We've all been there: Your head starts throbbing painfully. As the pressure builds, you might have a sense that this headache is particularly nasty; you might even question if you're experiencing a full-blown migraine.
Still, it can be difficult to tell whether you're having a typical headache or a migraine — especially when your head feels like it's going to split in two. Let's explore the differences between migraines and headaches, and why it's important to be able to tell them apart.
What Is a Migraine?
Simply put, a migraine is more than just a "bad" headache. This neurological disease is often lifelong, characterized by recurring, throbbing pain — typically on one side of the head — and several other symptoms that can leave an individual bedridden for days.
In general, headaches can be a symptom of other conditions, and can mean a lot of things, says Sara Austin, a neurologist at the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School. But migraines are just one type of primary headache, and have specific diagnostic criteria, adds Timothy Collins, a neurologist at Duke University.
