How to tell if your Headache is stress-related?
The pace of daily life nowadays is often fast, and at times we face stressful situations in our work or personal life that provoke different symptoms in our bodies, especially if they persist over time. One of these symptoms is headaches, such as tension headaches and migraines.
We explain how to identify this type of headache, why it occurs, and what we can do to cope with it, offering tips that you can implement in your daily routine.
How to identify a stress-induced headache?
Any internal or external agent perceived as adverse generates a coordinated response from our body to that agent, activating a series of processes involving almost the entire organism, including the production of cortisol, the hormone responsible for keeping us alert and activating responses to stress. This process is useful in the face of real danger, but when this threat or problem persists over time and cortisol levels remain high, it can lead to alterations in mood, physical changes, skin problems, and headaches, among other symptoms.
This type of headache is usually accompanied by tension in the neck and head muscles, known as tension headache, which is the most common type of headache.
Typical symptoms of tension headache
Often the sensation of this type of headache is one of feeling pressure around the head that sometimes radiates to the neck or, conversely, originates from it. Normally, a tension headache lasts a few hours, although it may extend over several days and become chronic, potentially incapacitating. In addition to being related to stress, tension headaches can also occur due to ostearticular discomfort in the neck.
Affected body areas: neck, shoulders, and head
Tension headaches typically affect teenagers and adults, and occur when the muscles in the neck and scalp contract and become tense. For this reason, it is common to experience the sensation of tension in the shoulders and neck, colloquially referred to as having a “loaded” area.
Differences between stress headaches and other types of headaches
In general, headaches can be classified into primary, where there is no prior metabolic cause, and secondary, which are due to some pre-existing condition. The most common are the primary headaches, which include tension headaches and migraines.
In contrast to tension headaches, migraines or headaches often appear during adolescence and are recurrent, sometimes lasting throughout life, affecting women more due to hormonal influence. They are characterised by occurring in recurrent episodes that can last up to 2 or 3 days and range from moderate to severe intensity. They usually present pain on one side of the head alongside other associated symptoms such as nausea and/or vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound, and even smells.
On the other hand, episodic tension headaches, defined as those occurring less than 15 days a month, typically last between 30 minutes to several days, with episodes often lasting several hours. It is a generalised pain in the head, not concentrated in one spot as in migraines, and is of mild to moderate character, similar to having a band pressing around the head. It is also more common in women than in men and is directly related to stress.
There is another type of primary headache called cluster headache which is less common and is characterised by episodes of sharp pain concentrated in a specific area of the head (normally around the eye or the temple). It can occur even multiple times a day and affects men more significantly, also presenting tearing, nasal congestion, and runny nose.
Causes of stress-induced headache
The causes of tension headaches are diverse and although experts are not entirely clear on the exact mechanism behind them, several factors and situations that usually trigger them are well known. Let's examine a few of them.
Emotional and physical stress
When a stress agent is detected, our limbic system regulates emotions and also, at a physical level through cortisol, as previously mentioned, with receptors distributed throughout the body. Thus, a kind of “state of emergency” is activated to gain energy and cope with it. When this situation prolongs, our body remains in a state of continuous tension, and associated symptoms such as headache—the most common—appear.
The daily demands caused by work, studies, and other personal concerns often lead to mental fatigue, with physical consequences of involuntary tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and jaw that can trigger or exacerbate headaches. This type of stress-induced headache is very prevalent today due to the fast-paced lifestyle and affects an increasing number of people, even at very young ages.
Incorrect posture and muscle tension
Any activity that involves keeping the head in the same position for hours is a trigger for tension headaches, such as working in front of a computer without paying attention to necessary breaks or sleeping in a poor posture. These positions create continuous tension in the shoulder and neck areas just as stress does.
Mental fatigue and lack of rest
Tension headaches are also associated with lack of sleep, as poor rest has a direct impact on the duration and intensity of headaches, but it can also occur conversely, as a headache can make it difficult to rest.
Typically, a disruption in the sleep cycle is also linked to stress situations, where irregular sleep patterns, difficulty falling asleep, or nocturnal awakenings often occur, leading to poor rest and, in turn, mental fatigue. Another aggravating factor for headaches is the change in routine, both in sleep and meal times, which is usually a consequence of a stressful situation.
