If you’ve ever had a stress headache, you know how debilitating it can be. Stress headaches cause mild to moderate discomfort that gradually worsens and often feels like a tightness around the head. While severe headaches are rarely incapacitating, they can certainly make your life difficult.
Stress is quite a common term in the life of today’s adults. A fast-paced lifestyle, irregular work culture, and the zeal to move forward at full speed is what a life of a person looks like in this contemporary world. And this life is full of stressful and panic-driven situations, eventually leading to everyday issues like headaches which make it hard for them to concentrate.
Many of us often believe that stress cannot be a reason behind the headaches but studies prove it wrong. According to recent research, every 10% increase in people’s stress levels causes them to experience headaches, 6.3% more than regularly. As compared to men, women experience stress headaches more often.
Headaches due to stress are of two types- episodic and chronic. Episodic headaches last for 30 minutes to a week and happen for less than 15 days a month, on the other hand, Chronic headaches can be continuous and last for more than 15 days a month for at least three months, where it becomes necessary to seek medical advice immediately.
Stress headaches, commonly known as ‘tension headaches’, tend to cause pain in other parts of the body too, like the neck, shoulder, and back. Feeling a tight band around your head from the front and backside? Then it might be a symptom of ‘stress headache’.
Now, how stress can cause a headache? Just as there are as many reasons behind experiencing stress, the causes for stress headaches are vast too. Some of the common ones are-
- When people are stressed, their neck and shoulders tend to stiffen. Many people report stress-related headaches as compression caused by tense muscles at the back of the neck and even in the head.
- When people are tensed, they often clench their jaws or grind their teeth, which can lead to headaches.
- Anxiety and stress are typical causes of sleep disturbances, and insomnia is linked to tension headaches.
- Stress can alter your appetite, affecting your eating and drinking habits. Stress often causes people to eat less and even skip meals. This might cause blood sugar imbalances, which can lead to tension headaches and migraines.
- Everyday habits like poor posture while sitting, lack of physical exercise, or over thinking about things are also the common causes related to stress headaches.
In today’s rapidly moving world, it is nearly impossible to avoid stress, whether it is a demanding job, personal issues, or growing piles of bills, you cannot stop stress from entering your body and causing a headache. In all these situations, we always tend to follow the easy way out which is consuming headache relief pills and medicines which are harmful if taken frequently. But surely there are several ways through which you can reduce headaches happening due to stress. Out of which one of the trustworthy remedies is using the Zandu range of products like Zandu Balm, Zandu Roll On, and Zandu Ultra Power Balm. There are made with the power of ayurvedic ingredients that provide instant and effective relief without any side effects.
Along with Ayurveda-based pain relievers like Zandu, other methods can help in reducing stress and keeping stress headaches away.
- When stress triggers a headache, it worsens as it progresses, it is a red flag for you to stop and breathe. Take a few minutes for yourself, let your body relax, and think about things that make you happy. Adopt the habit of meditating for at least 20 minutes every day to not only keep your mood fresh throughout the day but also to keep the headache at bay.
- Food is the solution to every problem. Yes, it is. Research has proven that eating healthy can reduce the level of negative effects like headaches occurring due to stress. And as every doctor says, always stay hydrated.
- Physical exercises like playing sports, or working out are effective in getting rid of anxiety and stress.
- If you are experiencing stress on a greater level, then it is always recommended to talk it out with someone. Sigmund Freud, the famous psychologist, called therapy “the talking cure” for a reason. Therapy has always proven to be beneficial when it comes to mental stress.
It is likely that you may still experience stress headaches after taking these treatments but their severity and number will surely reduce. If the headache persists for a longer time, then it is essential to seek proper treatment from a medical professional