How to Relieve Tension Headache Pain and Reduce Triggers
This article was reviewed by our Baystate Health team to ensure medical accuracy.
Anant Shenoy, MD
Key Takeaways
- Tension headaches are the most common type of headache, often causing dull, pressure-like pain on both sides of the head.
- Stress and muscle tension are the leading triggers, including poor posture, screen use, and tight neck or shoulder muscles.
- Symptoms are usually mild to moderate and don’t include nausea or light sensitivity like migraines.
- Most tension headaches improve with simple self-care, such as rest, hydration, stretching, and over-the-counter pain relief.
- Frequent or worsening headaches should be checked by a medical professional.
Every day, roughly 16 million Americans suffer from a headache. For the majority of those folks, what they’re experiencing is a tension headache. While this type of headache can be brought on by a slew of different reasons, relief can also be found through an equally diverse number of measures—several you can easily do yourself.
Our expert shares tactics below for immediate relief - like ice or self-massage - and for long-term prevention of tension headaches - like restful sleep or mindfulness training. Read on to find tactics that will work for you.
Tension Headache or Migraine?
According to Dr. Anant Shenoy, a neurologist at Baystate Neurology, “It’s important to figure out what kind of headache someone has to initiate the appropriate treatment. Tension headaches and migraines are the two most common primary headaches. However, the nature of the pain experienced from them is different as noted below.“
Do I Have a Tension Headache or a Migraine?
|
Feature |
Tension Headache |
Migraine |
|---|---|---|
|
Age of onset |
Any age |
Adolescence |
|
Gender |
Affects men and women equally |
More common in women than men |
|
Pain experienced |
Dull, steady pain, pressure, or tightness on both sides of the head; often described as "hat band pain" |
Moderate to sever pulsating or burning pain, often on one side of the head |
|
Duration |
30 minutes to 7 days |
4 hours to 3 days |
|
Additional Symptoms |
Muscle tenderness in the scalp, neck, or shoulders |
Nausea and vomiting; extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and strong smells; aggravated by movement; tingling or numbness can spread to one side of your face and tongue; dizziness |
Causes and Treatment for Tension Headaches
While the specific cause of tension-type headaches is not known, the most common triggers include stress, alcohol, jaw clenching, tooth grinding, eye strain, caffeine, and sleep deprivation.
Finding Headache Relief Through Medications and Self-Care
Speak to your healthcare provider about medication treatments for your headaches. Try to avoid taking too many over the counter-the-counter pain relievers (like aspirin or ibuprofen) as these can cause a medication rebound headache.
Other options for headache treatments that don’t require prescriptions or over-the-counter medication include:
For Immediate Relief from Headaches
Ice: apply to both sides of the neck and shoulders, or, to the forehead and temples if experiencing pain there
Take a break: step away from any work that requires concentration or prolonged neck strain for at least 20 minutes
Self-massage:
- Head massage: hook your thumbs a few inches behind your ears at the base of your skull. Gently rub until it hurts then hold and apply pressure for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 to 6 times.
- Shoulder blade squeeze: push your shoulder blades back and squeeze toward the center of your spine. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
- Head rotation exercise: holding your body still, turn your head to look over one shoulder. Use your hand to apply a bit more pressure and bring on a stretch in your neck and hold for a count of 10. Repeat on the other side.
- Head tilt: tilt your head to one side, dropping your ear towards your shoulder. Hold for a count of 10. Repeat on the other side.
For Long-Term Prevention of Headaches
Sufficient restful sleep: attempt to achieve deep sleep without disruptions as this signals the muscles to relax. Develop your sleep hygiene routine for better sleep.
Structured massage therapy or deep tissue massage: works to relax strained muscles that may be the root cause of headache pain
Mindfulness training: teaches you how to quiet your mind so that you can get a more restful sleep
Cognitive behavioral therapy: helps you recognize stress triggers and how you respond to them, helping to relieve anxiety
Exercise and meditation: relieve muscle tension
When to See a Doctor for Headaches
If you’re experiencing two or more tension headaches a week over a six-month period or are finding them disruptive to daily living, make an appointment to see your doctor.
If you experience an abrupt, severe headache or one that causes changes to your vision, weakness, or a tingling or numbness you’ve never had before, seek emergency help.
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