So Youre Here Because You Either Currently Have A Painful Headache Or Have Experienced One Before Well Read On For Some Tips That Will Help You Find Relief
So youre here because you either currently have a painful headache or have experienced one before. Well, read on for some tips that will help you find relief.
Symptoms
Headaches caused by stress tend to cause pain, tenderness, pressure around your forehead and neck. These types of headaches are most commonly seen in adults and can be episodic or chronic. You might also experience irritability, muscle aches, and trouble focusing.
Causes
Stress headaches can be caused by bad posture, especially now since were all cooped up on our couches. Other causes can include anxiety, hunger, and not enough rest. So how would you go about treating stress headaches?
Treatments
While the measures that work for different individuals vary, the following treatments have been found to relieve stress headaches effectively.
The easiest way
The easiest way to relieve a stress headache is to go to your local drugstore and pick up any medication that has ibuprofen. Other ways you can relieve stress headaches easily include: getting an adequate amount of sleep, eating healthy, exercising, and fixing your posture.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is another way to relieve stress headaches. It involves inserting thin needles into specific areas of your body to ease the pain. Stimulating nerves and muscles, acupuncture can also help manage stress and boost your wellbeing.
Meditation
IV Therapy
When to see a doctor
You Arent Experiencing Neurological Symptoms Or Nausea
With a migraine, you will likely experience neurological symptoms and nausea. If you dont have those symptoms, you could have a stress headache instead. You wont have a change in vision, hearing, or sense of smell.
Migraines also cause nausea and vomiting, often as a result of neurological changes. If you dont have nausea, you might have a tension headache rather than a different type.
Stress Headache Relief Techniques That Work
Do you suffer from tension headache, commonly known as stress headache?
Wouldnt you want to know the stress headache relief techniques to ease you from the pain?
I do suffer sometimes from such tensions headaches, and am always on the lookout for better stress headache relief methods. Do you too?
Experts say that tension headaches are more common in middle-aged women!
Not only that, about 20% of the worlds population suffered from it at some time or the other, including men.
If youre concerned, then you must know the stress signs and its causes. Sometimes you experience stress at your workplace, else you have stress in the family.
This mental stress often translates into and extends to physical stress and pain in the body. A healthy lifestyle would definitely help reduce stress related headaches.
If you wish to change your lifestyle then you can read my posts on lifestyle besides my post about how to cope with stress in general.
But this post is particularly about headaches arising due to stress and other factors, and the ways to get rid of them.
You all can make your life easy if you know the best stress headache relief techniques and follow them.
Lets start quickly by first trying to understand all about stress headache, which is technically known as tension-type headache.
Every head has its own headache ~ Arab Proverb
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Dull Aching Pain Or Discomfort In The Head Scalp Neck Or Shoulders
Anytime you experience pain, tension, or discomfort in these areas, it could indicate a tension headache. You will likely notice a dull, throbbing pain on the top, sides, or front of your head. Your muscles will become tense and hard, especially in the shoulder and neck area.
When youre experiencing a stress headache, the muscle pain and tenseness will begin before the headache starts. Plus, the tense muscles can continue even after the headache has gone away. e
Symptoms Of A Tension Headache
Symptoms of a tension headache include:
- dull head pain
- pressure around the forehead
- tenderness around the forehead and scalp
The pain is usually mild or moderate, but it can also be intense. In this case, you might confuse your tension headache with a migraine. This is a type of headache that causes throbbing pain on one or both sides of your head.
However, tension headaches dont have all the symptoms of migraines, such as nausea and vomiting. In rare cases, a tension headache can lead to sensitivity to light and loud noise, similar to migraines.
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How Can I Be Sure It Is Not A More Serious Type Of Headache
With tension headaches, you are normally well between headaches, and have no other ongoing symptoms. A doctor diagnoses tension headaches by their description. In addition, there is nothing abnormal to find if a doctor examines you . Tests are not needed unless you have unusual symptoms, or something other than chronic tension headache is suspected. Of particular note, medication-overuse headache should be ruled out as this can often be mistaken for chronic tension headache.
Compared to migraine, a tension headache is usually less severe, and is constant rather than throbbing. Also, migraine attacks usually cause a one-sided headache, and many people with a migraine attack feel sick or are sick . Some people have both migraine attacks and tension headaches at different times. In addition, some people find that one of the types of headaches is followed by another, perhaps because the pain and tiredness due to the first headache cause the second.
Why Am I Experiencing Stress
There are a variety of reasons why you may be experiencing stress-related headaches. Anxiety, fatigue, and general stress can all contribute to stress-related headaches. Certain health conditions, including arthritis, may also cause headaches.
