Taking care of yourself might help ease chronic daily headaches.

Your headache pain may be serious if you have:

• sudden, very intense headache pain (thunderclap headache)
• severe or sharp headache pain for the first time.
• a stiff neck and fever.
• a fever higher than 102 to 104°F.
• nausea and vomiting.
• a nosebleed.
• fainting.
• dizziness or loss of balance.

At the first sign of a migraine, take a break and step away from whatever you’re doing if possible.

1. Turn off the lights. Migraines often increase sensitivity to light and sound.
2. Try temperature therapy. Apply hot or cold compresses to your head or neck.
3. Drink a caffeinated beverage.

1. Avoid headache triggers. Keeping a headache diary can help you determine what triggers your headaches so that you can avoid the triggers.
2. Avoid medication overuse.
3. Get enough sleep.
4. Don’t skip meals.
5. Exercise regularly.
6. Reduce stress.
7. Reduce caffeine.

Headaches can last between 30 minutes and several hours.

Tips to Get Rid of a Headache

1. Try a Cold Pack.
2. Use a Heating Pad or Hot Compress.
3. Ease Pressure on Your Scalp or Head.
4. Dim the Lights.
5. Try Not to Chew.
6. Hydrate.
7. Get Some Caffeine.
8. Practice Relaxation.

Simple OTC pain relievers are usually the first line of treatment for reducing headache pain. These include the drugs aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen (Aleve). Prescription medications include naproxen (Naprosyn), indomethacin (Indocin) and ketorolac (Ketorolac Tromethamine).