The types of stress-related Headache and 11 strategies to manage it

A Quick Guide

Headache, defined as pain in the head, is quite a prevalent problem. Since almost all of us experience it at some point in our life. Many people believe in the misconception that headaches are completely biological. Whereas, in reality, they have a psychological component as well. This explains why headaches are considered a common stress-related physical condition in health psychology.

Types of headaches

There are different types of headaches. A few of them are stated as follows:

1. Muscle Tension Headache

The muscle tension headache is rooted in stages of stress. Under high stress, we tend to contract muscles of our body, especially in the shoulders, forehead, neck, and scalp. Prolonged stress may persist in such muscle contraction and lead to muscle tension headaches. Our catastrophic thoughts sometimes trigger headaches as well since our mind affects and controls what happens in our body. Muscle tension headaches build up gradually and cause dull pain, pressure, and tightness in the head.

2. Migraine Headache

This type of headache is one of the most intense headaches which usually affect one side of the head. It can last for hours to days. People who have migraines usually experience vision problems and perceive strange odors right before the pain starts.

Triggers for migraine include emotional stress, over-exposure to bright lights, irregular sleep, seasonal changes, menstruation, use of alcohol, and certain types of drugs. During a migraine episode, symptoms of nausea, sensitivity to light, loss of appetite, and motor imbalance along with changes in mood are common.

Similarly, stress, catastrophizing thoughts, self-critical attitude, withdrawing from social interactions, or not seeking help, compound the pain experienced in migraine and increase its incidence.

3. Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches bring severe pain around or behind the eye or at one side of the face. Symptoms of sweating, flushing, swelling, redness, nasal congestion, and tears in the eyes may also accompany it. Its duration and frequency may range from a few minutes to a few hours, 1-4 times, around the same time daily. There may be periods in between when the person is completely symptom-free.

4. Secondary headache

Some headaches are secondary in nature which means that they are a symptom of a primary condition. So, treatment of that may relieve the headache. For example, controlling blood pressure may relieve headaches.

5. Other types of headaches

Headaches may also occur due to chemical imbalance in the body brought about by the following:

• Menstruation
• Excessive caffeine intake
• Medication overuse.
• Excessive physical exertion e.g. weightlifting, running, after sexual intercourse, etc.

Treatment of headache

A combination of medical and psychological treatment is best for handling headaches effectively. A few strategies are stated as follows:

1. Consult a medical professional and receive medical treatment according to the type of headache you are experiencing e.g. prescribed drugs like aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, etc.
2. Use biofeedback to identify and deal with headaches e.g. electromyographic [EMG] feedback and thermal feedback.
3. Practice relaxation exercises such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation to release muscle tension causing the headache.
4. Identify and avoid triggers of migraine attacks e.g, fluorescent lights.
5. Practice visualization strategies that are used as a treatment option for relieving pain in the head. Look up guided imagery for headaches on YouTube and practice them when you feel the need.
6. When you are having a headache, divert your attention to something else to prevent your thoughts from intensifying the pain.
7. Make the necessary lifestyle changes responsible for your headaches. For example, manage your diet, water intake, sleep cycle, menstruation cycle, noise, visual and temperature levels in your room, etc.
8. Monitor your daily stress levels and practice stress reduction strategies to keep them in an optimum range.
9. Seek social support to release pent-up stress.
10. Monitor your thoughts. Try to counter the catastrophic thoughts and regulate your tendency to ruminate.
11. Seek help from a therapist to deal with the stressors triggering your headache.