IT STARTS at the back of your neck or at the top of your head or sometimes even behind your eyes.
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| According to NHS Choices, two in five of us suffer from a tension headache at any one time |
But within minutes, a tension headache can creep its way across your skull and before you know it, you feel as though your head has been clamped in a vice – impairing your ability to think clearly or make coherent decisions.
According to NHS Choices, two in five of us suffer from a tension headache at any one time.
Common triggers are stress, tiredness, eye strain, poor posture and dehydration.
If it happens twice a week but fewer than 15 days a month, it is defined as “episodic” and it is “chronic” if it occurs more than 15 days a month for at least six months.
Without treatment, tension headaches will usually last from one to six hours but they can drag on for days.
New research shows that more than half of people (56%) who suffer from headaches, describe them as having a negative effect on their quality of life, leaving them unable to work or socialise and generally feeling less confident.
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| Massaging your head, neck and shoulders can help get rid of headaches |
Pain interferes with our ability to pay attention and remember tasks
Chris Eccleston
“Pain interferes with our ability to pay attention and remember tasks and we are only just beginning to understand the effect that pain has on our thinking,” says Professor Chris Eccleston of the Centre for Pain Research at the University of Bath.But despite being an incredibly common ailment, it seems there is still much confusion over the best way to treat it.According to a survey by Nurofen, more than three in five sufferers (63%) will wait more than 20 minutes before reaching for pain relief.“I’ve seen many cases of headache and migraine where the discomfort caused by these conditions is much greater than necessary,” says Simon Evans of the charity Migraine Action.The Nurofen survey also found that even though the overwhelming majority of us (95%) say they understand the importance of following the instructions on the side of the pack almost one in three don’t comply and fail to take the full recommended dose.This is a mistake, argues Professor Eccleston. “When it comes to medicines most people are safety conscious,” he says.“We worry and we try to act as ‘safely’ as possible. But we don’t take account of the effect that pain has on our ability to think straight, make decisions and do the things we want to do in life. There needs to be a change in how we think about analgesics. We should focus on the effects pain has on reason and emotion (thoughts and feeling) as this is what matters to people, not pain sensation itself but what it steals, impairs or destroys for example, the ability to act coherently, consistently and with purpose.”NHS Choices advises taking paracetamol for headaches but warns against exceeding the maximum recommended adult dose of four 1000mg or eight standard 500mg tablets in a 24-hour period.Paracetamol should be avoided if you have liver disease or if you drink more than the recommended alcohol limit of 21 units a week for men and 14 units a week for women.If paracetamol doesn’t ease the headache try switching to ibuprofen or a combination of aspirin and paracetamol.GP pain specialist Dr Martin Johnson says: “Ibuprofen has the added benefit of being an anti-inflammatory so it is more effective when it comes to pain associated with muscle tension. Research shows that muscles in the head and neck are a key source of tension-type headaches.”Here are some other things you can do to tackle the misery of headaches:
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| Being active increases production of endorphins |
Try gently massaging your head, neck and shoulders to soothe and relax the muscles and help you de-stress (or get someone else to do it for you).Stress and tension are common contributors to tightness in muscles found in the scalp, shoulders and neck.When these muscles tighten they create chemicals which lead to pain.A topical treatment such as 4head stick (£3.52, Boots) contains the active ingredient levomenthol which, when applied directly to the skin, produces an analgesic effect.It is thought it works by relaxing local blood vessels, reducing sensitivity to pain signals. Mental attitude can make a big difference to perception of pain, which is biologically programmed to grab your attention to get you to stop what you are doing and seek help.Techniques such as mindfulness which combines meditation, breathing techniques and focusing on the moment can help break the cycle.A US study of 90 patients with chronic pain reported improvements in pain, activity levels, body image, mood disturbance, anxiety and depression after a 10-week course in a mindfulness stress reduction and relaxation programme.
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| Keeping hydrated is key to avoid headaches |
Being active increases production of endorphins, often low in headache sufferers because of painkiller use.When scientists at Gothenburg University in Sweden asked migraine sufferers to cycle three times a week for three months they found their symptoms did not get worse and the frequency of attacks decreased during the final month.Yoga and Pilates are invaluable for correcting postural problems that cause muscle tension in the back of the neck which provokes tension headache.There is evidence that regular yoga is beneficial for people with health issues including stress so it can help cut stress-related tension-type headaches.Headaches, fatigue and feeling physically and mentally sluggish can be a sign that you are dehydrated so keep a bottle of water handy to sip in between hot drinks.Foods such as soups and stews, where a lot of water is added during cooking, are great for helping to keep the body hydrated.Fruit and veg such as lettuce, grapefruit, cucumber, tomatoes, watermelon, celery, courgette, broccoli and strawberries have high water content and can make a big contribution towards your daily intake.
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