Experts used to think that tension headaches were due to muscle contractions in the face, neck, and scalp, perhaps as a result of increased emotions, tension, or stress. However, research suggests that muscle contraction is not the cause. There is no single cause of tension headaches, but several factors are thought to be involved, such as genetics and the environment. Tension headaches are one of the most common forms of headaches.
They can be contracted at any age, but most often occur in adults and adolescents. Tension headaches occur when the muscles of the neck and scalp tighten or contract. These muscle contractions are often a response to stress, depression, a head injury, or anxiety. Often, you may have a tension headache when you hold your head in one position for a long time without moving it.
The main examples are writing on a computer, doing a good job with your hands and using a microscope. You may even have a tension headache from sleeping in a cold room, from a cold, from drinking too much alcohol or caffeine, or from dental problems. If you have tension headaches, you would probably describe your pain as dull, pressure-like, and not throbbing. It can be said that it feels like a tight band or a vice around the head. It may be everywhere, not just on one point or on one side of the head, or it could get worse on the scalp, temples or back of the head, and maybe even on the shoulders. Your doctor will ask you what may be triggering your headaches.
In fact, it's a good idea to keep a diary when you have headaches and keep it with you when you see your doctor. When you have a headache, write down the day and time when the pain started. Include notes about what you ate and drank in the previous 24 hours, how much you slept and when, and what was happening in your life immediately before the pain began. Write down how long the headache lasted and what caused it to stop. For some people, taking hot or cold showers or baths can relieve the headache.
You may need to make lifestyle changes if you have a lot of tension headaches. For example, you needed to change your sleep habits, usually you'll need more sleep, exercise more, and stretch your neck and back muscles. Your doctor may tell you to take over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen if relaxation techniques don't work. If you plan to do something you KNOW will give you a headache, taking one of these pain relievers beforehand may help. Your doctor MAY prescribe narcotic pain relievers, muscle relaxants or other medicines but after a while you may start to have rebound headaches BECAUSE you are taking medicine. The best thing you can do if you have a lot of tension headaches is to reduce your stress level and the level of tension in your head, neck and shoulder muscles.
Take breaks in front of the computer, learn to relax, avoid stressful situations and make quiet time for yourself. Tension headache is the most common type of headache seen in adults. It is so common that we often consider it a normal occurrence. A tension headache is also called a tension headache (TTH). Tension headaches are also called stress headaches because of their common association with emotional stress. If tension headaches occur regularly or frequently therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy relaxation therapy or biofeedback can reduce or eliminate headaches. It should be noted that medication overuse headache (drug-induced headache) (described above) should be ruled out as it can often be confused with chronic tension headache.
Medication overuse headache is caused by taking pain relievers (or triptan medicines) too often for tension headaches or migraine attacks. Chronic tension headache is a condition where you have a tension headache at least 15 days a month for at least three months. Because tension headaches are often caused by specific triggers identifying the factors that cause headaches is one way to prevent future episodes. While chronic tension headaches can disrupt your life tension headaches usually don't cause serious health problems. Some studies have estimated that about 1 in 30 adults have chronic tension headaches which means they have a headache more than half of every day for three months or more. In one study two-thirds of people diagnosed with chronic tension headache had had a daily or almost daily headache for an average of seven years before seeing a doctor. The goal is to treat headache symptoms right away and prevent headaches by avoiding or changing triggers. We will explain the different types of headaches that cause pain behind the eyes why they can occur and what can trigger them such as stress spending too much time in front of the screen and more. However a proportion of these patients may have developed drug-overuse headaches (drug-induced headaches) as a result of their tension headaches. If tension headaches are life-altering or if you need to take medicine for headaches more than twice a week see your doctor.
