What is a Tension Headache?
For those who suffer with headaches, in most cases these are tension headaches. They are something that happens a lot when you have a lot of stress. The good news is that they are usually not associated with anything serious. However, they can make life difficult and they are painful as they can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 7 days in length. For those who have a headache for 15 or more days every month for a period of 3 months, then they may have chronic tension headaches. These types of headaches can lead to even more stress and depression, which then turns into more headaches.
The Causes of Tension Headaches
As stated before, tension headaches are often associated with stress. Doctors are still uncertain of how these headaches occur though. They do know that the tension the person feels may turn into spasms in the neck, face and head, causing the headache. They are also investigating whether brain chemicals could be a reason some people have these headaches worse than others.
The Symptoms of Tension Headaches
There are several symptoms of tension headaches that a person will want to monitor. These symptoms include:
- An ache in the head that is constant and it may feel as though the pressures is on both sides of the head
- You may feel as though your head is in a vice
- Pain at your temples or the back of your head and/or neck
These headaches differ from migraine headaches that are often described as a throbbing pain that goes from one side of the head to the other.
Treatment for Tension Headaches
In most cases, a person can take some over the counter pain medication for dealing with their tension headache. However, be careful. If you were to take pain relievers more than 3 times per week, you could get more headaches, known as rebound headaches. Several doctors may prescribe something to you to help deal with tension headaches.
Prevention of Tension Headaches
The truth is that tension headaches cannot be prevented, but you can do things to help lessen the number of times that you have these headaches. Some things to help with tension headaches include:
- Trying to reduce your stress levels
- Have a regular schedule of eating, sleeping, and exercising
- Have good posture to avoid some tension in your back and shoulders
- Avoid eye strain while at the computer
- If you have anxiety or depression, get medical help
- Consider keeping a headache diary to help your doctor in determining what could be causing your headache. Be sure to note what you ate, what you were doing and had been doing so that there can be some correlation made.