Can stress cause migranes?

Question

they are migranes not tension headaces they get so bad the sound of a fan and the light being on makes it hurt even worse I have been on medication for them before but can longer afford it.

Answer 1

MIGRAINES & STRESS:

I have horrible tension migraines caused by stress and it's usually pain in your temples, back of the head, down your neck, back, and shoulders. Take some pain reliever, put a cold wash cloth over your head in a dark quite room and rest for as long as you can. A nice relaxing bubble bath with lavender candels in a dark room or anything that relaxes you would help greatly! TAKE A BREAK AND GOODLUCK!

The cause of tension headache is usually stress. Tension headache medicine can bring tension headache relief.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache, however, are not very well understood.  In earlier times, tension headaches were often referred to as muscle contraction headaches, depressive headaches, psychogenic headache, ordinary headache and essential headache.  These types of headaches also referred to today as stress headaches, usually cause a constant, dull type of pain to both sides of the head.  Pain may also be present in the muscles of the neck.  Many people suffer from tension headaches, and luckily, they are generally quite manageable.  Below are some facts about tension headaches that you should be aware of:

Tension headaches can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an entire week.

Headaches that occur for more than 15 days are considered chronic tension headaches.

Pain can be mild to moderately intense.

Most tension headaches occur in the morning hours, soon after waking.

Insomnia may result from a tension headache.

Scalp and neck tenderness may occur with a tension headache.

Increased sensitivity to light.

Increased sensitivity to sound.

Those in the medical profession have been unable to agree on what exactly causes a tension headache.  There are many theories as to the causes such as:

Muscle contractions in the face

Muscles contractions in the neck

Muscle contractions in the scalp

Biochemical changes in the brain

Nitric oxide overproduction

Although there is not one concrete cause known for tension headaches, there are many aggravators that are known to cause tension headaches.  Some of these aggravators are as follows:

Overuse of headache medication

Depression and anxiety

Lack of physical activity

Stress

Skipping meals

Lack of sleep

Change in sleeping patterns

Poor posture

Hormonal changes

Medications used to treat high blood pressure and depression

Teeth grinding

Head trauma

Whiplash

Eyestrain

While it is known that it is easier to prevent a tension headache rather than try to treat it, there are medications, both over-the-counter as well as prescription, which can be used temporarily to subdue the pain caused from a tension headache.  Some of these medications include:

Tylenol

Bayer

Excedrin

Advil

Motrin

Aleve

Toradol

Since many of these medications carry with them the risk of side effects, be sure to check with your physician and/or pharmacist concerning how taking any of these medications may affect you.

Tension headaches are classified into two separate categories; those that are episodic and those that are chronic.  Episodic tension headaches are those that occur less than 15 days per month, are brief and last between 15 minutes and just a few hours.  Chronic tension headaches are marked in that they occur more than 15 times per month, and their duration is a bit longer than that of the episodic variety.  Women suffer twice as much from chronic tension headaches than do men.

While conventional medicines and treatments may work well in managing tension headaches for some people, others turn to alternative methods and natural remedies in their search for relief.  Some of these methods and remedies are as follows:

Tiger balm

Icy hot

Pain patches

Badger balm muscle rub

Tea tree oil

Practicing yoga

Meditation

If you believe that your tension headaches are the result of muscle tension in your neck and shoulders, seeing a massage therapist may be a good treatment to investigate.  A massage therapist will be able to relieve tension on the affected muscle groups, which can lead to relief of tension headaches.

No matter what the cause, or your choice of treatment and/or prevention, you can be sure that tension headaches are usually not debilitating, and can be easily managed and treated.  Making even a few lifestyle changes can prevent tension headaches from intruding into your daily life.  Reducing stress is also an important factor.

Answer 2

Yes.

Answer 3

yes it can  

Answer 4

Most definitely! A headache comes many times from stress, as well as a migraine. Your stress level can determine how severe your headache is, or even if your headache becomes something that gets in the way of your daily life, or if it is manageable. Although stress is not the only cause of a migraine, it is one of them!

Answer 5

Yes stress is one of the causes of migranes...

Answer 6

Stress can cause all sorts of things!  

Answer 7

It can precipitate a migraine episode if you have this condition to begin with.