How Are Headaches and Stress Connected?(Best Psychiatrist in Bhopal)
If stressful events seem to provide you a headache, you’re not alone. Many people suffer from headaches that appear to be triggered or exacerbated by stress. But is there a real link? And if so, what is it? Here’s what you need to know.
Are Headaches Caused by Stress?
Many people may wonder if headaches are the direct result of stress. The answer is yes, no, and maybe. Stress can reason many headaches and they can exacerbate others. However, knowing the type of a headache you are dealing with can help you to know if stress is a trigger, a contributor, or simply a by-product of the type of a headache you are experiencing, so you know the best ways to focus on pain relief and prevention.
While some headaches are blamed entirely on stress, there can be other issue at play as well; likewise, some headaches can be blamed on a predisposition to headaches when stress can be a primary trigger. In all cases, it helps to understand more about the nature of the headaches you are experiencing and their relationship to stress.
There are three different types of headaches, two of which are not caused primarily by stress, and one that may be:
Migraine Headaches: Headaches associated with migraines can be severe and even debilitating, and can last from four to 72 hours. These headaches are generally on one side of the head and worsen with daily activities like walking around. There can be nausea or sensitivity to light and sound involved, and sometimes an aura. They are not thought to be directly caused by stress—sort of. Does make us more susceptible to our triggers. So, in a way, stress enlarges migraines but isn’t mentioned as a direct cause.
Secondary Headaches: This is the umbrella under which fall all headaches that are reason by more serious situation such as brain tumors and strokes. They are also not directly caused by stress.
Tension Headaches: These headaches, also called “stress headaches,” are experienced periodically by more than one-third of adults. They involve both sides of the head and usually feel like tightness in the forehead or back of the neck. They’re not usually debilitating; people with tension headaches can usually go about their regular activities. Those who experience them usually don’t have them more than once or twice a month, to varying degrees. And, as the name advice, they are thought to be directly caused by stress.
Managing and Preventing Headaches
Because the majority of headaches experienced by adults are tension headaches, and these headaches are caused by stress, a great proportion of these headaches can be avoided or at least minimized with effective stress management techniques. Additionally, because stress can make migraine sufferers more susceptible to their migraine triggers, stress relief techniques can help avoid many of these severe headaches as well. And, finally, because stress management techniques can strengthen the immune system ,those who practice regular stress management techniques can avoid at least some potential secondary headaches by avoiding the health situation that cause them.
