Over 90% of people who believe they have "sinus headaches" actually meet the clinical criteria for migraine. The confusion stems from the trigeminal nerve controlling both migraine pain pathways and sinus blood vessels.
When a migraine attack occurs, the trigeminal nerve causes the sinuses to swell and produce clear discharge (rhinorrhea), leading patients to assume they have a sinus infection. A true sinus infection presents with thick, colored mucus and a fever — symptoms almost never present during a migraine.
If your "sinus headache" includes light sensitivity (photophobia), nausea, or disability-level pain, it is almost certainly a migraine. Treating a migraine with sinus decongestants can actually lead to rebound headaches. By tracking your symptoms, you can show your doctor that your pain correlates with light or stress rather than pollen counts.
The Relief app correlates your attacks with weather, sleep, food, and more — automatically.
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