Everyone experiences headaches every now and then and most of the time, we resort to over-the-counter medicines to ease the pain, not knowing the exact cause of the headache.
A common type of headache is the tension headache, normally described as a feeling of a tight band around the head. A tension headache is a mild to moderate pain or tightness at the back of your head and neck, around your forehead and behind your eyes, which occurs when the scalp and neck muscles become tensed and contract.
There are two types of this headache: the episodic and chronic tension headaches. The episodic begins slowly and may last for thirty minutes to a few days whiles the chronic occurs over a long period of time.
Causes
Tension headache is mostly triggered by stress (physical or emotional); therefore, an accumulation of everyday stress can lead to a chronic tension headache.
Other triggers may be:
- Hunger or skipped meals
- Lack of enough rest
- Sinus infection or flu
- Poor posture
- Dental problems
- Dehydration
- Anxiety
- Alcohol or caffeine
- Eye strain
- Smoking
- Lack of physical exercise
Symptoms
A person experiencing tension headache may:
- have difficulty focusing and sleeping.
- feel tired.
- be sensitive to light and sound/noise.
- feel irritable.
- have muscle aches
Prevention
Stress management practices such as massages (scalp, temples, neck), yoga, deep breathing and acupuncture can be adopted to prevent tension headaches.
You should also make it a habit to do the following:
- Exercise regularly.
- Be well rested.
- Keep hydrated.
- Eat healthy meals at appropriate times.
- Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake.
- Always use the right posture when working or reading.
- Exercise the neck and shoulders often, especially when working on computers or doing any other close work.
Treatment
Over the counter (OTC) painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can help relieve tension headaches.
Take note that headaches may reoccur (rebound headaches) if medicines are taken more than three days a week. Over-reliance on these OTC medicines may also damage the liver, irritate your stomach, or damage your kidneys.
Consult a medical professional if the pain is persistent and is coupled with movement, speech, or vision problems. Do not ignore side effects of medicines like nausea, stomachache, irregular heartbeat, dry mouth, and others that you may take note of.
A pregnant woman should speak to a doctor before taking any medicine to relieve headache.
Live a good and healthy life always
You can talk to a pharmacist for assistance on any tension headaches through the chat functionality of the Progpharma app.
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