Stress Related Headaches

More than 45 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches. The most common type is tension headache. Neck muscles tighten and shoulder and face muscles contract after a confrontation with your boss or a day of kids’ tantrums. Stress can contribute to, or even cause other types of headaches. Migraine is a perfect example. A delicate hormonal balance in some women can be easily disturbed. Monthly changes can cause stress levels to rise and cause a migraine syndrome to begin.

What to do?

Particularly for women experiencing hormonally based stress headaches or migraines, finding a workable hormonal treatment is the key. Whether conventional estrogen treatment is used (i.e. the Patch) or natural progesterone in the form of capsules or creams, women can alleviate many anxiety and stress symptoms associated with hormonal balance.

Another approach to hormonally based headaches is “talk-therapy”. With a professional therapist or a dear friend, a heart felt talk can do wonders to defuse anxiety.

Try a cup of coffee. Small amounts of caffeine have been shown to relieve headache pain, particularly when used in conjunction with ibuprofen and other pain medications.

Deal with your stress response. Biofeedback has worked wonderfully for migraine sufferers. Other relaxation techniques can also be learned with the help of trained counselors.