What is a tension headache anyway? Pretty sure you have heard of this word countless times in the past. Tension and stress are like pebbles in our shoes. We can function but there is always that nagging pain.
The recesses of your mind perceive something wrong about your bodily functions. If you don’t get rid of both a migraine, tension or stress, functioning to perfection would be impossible.
There are actually a lot of definitions of a tension headache. Tension is anxiety that causes physical symptoms like a headache.
It can be the act of stretching something so it becomes taut or tight.
It can be a word used to describe strain on your emotions, your mental faculties, and your nerves. Also, it can be a tight feeling in the muscles.
But if you look at the meanings of the word tension headache, you will arrive at one clear conclusion: it is a negative feeling that defies body harmony and balance. It is something that puts you in a very strenuous and uncomfortable position.
Symptoms of a Tension Headache:
There are lots of tension/migraine symptoms you need to be wary of. One of them is a headache. A tension headache is actually the most common type of headache. It is not your typical headache.
When you get a tension headache, you experience it in full force. The pain is felt in all parts of the upper body including the eyes, the temples, the back, the neck, and the upper body muscles. It is a crippling condition you wouldn’t want to experience.
If at the end of a long day, you feel like your muscles are taut and they keep on nagging and throbbing, tension is the likely cause.
Stress tension often goes hand in hand. When we stressed out, bracing ourselves is our body’s natural reaction.
This will cause the muscles and the nerves to go into an edgy mode that will then eventually lead to the development of a tension headache.
Most people expect to sleep immediately after a long day of work. But this is not always the case. When your body is tensed, it fails to go into a relaxed mode and makes migraine pain. This might cause you to stay awake all night long, tossing and turning in your bed, trying to find a comfortable position.
How to Overcome a Tension Headache?
Tension is something that needs to be removed. Here are the most effective self strategies for tension Reduction.
Tip 1: Try to change your stance or your position.
Never sport the same position for a prolonged period of time. This can cause some areas of your body to strain. If you have to sit in front of your computer all day long, make sure you allow at least 5 minutes to stretch or walk around your cubicle. Flex your muscles or shake your body to allow blood to circulate again.
Make sure you also pick a more ergonomic chair. Your office chair should not cut off circulation in the lower or upper half of your body. This is usually what causes poor blood circulation that will, in turn, cause a tension headache.
Tip 2: Use warm compresses.
What is tension today? Basically, it can be alleviated with the help of warm compresses. It helps loosen up tight nerves and muscle tissues. But you don’t have to wait to get home to do this. Take your laptop’s charger and press it on the tensed muscles of your body. Your laptop’s charge is hot. It should effectively soothe those frazzled nerves and tight muscles. Use it to substitute warm compresses. It also saves a lot of time and energy that works well for a tension headache.
Tip 3: Take long, warm, leisurely baths.
Your days might be jam-packed with activities but make sure you always reserve the night for some rest and relaxation. This is the best time to enjoy long hot baths. Soak in the tub full of warm water to allow the heat to improve circulation and loosen up tight muscles and reduce migraine pain.
Tip 4: Go to the sauna.
Its effects are similar to that of warm baths. But there are actually more benefits to this. It allows you to sweat out the impurities and toxins that have accumulated in your system. The heat that will envelop you when you go to the Sauna also improves your circulatory functions and loosens up tight nerves that will also help you to reduce a tension headache.
Tip 5: 30 minutes of exercise every day should be spared.
Whatever you do, do not forget to spend at least 30 minutes of your time doing physical fitness activities. Do lunges to strengthen your legs and arms. Buy an inexpensive jump rope and use this as your exercise tool. Jump at least 50 times and see if it does not improve your body’s condition. It helps lessen the tightness of your muscles and remove migraine pain. Exercising also loosens up your body and makes you more fluid so you can go to sleep easily.
Tip 6: Meditate.
Find a nice and quiet spot in your room to meditate. Mindfulness meditation, yoga or breathing exercise are effective ways to reduce a tension headache Make sure there are no interruptions such as the sound of the television or your ringing telephone. Assume a comfortable position. Loosen up your tight muscles first before meditating. Breathe in and out deeply and imagine a peaceful and calm place. You can also listen to soothing music or dolphin sounds.
Tip 7: If you are suffering from a tension headache, asks someone to massage the base of your thumb.
This is directly connected to your head. Massaging can help abate a tension headache.
Tip 8: You can take help from a professional psychologist
If you think your tension headache is increasing speedily then most probably you are suffering from anxiety, stress or other anxiety-based disorder.
In this case, you can take professional help from psychiatrists, clinical psychologist or counseling psychologists. They are experts to handle psychological issues.
What is tension? Now that your question is answered, you can now proceed to use the above-mentioned tips on how to abate a migraine or a tension headache. This is the best time to learn nifty tricks on how to combat tension stress.