Chronic Tension Headaches

Tension headache is also known as stress headache. 

It is common among the adults where they experience pain that radiates from the neck, back, eyes or any other muscle group in the body. 

Tension headache can be further categorized into episodic tension headache, which happens less than 15 days per month, or chronic tension headaches, that is more severe and happens more frequently than episodic tension headache. 

The “severity” of chronic tension headaches depends on the frequency of headache. It can last for 30 minutes or sometimes up to several days depending on the person. Episodic tension headache are described as mild to moderate constant band like pain, which tightness or pressure can be felt around the neck.

Unlike episodic headaches and barometric pressure headache, chronic tension headaches are more severe. It can prolong for a period of time, the pain it causes is usually throbbing, and affecting the front, side and headache in back of head. 

Although the pain may vary on the intensity, but the pain is almost always felt by the person. The lucky thing is tension headaches will not disrupt our daily life, affecting our vision, balance or strength. The person could still carry on performing its daily task.

There are many reasons to what cause chronic tension headaches, however, it is not inherited in the families. Some people experience tension headache due to the tightening of muscles from the back of their neck, or even the scalp. Therefore, it is also known as muscle tension headaches. This pressure felt by muscle can due to inadequate rest, poor posture, emotional or mental stress, anxiety, fatigue, hunger and overexertion.

In addition, chronic tension headaches can be triggered by environment or internal stress. The most common source of stress comes from the family, the workplace, social relationships, friends or even school. It can be when someone is a perfectionist, and undergoing stress, or even meeting up deadlines at work and does not have enough sleep. Stress is the major source that leads to chronic tension headaches.

Tension headaches can be treated with several types of medication. The goal is to eradicate tension headache from attacking in the future and relieving the current pain. Normally, pain relievers, muscle relaxant, antidepressant are given to patients. 

However, before prescribing to the doctor, over-the-counter medication serves as the first line of treatment for tension headaches. Some pain killers can help to prevent headache from chronic tension headaches sufferers.You should keep in mind that tension headache medication is not the perfect cure.  Frequent dosage or over rely of medicines will cause it to lose its effectiveness. 

Although preventive drug treatment such as antidepressant, blood pressure medication can prevent headaches, in overall, it is taken daily for other purposes, and in summary, there is no other medicine left that serves as purely headache prevention medicine. 

Therefore, a person with chronic tension headaches should overcome the source to completely heal the headache. He or she can attend stress management class to learn the proper way of handling stress and releasing stress, undergo biofeedback which helps sufferers to learn the proper way of reducing headache frequency and severity but providing information on muscle tension, skin temperate or any vital sign of headache. 

A person can undergo home treatment as well by doing things that would allow you to relax.

Whether it is chronic tension headaches or episodic tension headache, the source of headache comes from stress. Hence, the effective way to stop headache is to handle stress in a proper manner.