Stress and Headaches

Do you seem to get headaches frequently? Stop looking for another pill to pop and try to identify the source of these headaches, which may be brought on by stress.

Chronic headaches may come from one of three sources:

1. Stress and Tension – Stress has a way of accumulating like the clutter in your hall closet. Eventually, it just overflows. Along with stress, you feel tension in your muscles. And the tension spreads until your shoulders are tired, your neck feels like it can’t hold up your head and eventually – your head throbs.

The pain actually comes from decreased blood flow to you head, but that’s the physical explanation. For an immediate relief it may help to gently massage your neck, but the real root cause is stress. If you want to stop the tension headaches, you have to take time to relax.

Walk away from work and take a break. Don’t bring work home with you. Give yourself twenty minutes to unwind after work. Lie down or recline in a comfortable chair. Put a cool gel pack over your eyes and think about anything except your to-do list and the problems of the day. You may prefer to use that time to pray or express gratitude towards something that happened during the day. Just give yourself time to transition so that you can enjoy your dinner and prepare for a good night’s sleep. All of these things will help reduce your stress levels and tension headaches.

2. Insomnia – You simply have to have a good night’s sleep. That means 8 hours, not 5 hours and a cat nap. You need enough restful sleep to allow the body to repair itself and overcome what you put it through during the day. If you aren’t getting enough sleep or good quality sleep, you are a candidate for headaches. Sleeping with an open window and circulation of fresh air can help quite a bit with sleep quality. And don’t try to self-medicate with sleep aids. See your doctor to find out the reason for the sleep problem and work it out.

3. Undiagnosed Medical Condition – A headache may be a warning sign that you need a medical checkup. Particularly if you have not had headaches often in the past and suddenly you have them daily, then you need to find out why. Don’t panic and think that a headache must mean a brain tumor, but it could. More likely it’s a symptom of something less severe. Allergies can be a common cause, especially to dairy products. Either way, you need to pay attention to this headache and respect that your body is desperately trying to get your attention.

Smoking, alcohol and illegal drugs can also be responsible for producing headaches. Your body does not perform well when treated with such disregard. Fad diets and highly restrictive diets can also throw your body out of balance so much that you start to get headaches.

Migraine Headaches

A migraine headache sufferer will confirm that there are few pains worse or more long-lasting than that feeling of total malaise that comes with a migraine. It’s a sneaky headache that just seems to slap you down when you least expect it, but often in times of extreme stress and anxiety.

Because it strikes without warning, it’s hard to find what you can do to prevent it. Once it hits, all you want to do is get outside of your own head because the pain inside is almost too much to bear. Unfortunately, while stress itself is a trigger, a migraine only brings about even more stress!

You need to learn to recognize any signs or symptoms that precede a migraine headache. Keep a headache journal in which you write down the date, time and place the migraine headache started.

Also note what you were doing and how your mood was at the time the first pain wave hit. As you compare notes from several headaches, look for commonalities. Were you overtired, trying to do too much without adequate sleep? Overexertion is a stressor that’s a common trigger for migraines.

Often allergies play a role, and even though they may be the underlying cause, there is often an additional trigger involved like stress or an emotional event. Since not every exposure to the allergen is causing a reaction, it often requires quite a bit of detective work to find the real cause.

Each migraine is unique and you may find that certain foods are more likely to help relieve (or prolong) the pain. Cut back on your caffeine intake in sodas as well as coffee. Carbonated beverages may also add to the discomfort.

Instead, drink high quality fruit and vegetable juices for the nutritive value as well as the detox potential. Since you may not feel like eating during a migraine, at least you will get some quality nutrients from the juices.

Fluorescent lighting, which is common in offices and commercial buildings, can be another trigger to make migraines worse for some people. If you’re working in an office with this lighting, bring a small desk lamp that has a full spectrum light bulb. Turn off the overhead lights and use your desk lamp.

Room noises that you would normally ignore become like the sound of an army marching across your forehead when you have a migraine headache. If you can’t get away from the noise, put earplugs in your ear to muffle the noise. You can buy these at a drugstore or discount store and keep some in your purse, pocket and desk drawer or any place you regularly spend time.

A very hot shower, as hot as you tolerate, followed by a cold can often bring relief. If things are getting worse, lie down at your bed and put an ice pack to your head. There’s no foolproof way to prevent migraines but you can be prepared to apply the most comforting approaches that work for you.

As a conclusion, headaches can have multiple triggers, but stress are often part of the mix. Learn how to manage your stress, and it will greatly reduce your stress episode. Start out your stress management routine by downloading the e-book below.