What Is a Throbbing Headache?
Throbbing pain is one of the symptoms of a headache. It’s a pulsing, beating sensation that happens over and over again. Anyone can get this type of headache, but it’s more likely to happen to you if you're assigned female at birth (AFAB).
Certain conditions, such as migraines or caffeine withdrawal, can trigger a throbbing headache, and so can drinking too much alcohol.
Different areas of your head may also ache for different reasons. For instance, you might notice the back of your head pounds after you eat something cold. Or you may have a pulsing headache in the front of your head when your sinuses are infected. A throbbing headache on the right side or left side of your head sometimes signals a headache disorder.
Types of Throbbing Headaches
So far, experts have identified over 300 different types of headaches. They fall into two main categories: primary or secondary.
Primary headaches
These happen because blood vessels and nerves send pain signals to your brain. Other health conditions don't play a part. Some types of primary headaches are:
Tension-type headaches. These often happen due to clenching the muscles in your jaw, neck, or head. This is the most common type of primary headache.
Migraine attacks. They can cause intense throbbing on one side of your head as well as sensitivity to smells, lights, and sounds. Without treatment, a migraine episode can last up to 72 hours.
Trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TACs). These are headache disorders that cause pulsing pain around one eye or side of your face, as well as symptoms such as a runny nose or red, watery eyes.
Cluster headaches. They are extremely painful and can come on all of a sudden and usually affect one side of your head, behind or around one eye. They're called "clusters" because they may happen at the same time for many days in a row.
Hypnic headaches. They are sometimes called "alarm clock headaches" because the throbbing pain often wakes you up at night. They're most common in people who are over the age of 50.
Secondary headaches
Throbbing headaches can also be a symptom of other health issues such as:
- High blood pressure
- Head trauma
- Seizures
- Infections
- Stroke
- Brain tumor
What Causes Throbbing Headaches?
Your head can pound for many different reasons. Among them are:
Caffeine withdrawal
If you regularly drink or eat products with caffeine, your body can become used to it. If you suddenly cut back, you might feel symptoms of withdrawal.
In general, the more caffeine you’re used to, the worse your withdrawal symptoms will be. It's common to have a throbbing headache, which happens when your blood vessels expand too much.
Besides a headache, you could also have:
- Low energy
- Trouble staying awake
- Depressed mood
- An inability to focus
- Short temper
- Brain fog
- Flu-like symptoms
- Nausea or vomiting
- Muscle pain and stiffness
Eating or drinking something with caffeine in it is a quick way to get rid of withdrawal symptoms, including a throbbing headache.
But if you want to kick your caffeine habit and these symptoms for good, experts suggest reducing your caffeine intake slowly and replacing it with caffeine-free products.
In the meantime, you can treat your headache by:
- Taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicine
- Staying hydrated
- Getting rest
Hangover
This effect of drinking too much alcohol can last up to 3 days after drinking, but it usually doesn’t last that long.
One symptom of a hangover is throbbing pain on both sides of your head. This is because alcohol widens and irritates the blood vessels in your brain and nearby tissue.
Other hangover symptoms include:
Even after the alcohol is gone from your system, you could still have trouble with your:
- Memory
- Attention
- Reaction time
- Hand and finger coordination
Researchers are still studying whether hangover treatments actually work. But so far, experts recommend:
Drinking liquids. Water, broth, and some sports drinks can help prevent dehydration.
Avoiding more alcohol. Sometimes called the “hair of the dog,” the so-called hangover cure of drinking more alcohol will only make you feel worse as you get more dehydrated.
Taking a pain reliever. Avoid acetaminophen, as it can be hard on your liver. Take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) instead.
Eating healthy foods. Alcoholsaps your body of important nutrients, minerals, and vitamins such as B6 and B12. Eating healthy foods can help restore what you need. Fresh fruit is a good option. Salmon is another good choice since its omega-3 fatty acids can help fight inflammation.
Go to the hospital right away if your symptoms don’t go away after a few days, or you’re showing signs of an alcohol overdose, which include:
Migraine
These intense headaches happen over and over again. Your genes could play a part in whether or not you’ll get them.
Many factors can trigger a migraine attack, including stress, loud noises, certain foods, or changes in the weather. It usually causes throbbing pain, often on one side of your head.
Often, a migraine attack starts slowly, then gets worse and causes pulsing pain. Surprisingly, you can also have a migraine without any headache. If so, you'll still be sensitive to light, noise, and odors, feel sick to your stomach and throw up, or have pain when you move, cough, or sneeze.
