​On a stressful day at work, do you find yourself popping aspirin to numb your headache? If you suffer from tension headaches, you may have noticed that your headaches are caused by stress.

Next time you have a headache, don’t run straight for the medicine cabinet: reducing your stress may provide natural headache relief, eliminating the need for over-the-counter pills.

Read on to discover more about tension headaches and their causes. In the meantime, you can also check out this link for more information about reducing the amount of stress in your life!

 

Do I Have a Tension Headache?

Tension or stress headaches are just one type of headache you can get — and only one of the myriad of ways your body reacts to stress. Here’s how to tell if you have a tension headache, versus another type of headache due to another cause.

The symptoms of tension headaches are unique from other types of headaches. If you have a tension headache, you may feel a dull ache, tightness or pressure around your forehead. Many people liken it to the feeling of a rubber band being wrapped around your head. According to Mayo Clinic, tension headaches may be episodic or chronic, meaning they may come and go or persist for long periods of time.

Another type of headache you may get, which can be triggered by stress or other causes, is a migraine headache. The pain of migraine headaches can be described as throbbing or pulsing and may lead to other symptoms such as nausea or weakness. If you have a migraine with aura, you may also experience changes in your field of vision. Migraine headaches can be more serious than tension headaches and may require medical attention.

 

Causes of Tension Headaches

Tension headache occurs due to contractions of the muscles in and around the head, resulting in the feeling that a rubber band is being tightened around your forehead. Cold temperatures and staring at a computer screen may trigger tension headaches in some people. However, for most patients, a major cause of tension headaches is stress, whether at work, at home, at school or due to another area of life altogether.

 

Preventing Tension Headaches Naturally

Natural treatments for tension headaches can prevent the onset of headaches and reduce their intensity when they do occur. If you suffer from frequent tension headaches (defined as more than once or twice per week), you may want to try biofeedback, a type of electromagnetic therapy that can be helpful for tension headaches.

 

Natural Treatment for Headaches – Stress Management by Dr. Gary Gruber

Dr. Gary Gruber specializes in a type of biofeedback known as HeartMath therapy, which states that our heart rhythms reflect our inner state — including our levels of stress. Using principles of psychology and naturopathic medicine, Dr Gruber can help you regulate your heart rate, calm stress in the body and thereby reduce tension headaches.

If you are struggling to find a solution to your health issues, contact Dr Gary Gruber.

Family and Environmental Medicine is located in the heart of Fairfield County Connecticut near Downtown New Canaan

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