Headaches and stress

[kelsischanging]

Can anyone tell me why when a person is really stressed they get headaches...I get stress headaches 4-6 days a week...does anyone know any techniques to use when you feel a stress headache or any type of headache coming on....just curious what some other options other than taking an OTC or prescription medication...thanks

 

[momof5]

Re: headaches and stress

When you are stressed your muscles get tight and tense, which cause the headache.

What I do is place an ice pack on my head, and then my neck muscles I use something like ben-gay or flexall and rub my neck and shoulders with it.

I also take muscle relaxers since mine are from the problems with my back.

You might wish to discuss this with your doctor to see if there is anything that he can do to help you out a bit with them.

 

[just mary]

Re: headaches and stress

I agree with Momof5, much of the time it is caused by tightened muscles. I grind my teeth sometimes which has caused headaches for myself.

Somewhere in this forum is a thread on migraines which you might also find helpful. I've had a few migraines in my life and they're horrible. I don't know what caused my mind but I think they could have been a combination of stress and my working environment. At the time that they occurred I was working in a greenhouse that used a lot of pesticides (I can still remember the smell) and I'm pretty sure it was those chemicals that triggered my migraines.

I think some of the best prevention techniques can be things like relaxation excercises (Yoga) or just going out for a walk. In essence, just finding a way to release some of the tension.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Let me just add this to what momof5 and just mary have said:

If your headaches are truly stress related, then anything that works to reduce anxiety and stress - relaxation therapy, yoga, exercise, visulization, cognitive restructuring, anxiolytic medications - will also help with stress/anxiety-induced headaches.

 

[momof5]

anything that works to reduce anxiety and stress will also help with stress/anxiety-induced headaches.

:yikes:
Does that mean riding your life of the stress causers?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Where feasible, yes, that definitely helps.

Of course, there's no way to avoid stress entirely, so learning better strategies for coping with what you can't avoid is also highly recommended.

 

[just mary]

Okay, I'm going to be "purposely annoying" at this point. When you say "riding" do you mean "ridding" Momof5??? (see quote below) Feel free to lambast me at this point, I'm prepared for the onslaught.

Does that mean riding your life of the stress causers?

 

[momof5]

Okay, I'm going to be "purposely annoying" at this point. When you say "riding" do you mean "ridding" Momof5??? (see quote below) Feel free to lambast me at this point, I'm prepared for the onslaught.

Does that mean riding your life of the stress causers?

:lmao:
As you can see, spelling isn't a strong point!

 

[ThatLady]

For those nasty headaches, I've got a trick I learned that is very helpful to me:

Sit in a chair in a restful position. Put both hands on the top of your head, just to the back of the crown of your head, and allow your head to fall forward using only the weight of your hands to pull it gently down. Hold the down position for a count of eight to ten, then lift your head. Repeat this five times, then turn your head slightly to the left and do the same thing again. Then do it with your head turned slightly to the right. This will gently stretch the muscles in the cervical area of your neck and across your upper back. It can really help to alleviate stress headaches.

 

[Retired]

Being one who experiences migraine headaches, I know that among other things, stress can be a contributing factor to triggering a migraine for me.

If you are interested in reading about typical migraine triggers, Look at This Psychlinks Posting

The posting happens to be in the Tourette section, but migraine triggers are considered universal.

I believe muscle tension headaches often manifest themselves as pain up along the shoulder blades and the back of the head, thought to be tightening of the muscle structure at the top of the shoulders.

The technique presented by That Lady sounds like one I would like to try for tension relaxation.

 

[ThatLady]

It's really a great technique for relief of stress-related headaches, TSOW. Let me know how it works for you. It's done wonders for me!

 

[momof5]

Thatlady,
not sure if that technique would work on me as things seem to go in the way of reversal in my body. It could make it worse as turning my neck is not very easy to do. I don't have full rom with it lately.

I see family dr on the 11th. I have had an increase in the muscle spasams in the thoracic area up t o shoulders and neck. My neck gets very stiff from them.

In my case it is a cocktail of different meds that I am on to relieve them. I'm going to try the thing you mentioned above though to see if it helps as it is very annoying to get these all the time. So Kels, I do know what you are going through with the amount of them that you get. It isn't fun to go through.

 

[kelsischanging]

Thanks for all of your suggestions...I am definitly trying different ones and keeping a headache diary so I can look for patterns...thanks again

 

[ThatLady]

Thatlady,
not sure if that technique would work on me as things seem to go in the way of reversal in my body. It could make it worse as turning my neck is not very easy to do. I don't have full rom with it lately.

I see family dr on the 11th. I have had an increase in the muscle spasams in the thoracic area up t o shoulders and neck. My neck gets very stiff from them.

In my case it is a cocktail of different meds that I am on to relieve them. I'm going to try the thing you mentioned above though to see if it helps as it is very annoying to get these all the time. So Kels, I do know what you are going through with the amount of them that you get. It isn't fun to go through.

Just be sure not to put any pressure on your head (with your hands) to increase the stretch. Just let the weight of your hands alone do the work. You don't want to risk injury; especially, when injury is already present. If turning your head is a problem, it's probably best to avoid doing so, or turn it only the least little bit.

 

[momof5]

Actually, I have tried it with just letting my head hang. Not putting any pressure on it. Slightly turning neck side to side. And my neck actually cracked!

With having so many as Kels does, I am fearful of creating a situation that would cause more.

 

[ThatLady]

The cracking of the neck isn't necessarily indicative of a problem. If you hear crackling noises as you move your neck from side to side, as long as there's not pain involved, it's not a harmful thing. It's just cartilege reacting to exercise to which it's not accustomed. If there is pain, that's an indication that you should stop immediately. My neck cracks when I do this, too; especially, if I've forgotten to do it a few times a day for a day or two. Heck, it sounds like WWIII in there!

 

[momof5]

Heck, it sounds like WWIII in there!

LOL!
Sounds like my whole body! :yikes:

 

[foghlaim]

Heck, it sounds like WWIII in there!


that line sounds so funny. it made me laugh reading it.

thanks TL: