The afternoon throb arrives, and you wonder whether to take a painkiller or wait it out. The NHS says headaches can last 30 minutes, several hours, or sometimes several days, but that most go away on their own and are not a sign of something more serious. At home it suggests drinking plenty of water, resting, relaxing, and taking paracetamol or ibuprofen. But a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, or comes with slurred speech or numbness, is an emergency. This sets out the NHS page “Headaches”, with the US National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus added for how often painkillers become too often.
1. Water, rest, relax, and painkillers if needed. Avoid skipping meals, oversleeping, long screen time and alcohol.
2. Taking painkillers too often is itself a cause. MedlinePlus says more than 3 days a week can lead to rebound headaches.
3. Sudden severe pain, numbness, slurred speech, or a stiff neck with fever is an emergency. Don’t drive yourself, the page says.
How long, and what to do at home — NHS
The NHS says headaches can last 30 minutes, several hours, or sometimes several days, and starts by saying most go away on their own. Its home advice comes in four parts: drink plenty of water; get plenty of rest if you also have a cold or flu; try to relax, since stress can make headaches worse; and take paracetamol or ibuprofen. If you also have a high temperature or don’t feel well enough for normal activities, it adds, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.
| Type | What the NHS says | Worth noting (our gloss) |
|---|---|---|
| Do | Drink plenty of water | Dehydration is on the causes list |
| Do | Get plenty of rest if you also have a cold or flu | — |
| Do | Try to relax | Stress can make it worse |
| Do | Take paracetamol or ibuprofen | On frequency, see below |
| Don’t | Skip meals, even if you don’t feel like eating | Irregular meals are on the causes list |
| Don’t | Sleep more than you usually would | It can make the headache worse |
| Don’t | Strain your eyes for a long time, such as at a screen | — |
| Don’t | Drink alcohol | — |
Contrary to the idea of sleeping a headache off, the NHS says sleeping more than usual can make it worse. Ways to rest your eyes at a screen are in eye strain relief.
Common causes — NHS
The NHS lists nine common causes: 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, and periods or the menopause (hormone headache). Severe headaches can sometimes be caused by a migraine or cluster headache, it adds.
To find your own triggers, the NHS suggests a headache diary, which might help you work out what sets them off. The page we read doesn’t say what to record. Our reading is that the causes list above doubles as the columns: when it hurt, meals and water, sleep, alcohol, screen time and the days you took painkillers (our reading).
Posture stretches are in text neck stretches, and how much to drink is in daily water intake.
When painkillers become too often — MedlinePlus
The NHS page lists “taking too many painkillers” as a cause but gives no number of days. MedlinePlus, from the US National Library of Medicine, does on its tension headache page: taking pain medicines more than 3 days a week may lead to rebound headaches (headaches that keep coming back because of overused pain medicine), and you should make an appointment if you need pain medicine more than 3 days a week. The same page says tension headaches may last 30 minutes to 7 days and happen when neck and scalp muscles become tense or contract. It also warns that too much acetaminophen (paracetamol) can damage the liver.
The two duration statements differ slightly — the NHS says “30 minutes, several hours, or sometimes several days” for headaches in general, while MedlinePlus says “30 minutes to 7 days” for tension headaches. They describe different things, so both are given as written. If you take several medicines, see medicines for older adults too.
When to get help — NHS
| Where | When | Worth noting (our gloss) |
|---|---|---|
| GP | The headache isn’t improving or is getting worse · you get headaches regularly | A headache diary helps you explain |
| Urgent advice (GP or NHS 111) | Vision or eye problems · vomiting · triggered by coughing, sneezing, bending or exercise · jaw pain when eating · tender scalp · a child’s headache that is worsening or waking them at night | — |
| Emergency (999 or A&E) | A seizure · numbness or weakness · sudden, severe onset · head injury in the last 3 months · trouble speaking or walking · drowsiness or confusion · loss of vision · a rash that doesn’t fade under a glass · high temperature and stiff neck | Don’t drive yourself, the page says |
999 is the UK emergency number and NHS 111 its medical helpline. One-sided weakness and slurred speech also appear in stroke warning signs, and choosing between A&E and a clinic is covered in ER vs local clinic.
Checklist
- ☐ A glass of water, a short rest, try to relax
- ☐ Don’t skip meals; avoid oversleeping, alcohol and long screen time
- ☐ Needing painkillers more than 3 days a week? See a doctor
- ☐ Frequent headaches? Keep a diary
- ☐ Sudden severe pain, numbness, slurred speech, or stiff neck with fever: call emergency services
Questions that remain
Does coffee help a headache?
The NHS headache page we read doesn’t list caffeine as a do or a don’t, so we haven’t answered it here.
How many painkillers a day is safe?
It depends on the medicine, and this page gives no doses. Follow the leaflet and ask a pharmacist. What MedlinePlus gives is a frequency: more than 3 days a week.
If headaches are worse at home and ease outside, the NHS says to think of carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide poisoning).
Sources
- NHS — Headaches — source (page shows: reviewed 17 April 2024, next review 17 April 2027; checked 12 October 2026). Duration, 5 dos and 4 don’ts, 9 causes, headache diary, GP, urgent and 999 lists.
- MedlinePlus — Tension headache — source (page shows: reviewed 27 October 2025; checked 12 October 2026). Painkillers more than 3 days a week and rebound headaches, 30 minutes to 7 days, muscle tension, acetaminophen and the liver.
- Not read. NHS “Medication overuse headaches” (would not load); Korean agency headache guidance.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the diary column examples.
Where else to check
- A pharmacist — painkiller doses and other medicines you take.
Written on 12 October 2026. The content is from the NHS and MedlinePlus; the glosses are ours.