07/2019

What Causes Tension Headaches and How to Treat Them

On eMediHealth

by Dr. Mahesh Karandikar, MD

September 17, 2019

Tension headaches, also known as stress headaches, are among the most common types of headaches experienced by adult populations across the world.

Although this condition affects both genders, women tend to be more susceptible to tension headaches than men.

The degree of pain may range from mild to moderate, but tension headaches almost always give rise to a characteristic feeling of increased tightness or pressure across your forehead, on your temples, and at the back of your head.

The jury is still out on what exactly causes these headaches, but excessive contraction of the head and neck muscles may have a role to play.

The pain associated with a tension headache typically sets in at the back of the head or above the eyebrows and then gradually progresses to engulf your entire head as well as your neck.

Although a tension headache can inflict a considerable amount of pain, most individuals are able to carry out their regular activities when it strikes, unlike during a migraine headache that causes debilitating pain.

Types of Tension Headache

Tension headaches fall under the following categories:

Infrequent episodic tension headaches: Can occur less than 12 times in a year with each episode lasting from 30 minutes to 1 week.
Frequent episodic tension headaches: May occur often, about 1-14 times a month, lasting for a period of 30 minutes to 1 week.
Chronic tension headaches: May occur about 15 times a month, lasting for hours. This type of headache may be accompanied by mild nausea.

Here are the types, triggers, and symptoms of tension headache and treatment methods.

Causes of Tension Headache

Some common triggers of tension headache are stress, anxiety, depression, impaired sleep, poor posture, and skipping meals.

Some cases of tension headaches may result from overexertion, but they are rarely aggravated by physical activity.