Test Your Headache IQ: Answers

1. A headache that feels like a band of pressure around your whole head, especially at the temples or back of the neck, is probably a:

Tension headache

Tension headaches, which are less painful than migraines and don't stop you from continuing normal activities, feel like a constant ache or pressure around the head. Learn how to identify the five kinds of headaches and how to tell when a headache is an emergency.

2. True or false: You can tell when a headache is a migraine because it's always preceded by an "aura," a visual disturbance or sensation that warns you the headache is coming on.

False

Only 15%–20% of people who experience migraines have auras. Learn more about the symptoms of migraines.

3. True or false: If you suffer from migraines, you should never eat foods like chocolate and ripened cheeses, or drink red wine, because they trigger head pain.

False

While those foods can trigger migraines in people who are sensitive to them, not everyone who has headaches will react the same way. And even for people who do have specific triggers—like a certain kind of food or bright light—it may take a combination of triggers to initiate a headache. Read about the INVALID ARTICLE ID.

4. If one of your parents suffers from migraines, the chance that you will also experience these painful headaches is:

50%

Migraines are a hereditary condition. If one parent suffers from migraines, there is a 50% chance that his or her child will. If both parents experience migraines, the child has a 75% chance of experiencing them as well. Read more interesting facts about headaches in Health.com's interview with neurologist Lisa Mannix, MD.

5. Specialists recommend that people who suffer from frequent headaches should:

Keep a headache diary

While stress can contribute to headaches and relaxation may help, people who suffer from chronic headaches need to find out what is causing them so that their doctors can find an effective treatment. Headache specialists recommend that patients become their own pain detectives, tracking things such as headache frequency, severity, and triggers (including the foods you ate and how much sleep you got) in a headache diary. Read about what to keep in your headache diary and how it will help.