A tension headache can put a
damper on your day. This kind of headache usually develops in the afternoon,
causing mild or moderate pain that may feel like dull tightness or a band of
pressure. Tension headaches occur when neck, shoulder, and scalp muscles become
tense. Some people experience tension headaches from time to time; others
get them more often. While this type of headache is rarely debilitating, it can
certainly make life miserable.
1. Pay
attention to the basics. Don’t skip meals, get enough sleep, and pace
yourself to avoid stress and fatigue
2. Relaxation
techniques. Physical and relaxation therapies can help stave off
tension headaches, so long as you practice these techniques regularly. Physical
approaches include applying a heating pad to your neck and shoulders to relax
the muscles. Exercising these muscles also helps, by strengthening and
stretching them. Relaxation exercises that focus your attention on various
parts of your body in order to relax and release tension and stress can also
help.
3. Biofeedback. This relaxation technique
requires special training but can help people avoid recurrent tension
headaches. Typically, a therapist will attach electrodes to your skin to detect
electrical signals from your neck and shoulder muscles. You learn to recognize
when you are becoming tense and then find ways to relax the muscles before they
tighten so much you develop a tension headache.
4. Medical approaches. Some people with tension headaches have very
sensitive areas, known as trigger points, at the back of the neck or in the
shoulders. Injecting a local anesthetic into these areas may eliminate the pain
and prevent the headache from occurring again. There are also a number of
medications that can help keep tension headaches at bay. If non-drug therapies
aren’t giving you the relief you need, talk with your doctor about the
medication options that might be right for you.
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