There are a number of reasons why you may be experiencing sharp pains in your head. Headaches can be of different types and indicative of various things that could be wrong with you. Like a fever, a headache is mostly a symptom of other health-related issues and not a disease in itself.

Moreover, headaches can be temporary (such as due to a hangover or brain freeze) or chronic as a result of complications like migraines. Depending on the condition, headaches can range from a dull thud in your head to sharp, shooting pains. Now before you jump to conclusions about the shooting pains in your head, let's look at some of the possible causes of such headaches.

Causes of Sharp, Shooting Pain in Your Head

There could be a number of reasons why you're feeling a sharp pain in your head - let's find out the most common causes of such headaches.

1. Hangover

As previously mentioned, temporary headaches can be caused by a hangover. Sometimes, a night of merrymaking with alcohol can come back to bite you the next morning with a headache.

Contrary to popular belief, hangover headaches are not only a result of dehydration. A study in PLOS ONE postulated that the ethanol in alcohol can inflame certain blood vessels in your head which then combine with dehydration to cause headaches in the morning.

Hangover-related headaches can range from a dull throb to intense, sharp pain in your head, depending on the amount of alcohol consumed.

2. Eating something cold

We all love our slushies, but nobody loves the sharp, shooting pain caused by brain freeze that may set in the instant you sip your icy drink.

Headaches induced by brain freeze occur when you consume something cold like ice cream, cold drinks with a lot of ice, or super cold milkshakes. These headaches are sharp pains that can be felt at the front of your head as well as the sides near the temples. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic believe that cold foods or drinks cause your blood vessels to constrict, and when the blood vessels relax, you feel the sharp and shooting pains associated with brain freeze.

This type of headaches is not fatal and passes quite quickly; however, if you do feel severe discomfort at the moment, drink something warm to ease the pain.

3. Migraines

Migraine-related headaches are more commonly experienced by women, but they can affect anyone. The severity of migraine headaches depends on the individual. What one may feel as sharp shooting pains may just as well be a minor annoyance to someone else.

Migraine headaches generally originate around an eye or temple and proceed to a dull, throbbing, and persistent ache that moves to the back of the head. Movement generally makes migraine headaches worse, and these headaches can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, watery eyes, runny nose, or light sensitivity.

4. Ice pick headaches

As the name suggests, such headaches are a characterized by sharp, knife-like pain in a certain region of the head or behind an ear. These pains appear suddenly and can be startling, but they generally last only up to 30 seconds. Ice pick headaches are a recurring problem, and you may suffer such pains sporadically rather than enduring long, drawn-out bouts of throbbing pain like those related to migraine headaches.

According to most physicians, ice pick headaches are not dangerous and can be triggered by stress, sudden movement, or bright lights.

5. Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches mostly affect men and are often genetic. This kind of a headache is characterized by sharp pain that appears on one particular side of your head and recurs daily at the same time. Cluster headaches strike repeatedly and escalate from shooting pains to a dull throb that may last more than an hour. This kind of a headache strikes you suddenly and can cause discomfort for several days before disappearing for weeks or months.

6. Stroke

To put it simply, a stroke is your brain's version of a heart attack. A stroke is caused when blood flow to a part of the brain is suddenly constricted, causing that particular part of the brain to stop functioning. This can cause sudden, intense pain in your head and is accompanied by muscle weakness, numbness, slurred speech.

In severe cases, a stroke can lead to paralysis or death.

7. Brain tumor

A tumor in your brain can cause pressure on the blood vessels and nerves in your brain. Sometimes, headaches caused by a brain tumor are accompanied by seizures, mostly in the mornings. You may feel the pain intensify after coughing, sneezing, or even during and/or after a workout.

However, according to Cancer Research UK, if severe headaches are your only symptom, it's unlikely you have a tumor in your brain.

When to Consult a Doctor for Your Headache

Most types of headaches are harmless. However, if you experience the following symptoms, it may be time to consult your doctor:

• Your headache is accompanied by stiffness in your neck.
  
  
• You are experiencing blurred vision, seizures, numbness, or other weakness in different parts of your body.
  
  
• You have nausea, fever, and vomiting that are unrelated to any other medical condition.
  
  
• You are experiencing stabbing pains after a head injury.

Common Treatment for Such Headaches

The initial treatment for sharp, shooting headaches that do not have a potentially fatal cause (for example, not related to a stroke or brain tumor) is to opt for over-the-counter painkillers such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. Next, if a headache persists or recurs frequently, you may want to consult with your doctor and work on managing stress and adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Final Thoughts

Headaches can be caused by a number of things - some fatal and some harmless, so it's important to first understand the causes and other symptoms that accompany your headache before jumping to a conclusion. In conclusion, it's always important to consult a doctor who knows your medical history rather than self-medicate.