Poor posture can also contribute to stress-related headaches. When the muscles become tense, it causes the blood vessels to dilate, which can lead to discomfort in the neck and head regions. This may also cause stress-related headaches and other types of headaches to worsen.
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Types Of Headaches And Their Causes
Below are 10 common types of headaches, according to Healthline.
- Cluster
- Rebound
- Hypertension
If youre unsure what kind of headache youre experiencing, no problem! Your physical therapist will be able to diagnose and treat it accordingly.
Migraines are the most dreaded of headaches. A migraine attack may go far beyond the crushing headache it is notorious for producing, causing symptoms such as:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sound and/or light sensitivity
- Visual distortions known as auras
While its hard to pin down the underlying causes behind migraines, many of the triggers are well known and they include stress. In addition to various foods, bright lights, loud sounds, weather changes, and hormonal swings, migraines can be set off by physical overexertion or emotional strain. Poor posture and arthritis are two other potential causes.
Cervicogenic headaches originate in the neck. These headaches are often caused by alignment problems or imbalances in the cervical spine. These imbalances place the neck muscles under physical stress, producing both headaches and neck pain. Emotional stress can also play a role in cervicogenic headaches since the muscle tightness they create can help to pull the neck out of alignment.
The Headache Begins In The Afternoon Or Evening
If your headaches often begin later in the day or at night, it is a good sign that stress is the cause. As the stresses of your day pile up, a tension headache can set in when it becomes too much.
Finding positive coping methods throughout the day can help release some of the problems later on. You can also try to identify which parts of your day are the most problematic and finding ways to change them.
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What Is A Tension Headache
Headache — a condition so common it’s the punch line for a number of jokes, but when you’re experiencing a headache, it’s no laughing matter.
When most people discuss headache, they’re typically referring to the most frequently experienced type of headache, a tension headache . Almost half of adults experienced a headache in the past year fortunately, for the majority of those individuals, the headache was mild, short-lived, and likely fell into the category of tension headache.
Children and teens can experience tension headache with a significant percentage of children having experienced tension headache by age 15. Females are often diagnosed with tension headaches than males.
Most tension headaches occur infrequently, and are usually short-lived . In rare cases the headache may last for many days. A tension headaches that occur more than 15 days each month are referred to as chronic tension headaches.
Tension headache pain
Stress And Chronic Pain
Why do you guys always want to know how much stress I have? While the patient who asked this question the other day had fibromyalgia, she could have had chronic low back or neck pain, chronic daily headaches, complex regional pain syndrome, or any other chronic pain condition. She was expressing a sentiment that I often hear in one form or another.
It goes something like the following: Im hear to talk about my pain and what we can do about it, but you ask me about all these things that are unrelated to pain, like whether I worry, whether the worry keeps me up at night, whats going on at home, whether my spouse believes me that I hurt as much as I do. In effect, Im here to talk about my pain but you want to know how stressed I am. Why?
Its true. Providers who specialize in chronic pain rehabilitation always evaluate the patients pain, of course, but they also always assess the stressful problems that the patient experiences. To the list above, we might add such stressors as depression, anxiety, past trauma, sleep problems, persistent problems with concentration and short-term memory, financial problems, loss of the role in your occupation or family, the loss of sexual and emotional intimacy in your relationship, and the list could go on. All these problems cause stress, which is why we call them stressors. Why is it important to deal with stressors when having chronic pain?
There are a number of reasons why it is important, but lets review two today:
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When To See A Doctor
Aside from the use of stress management techniques, many people find that over-the-counter stress relievers are also very helpful. However, particularly with migraines, heavier medications may prove to be more useful. And because some headaches can be associated with more serious health conditions, its important to see a doctor if you have severe headaches or if you just suspect that something may be significantly wrong.
Either way, stress management can be helpful, but if you’re concerned about your headaches and they interfere with your daily activities or you seem to need more help than stress management alone, it’s always a good idea to run things by your doctor to be sure there are no serious issues at play, or to find the help you need to be more comfortable in your daily life.
Rest In A Dark Quiet Room
Stress is one of the main causes of headaches. Relieving tense muscles may help calm tension headaches, the most common type of headache. If you have one, you may also feel extra sensitive to light and sound. Rest or sit in a dimly lit room. Close your eyes and try to relax your back, neck, and shoulders.
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Give Acupuncture A Chance
In this form of Chinese medicine, a practitioner places fine needles at certain points in your body. Stimulating these points may release your bodyâs natural painkillers — endorphins — to ease neck, shoulder, and head pain. Some studies show that if you get acupuncture over several months, you may cut the number of tension headaches you get.
