The two most common causes of repeated headaches are tension-type headaches, felt as a tight band around the head, and migraines, which are often one-sided, throbbing, and may come with nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. Common triggers include stress, irregular sleep, skipping meals, dehydration, screen time, alcohol, and caffeine — including caffeine withdrawal. Keeping a simple headache diary can help you and your clinician spot patterns.
See a doctor promptly, or seek emergency care, if a headache is sudden and the worst you have ever had, follows a head injury, comes with fever and a stiff neck, causes weakness, numbness, slurred speech, vision loss, or confusion, or wakes you from sleep and is worsening. These can point to more serious causes.
A clinician or pharmacist can advise on safe pain relief and whether you are overusing painkillers, which itself can cause daily headaches. Prescription options for frequent migraine exist and should be discussed with a doctor. This is general information only.