meal.
- Rest your eyes and adjust screen brightness and posture.
- Stretch the neck and shoulders gently.
- Sleep and wake at consistent times.
- Record when headaches occur, how long they last and what accompanies them.
- Follow safe directions for any pain medicine and avoid frequent unsupervised use.
If headaches become a regular part of life, relying on repeated painkillers is not a long-term solution. Medication-overuse headache can develop when acute medicines are taken too often.
When to arrange a doctor visit
Book an assessment if headaches keep returning, are becoming more severe, disturb sleep, cause missed work or study, begin after starting a medicine, or are associated with vomiting or visual symptoms. Older adults with a new headache, people with cancer or reduced immunity, and pregnant or recently postpartum patients generally need earlier assessment.
Which doctor should you see?
A general physician is usually the first point of care. A neurologist is appropriate for recurring migraine, complex aura, unusual neurological symptoms or headaches that do not respond to initial care. An ophthalmologist may be needed when eye disease or visual strain is suspected; an ENT specialist may help when a confirmed ear or sinus condition is responsible.
Which specialist to see
SehatGPT runs symptom safety checks first, then directs routine headaches to primary care and complex or recurring cases to neurology.
Frequently asked questions
Does pain at the back of the head mean high blood pressure?
Not necessarily. Headache location is not a reliable blood-pressure test. Measure blood pressure properly and seek assessment for persistent symptoms.
Can dehydration cause headache?
Yes, especially in hot weather or during fasting, but severe or unusual pain should not be explained away as dehydration.
When should a child with headache see a doctor?
Seek prompt care for a severe, repeated or worsening headache, especially with fever, vomiting, sleepiness, injury, vision change, seizure or weakness.