Is it a migraine or a headache?
Migraine is more than a bad headache — it's a neurological condition with a distinct set of features. The everyday tension-type headache is usually a dull, pressing, both-sided ache; a migraine more often brings throbbing pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound, and it can leave you unable to carry on as normal.
What sets migraine apart
Typical migraine features include moderate-to-severe pain that is often throbbing or pulsating, frequently (though not always) on one side of the head, and made worse by routine activity. Alongside the pain, migraine commonly brings at least one of: nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light (photophobia), and sensitivity to sound (phonophobia). Some people also have aura beforehand. A tension-type headache, by contrast, tends to be milder, on both sides, tight or pressing rather than throbbing, and without the nausea or the light-and-sound sensitivity.
Why the difference matters
Migraine and tension-type headache are managed differently, so telling them apart genuinely matters — and many people who think they get 'stress headaches' are actually having mild migraine. The most reliable clues are the associated features: if a headache regularly comes with nausea, or drives you to a dark, quiet room, that points toward migraine. But the two can coexist, and only a clinician can make the call, using your history rather than a one-off.
How tracking helps
Recording each headache with its features — location, quality of pain, nausea, light and sound sensitivity, and how much it disrupts your day — builds a picture that distinguishes patterns far better than memory can. That record is exactly what helps a clinician separate migraine from other headache types. Temple captures those features per attack; it documents the pattern and doesn't diagnose. Temple is a tracking tool, not medical advice — for anything specific to you, consult a healthcare professional.
Temple records the features of each headache — pain type, nausea, light and sound sensitivity — so the migraine-versus-headache picture becomes clear over time.
Common questions
- How can I tell a migraine from a normal headache?
- The strongest clues are the extras: migraine often brings throbbing pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound, and tends to disrupt normal activity, whereas a tension-type headache is usually a milder, pressing ache on both sides without those features. A record of your symptoms helps a clinician tell them apart.
- Can I have both migraine and tension headaches?
- Yes. Many people experience more than one type of headache, which is part of why they can be hard to untangle. Logging the features of each episode makes the different patterns visible and supports an accurate assessment by a healthcare professional.