Most headaches last between 30 minutes and a few hours, but the full range spans from 15 minutes to several days depending on the type. A tension headache, the most common kind, can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a full week. Migraines typically run one to two days. Knowing which type you’re dealing with helps you gauge whether yours is running a normal course or something worth paying attention to.
Tension Headaches: 30 Minutes to a Week
Tension headaches are what most people mean when they say “I have a headache.” They feel like a band of pressure around your forehead or the sides and back of your head. An individual episode lasts from 30 minutes to seven days, though most resolve within a few hours, especially with rest or an over-the-counter pain reliever.
If you’re getting these headaches 15 or more days a month for at least three months, they’ve crossed into chronic territory. Chronic tension headaches often feel like a low-grade pressure that never fully lifts. Stress, poor sleep, and long hours at a screen are common drivers, and managing those tends to matter more than any single medication.
Migraines: One to Two Days on Average
A migraine attack is more than just the headache itself. The pain phase, the part most people focus on, lasts four hours to three days. But the full experience includes earlier warning signs (fatigue, food cravings, mood changes) and a recovery period afterward where you may feel drained or foggy. From start to finish, a complete migraine episode typically runs one to two days, though at its longest it can stretch past a week.
About one in four people with migraines also experience an aura, which involves visual disturbances like flashing lights or zigzag lines. Aura usually resolves within an hour and typically appears before the pain kicks in.
Menstrual Migraines Last Longer
If your worst migraines line up with your period, that’s not a coincidence. Research published in the journal Neurology found that migraines occurring near menstruation last longer, hit harder, and respond less well to treatment than migraines at other times of the cycle. They also come with more light and sound sensitivity and are more likely to recur. Women using hormonal contraception with a monthly withdrawal bleed had the same pattern. This means if your period-related migraine drags on longer than your usual attacks, that’s typical for the type.
Cluster Headaches: 15 Minutes to 3 Hours
Cluster headaches are shorter than migraines but far more intense. A single attack lasts 15 minutes to three hours, with 30 minutes being average. The pain is sharp, piercing, and centered around one eye. What makes them especially disruptive is their frequency: they can strike up to eight times a day during an active cluster period, which commonly lasts about three months. These cycles often recur seasonally, then disappear entirely for months or years before returning.
Sinus Headaches: About a Week
A genuine sinus headache is tied to a sinus infection, and the headache sticks around until the infection clears. That usually takes a week to 10 days. The pain sits behind your cheekbones, forehead, or the bridge of your nose and tends to worsen when you bend forward. It’s worth noting that many self-diagnosed “sinus headaches” are actually migraines. If you don’t have thick nasal discharge, fever, or other signs of infection, a migraine is the more likely culprit.
Post-Concussion Headaches: Two to Three Weeks
After a concussion, headaches are one of the most common symptoms. They typically begin within seven days of the injury and resolve on their own within two to three weeks as the brain heals. During that window, gradually returning to normal activity rather than strict bed rest helps most people recover on schedule. If headaches persist beyond a month, they’re considered persistent post-traumatic headaches and may need a different management approach.
Caffeine Withdrawal Headaches: Two to Nine Days
If you suddenly stop drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks, expect a headache to show up within a day or two. These withdrawal headaches typically last two to nine days. They feel dull and throbbing, similar to a tension headache, and tend to be worse in the morning. Tapering your caffeine intake gradually, rather than quitting cold turkey, shortens or prevents them entirely.
Medication Overuse Headaches
Taking pain relievers too frequently, generally more than two or three days a week, can paradoxically cause headaches to become more frequent and persistent. These rebound headaches create a cycle where the medication that once helped now sustains the problem. After you stop the overused medication, most people see their headaches fade within two months. In more severe cases, it can take up to six months for the cycle to fully break. The withdrawal period is often uncomfortable, with headaches temporarily worsening before they improve.
When a Headache Is an Emergency
A thunderclap headache reaches maximum intensity within 60 seconds. It feels like the worst headache of your life, arriving all at once rather than building gradually. This pattern can signal a brain bleed or other serious vascular event and requires immediate emergency care.
Other warning signs that a headache needs urgent attention include headache with a stiff neck and fever, headache after a head injury that keeps getting worse, a new headache pattern after age 50, or headache accompanied by confusion, weakness on one side of your body, or vision loss. The key distinction is whether the headache follows a familiar pattern you’ve had before or feels genuinely different from anything you’ve experienced.
When “Normal” Duration Becomes Chronic
Any headache type can become chronic. The clinical threshold is headaches on 15 or more days per month for at least three months. For chronic migraine specifically, at least eight of those days need to have migraine features like throbbing pain, nausea, or sensitivity to light. If your headaches have been creeping up in frequency over weeks or months, that gradual shift is worth tracking. A simple headache diary noting when they start, how long they last, and what you took for them gives you and your provider a clear picture of what’s changed.