What is a Stress Headache?

While an occasional headache is not a concern, chronic headaches should be investigated more thoroughly, as they can be a symptom of serious illness...

While most people think of a headache--as a headache, the symptoms for different headaches are distinct.

And many people don't know if they have a headache caused by stress or tension, or a cluster or migraine headache.

What Causes Stress Headaches?

Why do I say that? Because everyone experiences stress and tension differently.

For example, rate each of the following with a number from 0-10 (0 meaning “no stress”, and 10 meaning “the most stress you can imagine):

• Covering for a co-worker for 4 weeks because she had a baby (doing her job and yours).
• Camping in the rain
• Being the first person at the scene of a bad accident
• Being stuck in traffic
• Driving home from work in the snow

If we were to ask 25 people for their scores, each would have a different number. For example, one person might love camping in the rain, because they just light a campfire, make some-mores and take a walk in the woods.

Another person might pack up and go home--because camping with kids in a tent in the rain is just too stressful!

One person stuck in traffic might develop a throbbing headache. The person in the car behind him, might just put a CD in the player and use the time to relax and think.

Each person experiences stress and anxiety differently, based on past experiences, her self-talk and her perception of a situation.

Stress Headache Relief

• stress or tension (the trigger that sets things off)
• nerve irritation
• vasodilation

Getting rid of tension headaches is simple. If you get rid of the stress, the other two components never develop. So, all you have to do is remove the stress from your life!

Here are some ways to relieve stress and prevent tension headaches:

• Take a hot bath - Soaking in the tub is very relaxing for many people. Add soft music, and you’re on the way to relaxation!

• Natural pain relief - Relying on pain relievers like aspirin or Tylenol every day can be unhealthy. But, until you get your stress and tension under control, you may need to use something to handle the pain. Why not try a safe, natural pain reliever?

• Assertiveness training - Many people experience stress daily because they just don’t know how to be assertive. They either act aggressively (with nasty results) or passively (and they get stepped on...). Learn to express yourself appropriately, and you will get what you need and want--without undue stress!

• Apply cold or heat to your head - No joke. Some people find cold to be relaxing, others hot. But it can work to relieve headache symptoms.

• Behavior Modification - Changing your outlook--the way you view and think about things--can actually reduce your stress levels. Suddenly, those situations that were causing you to be so uptight--just aren’t that important anymore!

• Hypnosis - Hypnosis has been found to be very effective at helping you change your attitudes quickly. It’s also a pleasant, relaxing way to handle your stress. And you don't have to be tricky to use hypnosis.

  Here is a program developed specifically to get rid of tension headaches.

  Dr. Maggie Phillips, the psychologist who developed the program, is internationally known for her work, using hypnosis for headache relief. She is consulted by doctors in all parts of the world, because of her success at managing pain and enhancing healing.

• Meditation -Learn to relax by meditating. When you get good at this, you’ll be able to take 5 minute meditation breaks in the middle of the day, to get relaxed and refocused.

So, while stress headaches can be a huge annoyance, they are certainly preventable.

Learn to have a more carefree attitude, a less intense look at life, and your stress, tension and headaches will all be much less frequent!

Stress Headache to Headache Types

Stress Headache to Easy Stress Management