Factors that aggravate stress-related headaches
Our lifestyle is decisive in the intensity and duration of headaches, as there are certain habits in our routine that may worsen the situation, such as lack of physical activity and poor nutrition.
Sedentary lifestyle
Engaging in physical exercise positively impacts practically our whole body, improving our health and overall well-being. One of the causes of tension-type headaches, as we mentioned, is the muscle tension accumulated due to inactivity or sedenatarism, spending long periods in the same position. Moreover, exercise also boosts blood circulation, helps release tension, and directly impacts our mood by releasing what are known as “happiness hormones” like endorphins.
Excessive consumption of caffeine, alcohol or tobacco
Dietary habits are also closely related to tension-type headaches, specifically stimulant substances. For example, in the case of caffeine, it is believed that this stimulant can help alleviate certain types of headaches in small amounts, but its excessive consumption (from 160 mg of caffeine, equivalent to 2 espresso coffees) can have the opposite effect. In addition, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety (AESAN) warns that: “regular caffeine consumption can cause moderate physical dependence from 100 mg/day and tolerance to this substance, creating the need to consume a higher dose than the initial one to achieve a similar effect as the original.”
The nicotine from tobacco has a similar effect, as it has complex effects on cerebral blood vessels, provoking a reaction in the nervous system that can trigger tension headaches. Lastly, it is advisable to not abuse alcohol, although the type of headache it triggers may not be tension-related, it can still lead to migraines and headaches.
How to relieve stress-related headaches
Tension headaches occur when the muscles in the neck and around the head contract in response to prolonged stress situations. Therefore, the best way to address this type of headache is to see personally how to improve stress levels and coping strategies in daily life. We can also implement some recommendations if the pain has already appeared, as we discuss below.
What can I do at home?
At home, we can take measures to try to reduce tension headaches, such as taking a cool or warm shower that activates blood circulation throughout the body, or placing a cold compress on the head.
Massaging the neck or head area can provide relief by helping to reduce the accumulated muscle tension. This can be done with the help of massage oils that include ingredients like Arnica Oil, which has calming and comforting effects on the muscles.
Engaging in relaxing activities like yoga or meditation fosters relaxation and helps reduce muscle tension. It is also possible to create a relaxing atmosphere at home with scents by using an aroma diffuser and essential oils like Lavender.
Physical exercise
Engaging in gentle or moderate physical exercise can help reduce muscle tension and promote the release of endorphins, hormones responsible for inhibiting pain transmission, among other hormones that will provide a sense of well-being. Conversely, if the headache is not tension-related but a migraine, intense physical activity may worsen it, so it is important to correctly identify its origin and symptoms.
Improving nighttime rest
As we have already seen, tension headaches can occur due to inadequate rest, so trying to maintain a regular routine, going to bed and getting up at the same time and sleeping at least 7-8 hours will help reduce it. It is also advisable to avoid oversleeping or spending long hours in bed upon waking, as this can trigger pain in some individuals.
How to prevent headaches from recurring
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and learning to manage and cope with stress will be the primary goal if we want to avoid tension headaches as much as possible. In this regard, some daily habits can assist us, such as:
- Having a proper nighttime rest routine.
- Engaging in exercise regularly several times a week at a moderate intensity, which will be useful both for keeping fit and for disconnecting from daily stress and relieving mental overload.
- Combining exercise with other activities that help control stress like yoga, meditation or relaxation techniques, or even stretching to finish the day.
- Limiting the consumption of stimulant substances such as alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco.
- Simplifying the daily agenda and prioritising tasks while always leaving free time for activities you enjoy. It is also advisable to learn to say “no” on certain occasions, such as family commitments or friendships, and even when overloaded with work.
- Following a balanced diet and drinking enough water. A diet lacking nutrients or excessive in inflammatory substances like additives, added sugars, and saturated fats can trigger or worsen headaches. Thus, following an anti-inflammatory diet can be beneficial in these cases, based on foods such as green vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
In the case where tension headaches are recurrent or are hindering daily tasks, it is advisable to consult a healthcare professional who can determine the most suitable guidelines for reducing them and keeping track. They may ask you to keep a diary of the moments when the pain appears, as well as its duration and other relevant factors such as the activities you were doing or what you were eating. This can help detect patterns or habits that might be triggering the pain.
