Migraine vs. sinus headache

Many people confuse a sinus headache with a migraine because pain and pressure in the sinuses, nasal congestion, and watery eyes often occur with migraine. To find out if your headache is sinus or migraine, ask yourself these questions:

In addition to my sinus symptoms, do I have:

   1. moderate-to-severe headache
   2. nausea
   3. sensitivity to light

If you answer "yes" to two or three of these questions, then most likely you have migraine with sinus symptoms. A true sinus headache is rare and usually occurs due to sinus infection. In a sinus infection, you would also likely have a fever and thick nasal secretions that are yellow, green, or blood-tinged. A sinus headache should go away with treatment of the infection.

When to seek help

Sometimes, headache can signal a more serious problem. You should talk to your doctor about your headaches if:

    * you have several headaches per month and each lasts for several hours or days
    * your headaches disrupt your home, work, or school life
    * you have nausea, vomiting, vision, or other sensory problems (such as numbness or tingling)
    * you have pain around the eye or ear
    * you have a severe headache with a stiff neck
    * you have a headache with confusion or loss of alertness
    * you have a headache with convulsions
    * you have a headache after a blow to the head
    * you used to be headache-free, but now have headaches a lot