Does magnesium help with headaches?

What causes headaches?

Headaches have been with us since time immemorial. In fact, the earliest evidence we have of headaches in our ancestors dates back 9,000 years. 

Scientists discovered evidence of trepanation - drilling a hole through the skull - in remains from the neolithic period.

Meanwhile, in 400 BC Hippocrates took note of the visual symptoms associated with headaches.(1)

However, despite how long headaches have been with us, we’re still unsure as to exactly what causes them. 

Well, to be more specific, we’re not sure what causes primary headaches. This is the type of headache which seems to crop up out of the blue. Primary headaches include migraines, tension headaches and trigeminal autonomic cephalgia (short, viscious headaches on one side of the head). 

Secondary headaches, as they are called, can be traced back to causes such as trauma to the head or neck, use of substances (or their withdrawal), infections and psychiatric disorders.(1)

As treatment for secondary headaches often revolves around treatment for the underlying issue, in this article we’ll be focusing mostly on primary headaches. 

Types of primary headache

The International Headache Society has categorised 13 different types of primary headache, along with quite a few sub-types. 

The most common of these are migraines, tension headaches and cluster headaches. (Another common type is the self-explanatory ‘medication overuse headache’).

Migraines

Migraines are a moderate or severe headache which appears on one or both sides of the head. It can last from several hours up to two or three days, and can stop you from getting on with your daily activities. 

Some people experience other symptoms alongside migraines. For instance, they may feel sick, be sensitive to light and sounds, or experience visual symptoms alongside. One of these symptoms is ‘aura’, which is a change or disturbance in your vision such as a flashing light or blind spot.(2)

It can even provoke short-term paralysis of the hand, arm or face on one side of your body.

Migraines can be really severe, with serious effects on your quality of life. According to some estimates, it causes more disability than epilepsy, and affects between 2 and 15% of the world’s population. 

Evidence is growing that migraines are caused by genetic factors. However, scientists are still unsure exactly how certain areas of the brain ‘activate’ headaches and, indeed, why they eventually go away.(2)

Tension headaches

This type of headache is more common than migraines, affecting up to 80% of the population at one point or another.  

Rather than a throbbing pain, it feels more like a tight band exerting pressure around the head. It can also involve the neck area. 

Tension headaches are linked with stress. And, while they’re less severe than migraines individually, it is possible to suffer from chronic tension headaches. These can affect you for over 15 days in a given month and can require you to be off work. So, they’re certainly not to be waved away as inconsequential. 

Cluster headaches

This type of headache is quite rare (affecting about 1 in 1000 men and 1 in 6000 women). But cluster headaches are particularly nasty.

If you have ever experienced a cluster headache, you will instantly recognise the symptoms. For a few weeks a year, or perhaps every two years, you will experience very painful headaches every day on one side of your head. 

According to one summary in the BMJ, the pain is so severe that the patient cannot stay in bed, instead pacing the room or even beating their head against the wall to try and relieve it. Eventually, the headache subsides after about 30 - 60 minutes of intense pain. 

During a cluster headache, the eye on the side of your head with the pain may turn red and water, and your nose may feel blocked. 

Unfortunately, once cluster headaches have materialised in a patient, they can become episodic. You can experience them every now and again for over 30 years. 

Medication overuse headache

A quick word on medication overuse headache, as it is fairly common. As the name suggests, this type of headache arises - ironically - from regularly taking painkillers to treat your headaches. 

Surprisingly, taking a low dose of painkillers every day is more risky than taking a larger dose once a week. 

It is often picked up when patients head to the doctor to ask for stronger painkillers, unaware that the ones they are already using may be causing the problem!