For intense and chronic headaches, see your doctor.

Besides making a diagnosis and prescribing treatment, your doctor can make sure your symptoms aren't caused by a more serious disorder, such as a brain tumor, aneurysm or meningitis.

Determining the kind of headache you have is critical to proper treatment, says Susan Hutchinson, M.D., director of the Orange County Migraine & Headache Center in Irvine, Calif., and author of The Woman's Guide to Managing Migraine^[1] (Oxford University Press).

Read on to decode your headache and find treatment fast.

1. Tension headache
This is the most common type of headache – the kind you notice on a Monday morning or during a traffic jam when you're running late.

Some describe it as a tight band around the head. It usually targets the area a baseball cap would cover, like the forehead, temples, top of the head and, sometimes, the eyes.

While frustrating, "a tension-type headache typically doesn't interfere your ability to carry out activities," says Sheena Aurora, M.D., clinical associate professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she is part of the Headache Clinic.

Common causes: Environmental triggers, such as eyestrain from poor lighting and bad posture. Certain emotions – particularly grief, stress, depression and anxiety – can also bring on or worsen them.

Best treatments: This type of headache responds well to over-the-counter treatments such as ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Excedrin, a caffeine-acetaminophen-aspirin combo.