Headaches can last 30 minutes, several hours, or sometimes several days.

Do:

✔ Drink plenty of water 

✔ Get plenty of rest if you have a cold or the flu

✔ Try to relax – stress can make headaches worse

✔ Take paracetamol  or ibuprofen

✔ Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities

Don't

✖ Do not drink alcohol

✖ Do not skip meals (even if you might not feel like eating anything)

✖ Do not sleep more than you usually would – it can make the headache worse

✖ Do not strain your eyes for a long time – for example, by looking at a screen

See a GP if:

- Your headache keeps coming back

- Painkillers do not help and your headache gets worse

- You have a bad throbbing pain at the front or side of your head – it could be a migraine or, more rarely, a cluster headache

-You feel sick, vomit and find light or noise painful

Get an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if:

 A severe headache and:

- Jaw pain when eating

- Blurred or double vision

- A sore scalp

- Other symptoms, such as numbness or weakness in the arms or legs

Also get an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if your child is under 12 and has any 1 of the following:

 - A headache that wakes them at night

- A headache when they wake up in the morning

- A headache that gets progressively worse

- A headache triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing or bending down

- A headache with vomiting

- A headache with a squint (where the eyes point in different directions) or an inability to look upward

Call 999 or go to A&E if you or your child:

- Has a head injury – for example, from a fall or accident

- Has a headache that came on suddenly and is extremely painful

You or your child has an extremely painful headache and: 

- Sudden problems speaking or remembering things

- Loss of vision

- Feel drowsy or confused

- Has a very high temperature and symptoms of meningitis

- The white part of the eye is red

Also call 999 or go to A&E if your child is under 12 and has any 1 of the following:

- A headache with vision problems or difficulty speaking, swallowing, balancing or walking

- A headache with drowsiness or a persistent lack of energy

- A headache that starts within 5 days of a head injury

Common causes of headaches include: 

- Having a cold or flu

- Stress

- Drinking too much alcohol

- Bad posture

- Eyesight problems

- Not eating regular meals

- Not drinking enough fluids (dehydration)

- Taking too many painkillers

- Having your period or during menopause