Gain the Upper Hand over Tension Headache

It was a busy day for Mark. He had been making last minute adjustments to an important project. His colleagues were worried for him. He toiled away at his laptop for the past five hours, without taking meal or toilet breaks. Just before he finished the amendments, he began to feel a dull ache from the back of his head. Soon, the pain morphed into a squeezing pain that wrapped around his head. He also noticed soreness and tightness in his neck, shoulders and jaw. Having used to suffering from tension headache, he quickly brushed up his work before retreating to nurse his aching head.

Tension headache is often described as mild or moderate pain that felt like a dull tightness or a band of pressure. It is a common condition that is reported among eight out of ten adults in the United States. It was postulated that tension headache stemmed from muscle contractions in the face, neck and scalp. Nevertheless, research had proved otherwise. Meanwhile, the most common triggers are stress and anxiety. In addition, other triggers include alcohol, eye strain, dry eyes, fatigue, smoking or caffeine.

There are two types of tension headaches, namely episodic and chronic tension headaches. The episodic ones occur less than 15 days per month, with each episode lasting 30 minutes to a few days. It usually starts gradually in the middle of the day. On the other hand, the chronic ones come and go over a longer period of time, with the pain intensity varying throughout the day. Although tension headaches are rarely debilitating, it can be miserable.

F.Y.I. — Tension headache vs. Migraine

Tension headache is different yet in some ways similar to migraine. Therefore depending on the symptoms, it may be difficult to distinguish between the 2 types of headaches. Moreover, if you experience frequent episodic tension headaches, it could also be migraine.

Learn more: Headache and Migraine: How are they Different and Treated?

Taming Tension Headaches

When tension headache strikes, these simple steps may be useful for immediate relief:

• Lie down in a quiet, dark room, with a cool washcloth on the head.
• Take a bath or shower to relax tense muscles.
• Take over-the counter (OTC) pain medications to manage the pain.

For someone with frequent attacks of more than once or twice a week, these strategies may prevent headaches:

1. Healthy lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle may reduce odds of headache occurring. Habits that are encouraged include getting sufficient rest, exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. Sometimes, tension headache follows after overexertion physically during desk work. This can be avoided by improving posture and avoiding eye strain with prolonged computer use.

Besides that, keep a “headache diary” to document details revolving around the occurrence of headache. For example, write down your thoughts, food or drinks you just had or the kind of situation you were in before the headache struck. Establishing a common pattern can help you recognise specific triggers.

2. Relaxation techniques

Since stress is the main culprit, it makes sense that employing relaxation techniques would prevent tension headaches. Any methods that help in relaxing works, including deep breathing, yoga, meditation and muscle relaxation. One technique is the use of heating pads on the neck and shoulders to achieve muscle relaxation. Guided imagery exercises that focus attention on various parts of the body to relax and release stress in these muscles also help.

3. Biofeedback training

Essentially, this training allows recognition of tension in the body to allow timely muscle relaxation. During a biofeedback session, the therapist will attach electrodes to the skin to detect electrical signals from the neck and shoulder muscles. By learning to sense when tension in the body, this allows practice of muscle relaxation.

4. Medication

Sometimes, medications are necessary in conjunction with stress management techniques to manage tension headaches. Often, OTC painkillers are the first-line treatment. If OTC pain relievers are not effective, prescription medications, such as muscle relaxant, antidepressants, blood pressure medications or anti-seizure drugs, may be necessary to control the symptoms. However, these medications to not treat headaches. Therefore, it is important to determine and avoid the trigger leading to headaches.

Conclusion

Tension headache is a common condition that manifests as mild or moderate pain, as though there is a tight band around the head. Often, unwanted triggers result in headache. Hence, identifying trigger and preventing headaches would help in navigating with this condition.

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• migraine
• tension headache
• tension headache relief