Tom, 67, a retired accountant from Texas, had grown used to headaches. For years, he’d blamed them on “tax season flashbacks,” his grandkids’ noisy weekend visits, or the scorching summer heat. So when a dull, throbbing pain settled behind his eyes last spring and refused to leave—even after popping ibuprofen and napping—he figured it was just “one of those weeks.” He powered through his morning walks, his weekly coffee with friends, even his wife’s book club meetings, grinning and bearing it. It wasn’t until he forgot his granddaughter’s birthday (something he’d never done) and stumbled while reaching for a glass that his wife insisted he see a doctor.
The diagnosis? Not stress. A mild case of temporal arteritis—an inflammation of the blood vessels in the head that’s common in people over 50. “The doctor said if I’d waited another week, it could’ve led to vision loss,” Tom says. “I always thought headaches were just part of getting older, like creaky knees or forgetting where I put my keys. Turns out, they’re your body’s way of yelling, ‘Hey, something’s wrong!’”
If you’re over 50, you’ve probably had your share of headaches. You’ve chalked them up to a bad night’s sleep, too much screen time, or even “just being tired.” And let’s be real—stress does cause a lot of headaches. But here’s the thing doctors want you to know: when a headache lingers (more than a day or two), gets worse over time, or comes with weird symptoms (like blurry vision, dizziness, or numbness), it’s rarely just stress. It could be a sign of something more serious—something that needs attention, fast.
Let’s start with the one that got Tom: temporal arteritis. It’s also called giant cell arteritis, and it’s an autoimmune condition where the body attacks the large and medium blood vessels in the head, especially the ones near the temples. “It’s most common in people over 50, and women are twice as likely to get it as men,” says Dr. Sarah Patel, a neurologist in Dallas who treats dozens of seniors for headache-related issues. “The classic symptom is a throbbing headache near the temples, but it can also cause jaw pain when chewing, blurry or double vision, or even fever and weight loss. A lot of patients brush it off as ‘stress’ or ‘sinus pressure,’ but temporal arteritis is an emergency—if left untreated, it can cause permanent vision loss or even stroke.”
Then there are sinus headaches—but wait, do you actually have a sinus infection? “Sinus headaches are caused by inflammation in the sinuses, usually from an infection,” Dr. Patel explains. “They feel like a heavy pressure around the eyes, nose, and cheeks, and they often get worse when you bend over. But here’s the catch: only about 5% of ‘sinus headaches’ are actually sinus-related. Most are migraines in disguise—especially in seniors.” Migraines in older adults can be tricky: they might not come with the “classic” symptoms like nausea or sensitivity to light (though some do), and they often feel like a dull, constant pain instead of a throbbing one. “I had a patient, 72, who swore she had sinus headaches every winter,” Dr. Patel says. “She’d take decongestants for weeks, but they never helped. Turns out, she was having migraines triggered by the cold, dry air. Once we started her on a migraine medication, her ‘sinus headaches’ disappeared.”
Another common culprit? Medication overuse. If you’re taking over-the-counter painkillers (like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin) for headaches more than two or three times a week, you could be making your headaches worse. “It’s a cycle,” Dr. Patel says. “You have a headache, so you take a pill. The pill works for a few hours, but then it wears off—and your body craves more, so you get another headache. We call this a ‘rebound headache,’ and it’s super common in seniors who have chronic pain (like arthritis) and use painkillers regularly. The fix? Stop taking the over-the-counter pills for a week or two (under a doctor’s supervision, of course) and switch to a preventive medication. It’s hard at first—you might have a few bad days—but it’s the only way to break the cycle.”
And let’s not forget about sleep—specifically, sleep apnea. If you snore loudly, gasp for air at night, or wake up feeling tired even after 8 hours of sleep, you might have sleep apnea. “Sleep apnea causes your breathing to stop and start throughout the night, which lowers your oxygen levels and disrupts your sleep,” Dr. Patel says. “That disruption can trigger headaches—usually dull, heavy ones that feel worst when you wake up. A lot of seniors don’t realize they have sleep apnea—they just think they’re ‘bad sleepers.’ But treating it with a CPAP machine (a device that helps you breathe at night) can make those morning headaches disappear.”
So how do you tell if your lingering headache is “just stress” or something more? Dr. Patel has a simple checklist:
- How long has it lasted? If it’s been more than 48 hours, or if it’s getting worse instead of better, it’s time to worry.
- Does it come with other symptoms? Blurry vision, double vision, numbness or tingling in your face or arms, dizziness, fever, or jaw pain—any of these mean you need to see a doctor ASAP.
- Is it different from your usual headaches? If it’s a new type of pain (e.g., sharp instead of dull, on one side instead of both), or if it’s the worst headache you’ve ever had (“the thunderclap headache”), don’t wait—go to the ER.
- Are you taking painkillers too often? If you’re popping pills more than three times a week, you could be causing rebound headaches.
Tom, for his part, is now a “headache detective.” He keeps a notebook where he writes down when his headaches start, what he was doing before, and if they come with any other symptoms. “It sounds dorky, but it helps,” he laughs. “Last month, I had a small headache, and I noticed it started right after I started taking a new allergy pill. I told my doctor, and she switched my meds—no more headache. I used to just tough it out, but now I know better.”
The biggest takeaway? Don’t ignore a lingering headache. You’ve spent decades taking care of your family, your job, your home—now it’s time to take care of this. Stress is real, and it does cause headaches—but so do things that need treatment. A 15-minute doctor’s visit could be all it takes to figure out what’s going on.
Dr. Patel puts it best: “Your body doesn’t give you headaches for no reason. They’re a signal. All you have to do is listen.” So the next time a headache lingers, don’t reach for another pill. Reach for your phone. Make an appointment. Your head—and your health—will thank you.