Â© iStockphoto.com /shauni. When we say that something gives us a headache, we mean that it's unpleasant, much like the literal headache it's likely to cause. Headaches are one of the most common maladies, but that's no comfort when you have one. Tension causes many headaches, and treatment usually involves taking a couple of aspirin and relaxing. But sometimes headaches become chronic, plaguing you despite your best efforts to thwart their head-splitting effects.