The goal of migraine treatment is to ease your symptoms and stop future episodes. Your doctor could recommend a mix of medicine and home remedies:
Pain relief medication. OTC or prescription medicine that could be tablets, nasal sprays, or shots. It’s best to take them at the first sign of a migraine attack.
Preventive medication. You’ll take these drugs, maybe as often as every day, to lessen the number of migraine episodes you have and make them less severe.
Rest. Go to a quiet, dark room, close your eyes, and take a break.
Cold therapy. Cold packs or caps on your forehead or neck can cool the blood flowing through your vessels and ease inflammation.
Dehydration
Up to 60% of your body is made up of water. But you need to keep drinking fluids to restore what you lose through peeing and sweating. You can quickly get dehydrated if:
- You don't drink enough water
- You have diarrhea or are throwing up
- You're sweating a lot because of high heat or heavy exercise
Some medications and substances, such as alcohol, can also rob you of fluids. When this happens, tissues in your body, including your brain, start to shrink. The pressure this puts on your nerves can make your head pound. It might worsen when you shake your head or bend over.
Other signs of dehydration include:
- Dry mouth
- Dark-colored pee or not needing to pee
- Feeling really tired
- Dizziness
- Intense thirst or not feeling thirsty at all
Babies may have fewer wet diapers than usual and seem very tired and weak.
Often, a dehydration headache goes away in a few hours once you drink more water. Remember to:
Drink slowly, don't chug. Too much water at once may make you feel queasy.
Rest. If you're outside, find a cool, shady place to sit for a while.
Cool off. A cold washcloth or ice pack can help ease some of your head pain.
Try OTC pain relief. An NSAID usually works well. But if you have questions about which kind is best for you, check with your doctor.
Always call your doctor right away if your baby or child has a headache and appears dehydrated. It may be a medical emergency.
Sex
Rarely, having sex can bring on a headache. It may start as a mild ache in your head or neck, then get more intense. Or you could begin to have throbbing pain around the time that you orgasm.
Headaches associated with sexual activity (HAS) usually happen because you're doing a lot of sudden physical activity. They can happen to anyone but are more common if you're assigned male at birth (AMAB.)
Sometimes, HAS can get over in a few minutes. But in some cases, your pulsing head pain can last a few hours. Although everyone is different, you could notice:
- Pain all over your head or just on one side
- Migraine-like symptoms
- Very sudden, extremely intense pain
This kind of headache may be caused by an issue with the arteries and veins in your head. Because that can lead to a more severe issue, such as a stroke or brain aneurysm, it's important to talk to your doctor. They may decide to run tests to figure out the cause. If they can't find an underlying issue, they can advise you on how to prevent this type of pain in the future. That could involve:
- Taking OTC pain relief 30 minutes before you have sex
- Taking migraine medication as soon as your head begins to hurt
Cluster headaches
These painful repeat headaches may have to do with your hypothalamus, the part of your brain that controls your internal clock. You're more likely to have them if:
- You're AMAB
- You use tobacco
- You're between the ages of 20 and 50 (although people of all ages get them)
- Your parent or sibling also has cluster headaches
The signs include:
- Sharp or stabbing head pain that often starts behind one eye
- Extreme pain that may cause you to pace or rock back and forth
- Tearing
- Facial sweating
- Eye symptoms on the affected side (such as redness, swelling, or a drooping eyelid)
- Stuffy or runny nose on the affected side
Cluster headaches often happen at least once daily, usually at the same time each day or night. After a few days, months, or even a year, they abruptly end. You'll be pain-free until another cluster period begins.
See your doctor if you have cluster headaches. Plenty of treatments can help stop or prevent these painful attacks. It is also important to stick to a sleep schedule. Going to bed and getting up at different times is known to be a common trigger for cluster headaches.
Occipital neuralgia
You have one occipital nerve on either side of your head. Each starts at your spine and extends over the top of your scalp. If one or both of these nerves become inflamed or irritated, you can start to have symptoms such as:
- Throbbing pain
- "Zapping" pain in one side of your head
- A scalp that's tender to the touch
- Numbness in part of your head
Occipital neuralgia is usually due to tight muscles, a pinched nerve, or a head or neck injury.
Treatment can include:
- Massage
- Physical therapy
- Heating pads
- NSAIDs
- Steroid shots (with or without Botox)
- Nerve blocks
- Muscle relaxants
- Surgery to release a pinched occipital nerve or to block pain signals from reaching your brain
Once your nerves have a chance to heal, your head pain should go away. Trying to keep your neck muscles relaxed and limber can help prevent your symptoms from coming back. Your doctor or physical therapist will be able to give you stretching exercises to do at home.
