What Tension Headaches and How they Can Be Treated Articles | Headache

At one point or the other in their lives tension headaches will usually be experienced by a huge number of adults. Actually the statistics show that these headaches are usually felt by 8 out of every 10 adults. These major types of headaches are neither vascular nor do they result in migraines; they are also not caused by any disease. They are more likely to be related to chemical and neuronal imbalances that may occur inside the brain. Tension headaches usually occur along with other symptoms such as a tightening of muscles in the neck and the scalp areas.

Pain that is felt during tension headaches varies in strength. The strength of the headache may fluctuate between the mild and the severe. During such types of headaches, sufferers will rarely suffer from sensitivity to light or any form of nausea.

There are three distinct categories of tension headaches and they include:

Episodic – These types of headaches may occur less than once a month and they are usually brought about by stress, anxiety, fatigue or even anger. These headaches are also quite commonly called “stress headaches”. These sorts of episodic tension headache often get resolved with over-the-counter medications and certain relaxation techniques which include deep breathing exercises, music therapy as well as deep muscle massage.

Frequent – People who suffer from such regular headaches usually report 1-15 days of symptoms every month with this type of headache. People who suffer from such headaches frequently also suffer from serious migraines as well and their cases should usually be checked out by a physician.

Chronic – This headache is a tension-type of headache but it is much more severe in nature. This type of headache may occur for more than 15 days every month and it usually changes from the episodic sort of headache into a headache of a more chronic nature. These headaches can occur frequently on a daily basis. They also tend to last for a lot of hours and the pain may rise or fall during the 24-hour period in which the headache is experienced. Depression is usually a strong cause of chronic tension headaches and they should be discussed with a doctor.

People who suffer from these headaches often wake up in the morning and may gain no relief at all during the day. Certain other side effects may be experienced as well and these effects usually include different things such as nausea, dizziness, fatigue as well as a poor level of concentration. A huge number of people who suffer from this sort of headaches may easily find relief by using antidepressant medications. This usually works a whole lot more even when depression isn’t a major cause of these headaches. Taking painkillers regularly for this sort of headache is usually to be avoided as it can cause addiction problems and a whole other lot of side effects.

Tension headaches are quite common but people who suffer from them often find them difficult to live and cope with. Quick treatment is often necessary in order to resolve these sorts of headaches and reduce the severity of these attacks.