Tips for Managing Tension Headaches

Managing Tension Headaches

Your day to day routine and everything it involves is extremely important; whether it be looking after the kids, going to work, shopping, or visiting with family and friends, it can be frustrating when something like a headache can disrupt all of your plans. How you think, and the clarity of how you perform activities can be severely affected by tension headaches, and you should know all of the things you can do to fight back against these unwanted visitors!

What Are Tension Headaches

The most common type headache for adults, tension headaches can be classified as a nagging pain, pressure, or tightness around the forehead or back of your head/neck. Stress headaches, another name for tension headaches, can feel like something is squeezing the skull. There are two types of tension headaches.

Episodic tension headaches: Occur less than 15 days per month, they can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of days, these usually start slowly, taking into full swing around midday.

Chronic Tension headaches

Occurring usually more than 15 days per month, these headaches come and go over an extended period of time, the range in discomfort always varying throughout the day.

Knowing The Difference

Cervicogenic Headaches can often be mistaken for migraines and tension headaches because of the same symptoms they bring out. Cervicogenic headaches are described as secondary headaches, meaning that they are caused by underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, neck injuries, and infections. It is very important to separate these from being treated as tension headaches, as they require different treatments! Contact the experts at Advanced Spine & Sports Care and get adequately diagnosed and start receiving the right treatment.

How Tension Headaches Usually Happen

You may be wondering how these annoying and painful headaches come to be, though there is a long list of factors, here are a few of the most common causes of tension headaches:

Screen Time

Whether it is looking down at your phone, playing video games, watching TV, or staring at your computer screen at work, the amount of time that you are staring at the light can increase your risk of developing tension headaches.

Excessive Amounts Of Time On The Road

If you find yourself driving long distances and spending a lot of time behind the wheel, this can put a lot of stress on your neck, causing the occurrence of these headaches.

Sleeping In The Wrong Position

We all have our favorite sleeping position, but little do you know is that it can actually bring on tension headaches. Most commonly sleeping on your stomach can do the trick to inviting this unwanted company, so we suggest rolling over before you close your eyes!

Clenching Your Teeth

Though it usually takes place at night, the pressure that clenching your jaw brings on can often cause tension headaches, if you find yourself frequently clenching your jaw, see a dentist to check treatment options.

Reducing The Pain On Your Own

Usually, we want to try and reduce the anguish as much as we can if not entirely before seeking out professional help, luckily there are a few things you can do!

• Try to reduce any overbearing stresses that you have in your life, take a breath, and relax!
• Breaks are essential. If you are spending a lot of time focusing on something, phone, computer, driving, etc., wherever it may be, take breaks so you can regain focus!
• Exercise! Stretching and going to the gym is critical to avoiding tension headaches. A healthy boy = a healthy mind!
• Over the counter medicine. One of the most common headache remedies is ibuprofen, if it works for you, keep using it!

Seeking Extra Help: Utilizing The Aid of Chiropractors

Sometimes no matter what you do on your own, tension headaches never seem to go away, and at this time, you need to call the experts!

If you are reading this and thinking, “what can a chiropractor do for headaches” the answer is, A LOT! Chiropractors are medical professionals who can assess precisely why you are suffering from these pains, diagnose you, and help you start to manage them! Standard practices that chiropractors use to reduce and eliminate the discomfort of tension headaches consist of:

• Manual therapy
• Soft tissue therapy
• Electrical stimulation
• Acupuncture
• Rehabilitation
• Lifestyle changes and education

It’s best to call the experts for quick ache relief, so that you can go back to living your life and not let tension headaches slow you down!

Advanced Spine & Sports Care: Getting The Relief You Deserve in Chicago

Don’t let tension headaches take over your life, fight back, and get the help you need! By contacting the professionals at Advanced Spine & Sports Care, you will receive a personalized experience where highly trained chiropractors will stop at nothing until you are back to your usual self! Book an appointment online or call 1 773-868-0347 to start your journey to a pain-free future!

Last Updated on 14 March, 2020 by Chiropractic Sports Care