Temporal arteritis
Also known as giant cell arteritis, this condition makes the arteries of your head and neck swollen and tight. Besides throbbing head pain, usually at your temples, you could have:
- Tender scalp
- Jaw pain, especially when you chew
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Vision changes (including double vision, blurry vision, or not being able to see out of one eye)
- Muscle aches
- Lack of appetite
- Weight loss
Experts still aren't sure what causes temporal arteritis. It appears to be an autoimmune condition, meaning that your immune system is mistakenly attacking your body. Stress, a recent infection, and your genes could also be factors.
Treatment for temporal arteritis usually consists of high doses of corticosteroids. You may need to take this medication for a year or longer. Other drugs that suppress your immune system can also be useful.
If left untreated, temporal arteritis can result in vision loss. But if you catch it early, you should recover and be able to manage any relapses. Most people see their symptoms improve soon after they start taking medication.
Hemicrania continua
If you have this headache disorder, you'll have pounding pain in one side of your face. It's common to feel like it's right behind one eye. Other symptoms of hemicrania continua are:
- Red eyes
- Tearing up
- A drooping eyelid
- Runny nose
- Feeling sick to your stomach
- Vomiting
- Sensitivity to light and noise
Symptoms often last at least 3 months.
Doctors still don't know what causes hemicrania continua. However, it appears more common in adults who are AFAB. Intense physical activity and drinking alcohol are both known to make the pain worse.
To treat hemicrania continua, your doctor will likely prescribe indomethacin (Tivorbex), a prescription-strength NSAID that often quickly reduces symptoms. Some types of antidepressants or NSAIDs can also be given instead.
Throbbing Headache Diagnosis
To figure out what's causing your headaches, your doctor will start by doing an exam and asking you questions about your symptoms. For instance:
- What part of your head hurts?
- What makes the pain better or worse?
- How long does the pain last?
- What other symptoms do you have besides throbbing pain?
- What were you doing right before your headache?
- How have you been sleeping?
- Have you recently gone through any stressful events?
- What did you have to eat or drink on the day of your last headache?
- What prescription, over-the-counter, or illegal drugs do you use?
- Does anyone else in your family get headaches or have a headache disorder?
Because symptoms for many types of headaches can overlap, your doctor may order tests to get more information and rule out other health conditions. That could include:
- Urine (pee) and blood tests, to look for infections.
- Checking the fluid around your spinal cord and brain since abnormal amounts of pressure can cause headaches.
- Imaging tests, such as a CT or MRI scan, can spot areas of damage in your brain tissue or blood vessels.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures your brain waves and can check for issues such as inflammation, head trauma, and tumors.
When to See a Doctor for Throbbing Headaches
See your doctor if:
- You have two or more headaches a week
- You have a headache that won't go away or keeps coming back
- You have head pain after a head injury
- You usually don't have headaches, but now get them (especially if you're 50 or older or have a history of cancer or HIV/AIDS)
If your child has repeated headaches, it's important to call their doctor right away. They can help you figure out the next steps to take.
Go to an ER or call 911 if you have any of these symptoms along with a severe headache:
- Stiff neck
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Feeling confused
- Feeling weak or numb in a part of your body
- Vision changes (such as double vision)
- Loss of consciousness (passing out)
- Shortness of breath
- Seizures
Takeaways
Headache disorders and migraine disease are very common. Experts still don't understand a lot about throbbing head pain, but many treatments can help lessen its impact or try to prevent it from happening again. Seeing a headache specialist may help you get diagnosed and treated more quickly.
Throbbing Headache FAQs
Does a throbbing headache mean high blood pressure?
It can be hard to tell if a severe headache is due to a spike in your blood pressure, or if your blood pressure is high because your head hurts. High blood pressure can also cause other symptoms, including:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain or tightness
- Blurred vision
- Feeling sick to your stomach
If you notice these symptoms along with your headache, get checked out by a doctor right away.
What foods can avoid a throbbing headache?
Some people who experience migraine attacks report that foods such as these can trigger them:
- Alcohol
- Aspartame
- Beans
- Caffeine
- Cheeses
- Yogurt
- Processed meats that contain sulfites (such as bacon, sausage, and salami)
But more research needs to be done to back up these claims. So far, small studies have shown that no single food is a headache trigger for everyone. Keeping a headache diary will help you learn which, if any, foods cause your head to hurt. If so, you'll start to have symptoms within 12 to 24 hours of eating it.
Why do I get throbbing headaches at night?
Several different types of headaches, including cluster headaches and hypnic headaches, can start at night. A migraine attack can wake you from sleep, too. Let your doctor know what you're experiencing so they know how best to treat you.
