This is what you can do about stress headaches

Causes of stress headaches

The biggest culprits of stress headaches are lack of sleep and lack of relaxation after exercise. These two factors are also good at perpetuating each other. Go figure. If you come home after work and don't take the space or time to relax, you take those stimuli with you to bed. As a result, you find yourself tossing and turning in your bed and struggling to fall asleep.

Then starting another day without feeling rested can cause pressure on your mind. Add to that again the stress of a busy day and the pattern is perpetuated.

In some cases, stress headaches can be caused by a factor you are not immediately aware of. Do you have mental or physical symptoms and want medical advice from a specialist? Then consult a (company) doctor or psychologist.

What do stress headaches feel like?

Stress headaches are not comparable to having an annoying headache for a while. Persistent stress gets into your muscles. You get incorrect posture and your muscles begin to cramp. If you have a stress headache, you may feel a pressing band around your head or pain at the back of your head. The pain may even radiate to your jaws. Stress headaches come on gradually and may disappear within minutes or persist for days. If you still have a headache after a few days, that's a sign to take a rest and come to yourself.

2 ways to get rid of stress headaches

Probably the most important thing for you to read if you are experiencing stress headaches. You see, there are fortunately ways to get rid of that annoying pain. We are talking about medication, meditation and physical therapy.

Meditation

Meditation is a good way to relax. Especially with stress headaches, it can be a relief to sit or lie in silence and breathe quietly. In particular, meditation exercises where you focus your attention on relaxing your body can reduce stress headaches. You actually cause the tension in certain limbs to go away, making your muscles less tense.

With meditation, you can decide which meditation practice is most comfortable for you. The Meditation Moments app has a wide range of meditations aimed at reducing tension in your body. While meditating, you force yourself to take a moment to rest and be kind to yourself and your body.

Physiotherapy

Persistent stress thus causes a lot of tension in your body. Tension often goes directly into your neck and shoulders. This is because you automatically tighten these limbs in response to tension. If you experience a lot of stress, you are mainly busy processing it with your mind and forget to take your body with you.

A common physical symptom is highly hunched shoulders, which eventually leads to shoulders that feel painful and a neck that is "stuck. It is then wise to visit a physical therapist. He or she can make you aware of your posture and give you tips on how to restore your posture. In addition, there are many physical exercises you can perform to hold less tension in your body and ultimately reduce the stress headache.

Recurring stress headache

Our tips are mainly intended to reduce the stress headache at the time it is present. However, we cannot prevent the stress headache from returning. There is an action point in that for you. Therefore, it may help to examine what exactly is stressing you out. It is important to act and make sure that you no longer let that specific stressor dominate your life. Small changes at work or in private life can sometimes make a big difference.