Stress can be characterized as any situation or event that puts a physical or emotional strain on your body. Examples include, but are not limited to the following.
- A difficult task or an overwhelming amount of work
- A fight with a coworker, friend, or spouse
- Pressure to do too many things at once
- Financial or family obligations
- Illness of a friend or family member
- Long hours at the office or a hectic schedule
- Traffic
- Dehydration or hunger
- Lack of sleep or disruption of normal sleep
- Lack of exercise
Any of these examples or other stress events can cause a headache. When the body and mind have simply had enough, they will let you know. Quite often, it will be in the form of a stress headache.
Stress headaches can feel like your head has been placed in a tight grip with pressure in many directions. They are actually the result of tension in the muscles in and around the face, temples, and forehead. You may experience pain and sensitivity around your eyes. Stress headaches are often accompanied by tension in the neck, back, and shoulders as well. Pain can vary from mild to severe.
Headaches caused by stress can often be long-lasting or reoccurring if they are caused by a persistent stress event or situation. For example, you may get a stress headache every afternoon at work if your days are particularly busy and filled with “fire drills”.
If you have a headache caused by stress or tension, treatment should start with eliminating the cause or limiting stress when possible (easier said than done, I know). Sometimes this is as easy as taking a short walk to take your mind off of the stress event and relieve tension in the body.
If you are not able to remove the source of your stress, there are other effective treatments for stress or tension headaches.
- Place a hot or cold pack on your forehead, neck and/or shoulders to relieve tension.
- Relax your eyes by cupping your hands over your eyes for 10 seconds to allow them to rest, and be sure to blink and move your eyes away from a computer screen often.
- Massage your temples, neck, and shoulders to relieve tension, or better yet, have someone else massage them for you.
- Take a break to have a snack and be sure to drink plenty of water. A healthy diet and sufficient fluids will give your body the energy it needs to cope with stress events.
- Practice relaxation techniques such as metered breathing or neck rolls.
- Regular exercise also reduces stress and relieves muscle tension. Try to exercise the recommended 30-60 minutes per day.
Over the counter pain relievers can also be used to effectively treat stress headaches. Talk to your doctor if you have previously experienced sensitivity to pain relievers or side effects. You will also want to talk to your doctor if your stress headaches are persistent, severe, include other symptoms such as fever or nausea, or do not respond to over the counter medication and other treatments.
