It has probably happened to you several times over, a niggling tightness like a band around your head, a pain which is mild enough and does not cripple your daily schedule, but ruins your day, anyways. Most probably, you are suffering from tension headache, or tension-type headache, as it is known. Knowing the symptoms of tension headaches will help you to know how best treat the same, especially when these headaches are frequent. Headaches are so common today, especially with the fast paced lives and the tremendous work pressure, making it one of the most common ailments of daily life. But do keep in mind that in case your tension headache persists for more than 15 days, it is best to consult a physician. Knowing the symptoms of tension headaches will not only enable you to take proper medication, this would also help you to distinguish this particular type of headache from the others such as migraine and cluster headaches.
In most cases, tension headaches may persist any where from merely half hour to a week. But while this particular form of headache may not cripple you from the daily schedule, the headache may persist and thus make you irritable and confused. The symptoms of tension headaches are such that you cannot feel them coming, unlike migraine headaches, a period known as Prodrome. Instead they may begin all of a sudden, either right in the morning or the middle or in the late evening. While the immediate cause is not known, usually there is some form of either internal or external stress in the process. Some of the other symptoms of tension headaches include a tightening of muscles in the back of the neck, the shoulders and the back of the head, insomnia, difficulty in concentrating in work, sensitivity to light and sound (though this is not common), discomfort in jaws and the area around your eyes, loss of appetite and irritability, among others. The person feels extremely tired all the time, both due to headache and even lack of sleep. While the pain is merely mild to moderate, it is not influenced by any form of rigorous physical activity.
The symptoms of tension headaches however are not associated with nausea, vomiting or blurred vision, as is common in migraine headaches. Tension headaches are usually treated by merely over the counter medicines. But when these headaches persist for more than 15 days in a month, they are known as chronic tension headaches. Do see the doctor when these headaches persist and cause major discomfort, affecting other aspects of your life. Tension headaches are bilateral, that is, they begin in both sides of the head, instead in specific spots. While they can begin from the shoulders, they can also occur also on the forehead, with the top of the eyebrows, being more sensitive to pain. Tension headaches are episodic (and not chronic) if the headaches are gone within a week. Women are likely to have higher chances of developing tension headaches, rather than men. Moreover, tension and migraine headaches are known to inflict more than 90 per cent of the population.
Know more about symptoms of other headaches at Symptoms of Headaches.
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