Tension Headaches

Everybody knows what a headache is from personal experience, but some individuals suffer from headaches a lot more frequently that others or what might be considered normal. There are quite a few different types of headache, but by far the largest group is that of tension headaches.

Most individuals who have had a tension headache describe it as like having a very tight headband on. A characteristic of tension headaches is that the pain encircles the whole head: front, back and sides. However, the pain can also be in the back of the neck and even in the shoulder blades or collar bone area.

Usually, the pain is fairly mild when compared with other types of headaches. Tension headaches most often last for around thirty minutes, but they can go on for days non-stop or they can come and go for a long period of time.

There is also a chronic form of this type of headache known as chronic tension headache, which roughly means that the sufferer has the headache for over fifteen days a month over a period of seven months.

Because the word 'tension headache' is a type of blanket term, the way that individuals experience it can vary quite a bit. Some people take it in their stride and others find it a real impediment to their lives. A lot of people experience these headaches from the early morning or even as soon as they wake up.

Some of the indications sufferers of tension headaches have reported are: insomnia, which brings tiredness and often irritability with it; inability to concentrate; loss of appetite and painful neck and shoulder muscles.

These headaches have nothing in common with migraine (except that the pain is in the head). The two forms of tension headache are called: episodic and chronic.

You can try to cure episodic headaches if you feel the need to on an ad hoc basis with either tablets or tension relief techniques. Typical headache tablets are aspirin and paracetamol. Typical tension relief methods are yoga and meditation.

Sufferers from the chronic form of tension headache, however, ought to seek medical advice in order to find out if their is a significant underlying cause for the condition. Occasionally, the cures people take can be the cause of their illness getting worse.

Unfortunately, some individuals who suffer from episodic headaches often take so much medicine that it aggravates the condition. In this case, stopping taking headache remedies can reduce the number of headaches you get.

Women suffer from tension headaches more often than men do and middle-aged women more frequently than other age ranges which has led to speculation that a general cause could be hormonal. However, there are so many possible causes that it is difficult to say.

Some individuals find that some foodstuffs trigger a headache sometimes. Coffee or anything containing caffeine is cited as one. Dairy food has also been blamed by some people; alcohol by others. If you suffer headaches more often than your friends, try writing a diary of what you have been eating for a week or two and note when you have the headaches. Is there a pattern? If you cannot sort it out by not eating certain foodstuffs, go to the doctor, but take your notes with you as well.