Researchers have not been able to pinpoint a single cause of tension headaches, which are not hereditary. If you experience a headache 15 or more days each month for a period of 3 months, you may have chronic tension headaches. This type of headache can lead to stress and depression, which in turn can cause more headaches. Stress is one of the main triggers of headaches, and even short-term tension can cause the head to throb.
Long-term stress can lead to more serious issues, such as chronic headaches, cluster headaches, or migraines. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and are often caused by stress and muscle tension. Tension headaches usually don't cause nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light. They cause constant pain rather than throbbing pain, and tend to affect both sides of the head.
Tension headaches can be chronic and occur frequently or every day. Migraines are a particularly severe type of headache that affects more than 10% of the population in the U. S.Simple daily practices such as meditating in the morning, exercising, and establishing regular sleep cycles can be effective in managing this type of chronic headache. If tension headaches are life-altering or if you need to take medicine for headaches more than twice a week, it is important to see your doctor.
Focusing on specific stress reduction techniques depending on the type of headache is an even more powerful approach. However, using painkillers to treat headaches consistently can contribute to medication overuse headaches. It is helpful to keep track of when you have a headache and how bad it is, along with details such as what you ate and what you were doing before the headache started. If over-the-counter medicines don't stop your headaches well enough or if you have a lot of headaches, your doctor may prescribe medicines to prevent headaches. You may have experienced many different types of headaches, ranging from sinuses to migraines.
Another difference between migraines and tension headaches when it comes to stress is that while tension headaches can develop during or immediately after a stressful event, the onset of a migraine is delayed a little longer, according to researchers at the Montefiore Medical Center. Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) is sometimes injected into the muscles of the face and head to treat headaches. Different people experience different types of headaches, but establishing effective ways to manage stress is an effective way to limit its onset, no matter what type you suffer from. It's not always easy to tell if you have a migraine or tension headache, especially if you have both types of headaches. You may be able to prevent or reduce tension headaches by learning what causes your headaches and trying to avoid those triggers. Researchers found that any kind of stress could shorten a man's life, but more important than the type of stress experienced was how a person reacted to it.
While chronic tension headaches can disrupt your life, they usually don't cause serious health problems.