Make Sure That Your Headaches Arent A Sign Of A Serious Illness
Headaches can be a symptom of stress. Or they may be a sign of a serious physical problem. For example, a headache may be a symptom of a tumor in your brain, or of an infection of your brain or the coverings of your brain. Or of any number of serious health problems.
This means that if you have chronic headaches, the first thing to do is to go see your doctor to make sure that your headaches arent being caused by a physical illness.
You want to be sure to go see your doctor if you have a headache with any of the following qualities:
- Your headache comes on abruptly and is severe
- Your headache is accompanied by fever, a stiff neck, confusion, double vision or difficulty in speaking.
- You have a headache after a head injury.
Your doctor will take a history, do a physical examination and if necessary do blood tests and imaging studies.
If your doctor doesnt find any physical cause for your tension headaches, then you can pretty much assume that they are probably caused by stress and/or anxiety. And then you can treat them accordingly.
You can confirm for yourself that your tension headaches are probably caused by stress and/or anxiety if they have the following qualities:
- Your headaches tend to occur during periods of feeling stressed/anxious.
- Your headaches tend to occur along with other symptoms of stress or anxiety.
- Your headaches tend to come and go depending on your level of anxiety/stress.
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Q: How Can I Get Relief From Tension Headaches
A: A tried-and-true home remedy for both chronic andepisodic tension headaches is using a hot or cold compress to alleviate thediscomfort. Place it on the forehead or over the neck and shoulders.
People can easily manage episodic headaches with over-the-counter pain relievers like a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and acetaminophen.We recommend people limit the use of OTC pain relievers to two times per weekat most. Using them too often could result in medication-overuse headaches,plus too much could damage the kidneys or liver.
People with chronic headaches may need daily preventionmedicines. But we have a lot of options to help people avoid tension headachesaltogether.
Getting Immediate Relief For Your Tension Headaches
You can often feel a tension headache starting to build up in your head. You can feel the first signs of tension building up in the muscles of your head. When you sense that first sign of tension, slow down and stop whatever it is you are doing for a moment. Pay attention to the tension and accept it. This in and of itself may short circuit and stop the tension.
Other things that might help stop the buildup of tension are:
- Take a walk
- Take a moment and slow down whatever it is you are doing.
- Take some deep breaths to release your tension.
- Massage the muscles in your head and neck to release the tension. This can be very effective.
If none of these measures work, you might want to take an over the counter pain killer that you know and that works well for you. Experiment with your medication, and figure out the smallest does that will stop your headache effectively.
But the most important thing to do is to take measure that will help you prevent the occurrence of tension headaches in the future.
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Managing And Preventing Headaches
Because the majority of headaches experienced by adults are tension headaches, and these headaches are caused by stress, a great proportion of these headaches can be avoided or at least minimized with effective stress management techniques. Additionally, because stress can make migraine sufferers more susceptible to their migraine triggers, stress relief techniques can help avoid many of these severe headaches as well. And, finally, because stress management techniques can strengthen the immune system , those who practice regular stress management techniques can avoid at least some potential secondary headaches by avoiding the health conditions that cause them.
Avoid Contact With Chemicals Or Other Strong Smells
For people who often experience migraines, avoiding strong smells may be a wise step to take when trying to prevent them.
One 2013 study found that odors from sources such as perfumes or other strong-smelling chemicals may trigger migraines after just a few minutes of exposure.
It may help if people avoid sources of these smells, such as department stores, others who wear a lot of perfume, or chemical smells from cleaning products.
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How Can You Treat Stress Headachesand When Should You See A Doctor
Depending on the severity and length of your stress headache, it can go away on its own by simply taking a break from whatever activity is causing you stress, Dr. Wexler says. Lying down, meditating, or doing some light yoga are all great options.
However, if the pain is really bothersome, most stress headaches can be treated with over-the-counter analgesics like ibuprofen or naproxen, Dr. Broner saysbut be wary of the frequency with which youre taking medications. If you find that you’re taking more than once a week on a regular basis, that’s a sign that you’re getting increased headache frequency and you should speak to your doctor about what’s causing your headaches, Dr. Broner says.
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Dr. Wexler also recommends that if headaches arent the norm for you, especially if youre over the age of 50, you should consider speaking to a neurologist or headache specialist, since this could signal that something else more serious is going on. Some other warning signs to pay attention to, according to Dr. Wexler, include: headaches that consistently get worse or more frequent over time, accompanied by any neurological conditions such as double vision, numbness, tingling, paralysis, loss of vision, or accompanied by a fever.
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