Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache. As many as 90% of adults have tension headaches. Tension headaches are more common among women than men. Many people confuse tension headache symptoms for migraine, and can end up with the wrong treatment. One problem is that many symptoms overlap, and many people with migraine get frequent tension headaches as well.
About 90% of the headaches that strike are tension headaches. Tension headaches are also called muscle contraction headaches. Most of your skull is covered with a layer of muscle. When this muscle contracts abnormally, it can decrease the blood flow in your head. One of the tension headache symptoms can be tenderness around your head.
Tension Headache Causes
Muscle Contraction Headache or Acute Tension Type Headache occurs in about 50% of the population on a monthly basis but is usually low impact which is why it is not seen a lot in primary care. The exact causes of tension headache are not known but stress and tension play a part. Typically the tension headache is mild to moderate only, non-pulsating and bilateral. Sensory sensitivity to noise or light is more likely to be associated with migraine. Difficulties arise when patients who are suffering from migraine are misdiagnosed as having tension headaches. They then do not receive appropriate pain management. Patients often describe their head pain as a “feeling of tightness or squeezing”.
Most often, it is the vata humor that is out of balance when you have a headache. Some of the many possible causes include:
1. Mental stress
2. Fever
3. Excessive caffeine or nicotine
4. Reading without proper lighting
5. Sitting too close to the television, or watching too much of it
6. May also be a symptom of some other disease
7. Side-effect of another medication.
Home remedies for tension headache
1. For tension headaches massage few drops of peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil on temples.
2. Massage the scalp with slightly warmed sesame oil. This relieves tension headache and induces sleep.
3. Regular exercise, yoga and meditation reduce the stress levels and keep the tension headache at bay.
4. Persons of vata type can use hot water bags on aching parts and a hot shower will be of good help.
Natural Headache remedy using Henna
The flowers of henna have been found valuable in curing headaches caused by hot sun. The flowers should be rubbed in vinegar and applied over the forehead. This remedy will soon provide relief.
Aroma therapy cures.
Sniffing peppermint oil, rose oil, Lavender oil, Chamomile oil can give relief from headaches. Try burning some candles made with these oils to get a fragrant room while the headaches vanish. Try and consult a aroma therapist for a specific oil recommendation best suited to your problem or experiment with a few smells.
Drinking a glass of water (warm water in winter and cool water in summer), mixed with a teaspoon of honey first thing in the morning, is also a good remedy. Copious drinking of water throughout the day is also advised.
Mike
I enjoy drinking the occasional beer, amaretto sour, margarita, or glass of riesling wine but within a few hours I develop a headache that can only be slept off.
Otherwise I am a very healthy individual who eats a good diet, does not drink caffeine (I am sensitive), and drinks water constantly.
I am curious as to the cause as well as any possible solutions. It would be nice to enjoy a beverage from time to time.
Eileen
do u have any natural ways of getting rid of a headache?
i have to work on a project at school and don’t have any advils on me. have any specific methods worked?
Catherine
I often get headaches when the weather is cloudy, dark or rainy. It started when I was still young. I remember asking my teacher not to give tests or assign readings in class during rainy days. Of course, my classmates laughed at me. So I thought I was only me.
I work now but I still experience this terrible headache. Is this psychological or real illness?
Martha
Headache indicates a pain in the head. Headache can be either mild or severe. Medically headache is termed as “cephalgia.” Causes of headaches are many and varied. For example, stress and tension in one’s life leads to headache. Lifestyle pressure with high demands of jobs, high workloads creates tension thereby leading to headache. There are also certain other factors which precipitate headaches such as insomnia which is caused due to lack of proper sleep, lack of proper appetite and the like.
Headaches are mainly of four types; namely, vascular headache, myogenic headache, traction headache and inflammatory headache. The most common type of vascular headache is migraine, which is characterized by a pain which is severe in either or both the sides of the brain. Migraine often leads to blur vision and sometimes creates an upset stomach. Migraine is a pulsating form of headache which is unilateral associated with vomiting, nausea, depression and sensitivity to sound, light, smell etc. Migraine causes are unknown. Causes of migraine headache are many and varied. For example, stress and tension in one’s life leads to headache. Lifestyle pressure with high demands of jobs, high workloads creates tension thereby leading to migraine. More than 75% of women are migraine sufferers.
Another form of vascular headache is cluster headache which is caused due to high blood pressure. Headache caused by tension is the most common form of myogenic headache, which tightens or tenses facial and neck muscles. The traction and inflammatory types of headaches are caused due to a disorder which ranges from strokes to sinus infection. Headaches are generally harmless and can be diagnosed though persistent care is necessary for vascular headache especially for migraine.
Sinus headache is a type of headache which is caused due to the pressure of the sinus cavities. Sinus headache is felt by pain and compassion in the sinus areas, nasal blocking and swelling of the face, facial pain fever etc. The common aspect of sinusitis is generally the common cold. Sinus headache can be overcome through simple medication of painkillers like paracetamol, aspirin etc, by inhaling steam, hot drinks like soup, tea coffee and rest. Sinus headache if not taken precaution will lead to pneumonia and bronchitis. Sinus headache which is characterized by sinus cavities affects the eyes too. But it is to be noted out here that headache either mild or severe should be consulted with the doctor and thus necessary precautions should thereby be undertaken to prevent it.
Gail