Headaches and stress are two conditions that affect the quality of life and health of many people. Usually these two conditions are interrelated, as stress is a main cause for headaches. Stress headaches are difficult to handle and the only way to get rid of them is to be able manage stress effectively. In cases that the self-help methods for fighting stress headaches do not have the desired result then you should get advice from a specialist doctor.

Some acts about stress headache

Stress is responsible for a large percentage of headaches affecting humans.

Stress is one of the major causes of headache.

The tension headaches are the most common form of headache and stress is responsible for a large percentage of cases.

The tension headaches are caused by increased tension in muscles of upper back, neck and head. People who have a tendency to depression or anxiety are likely to experience stress headache more frequently.

Also women due to the increased obligations they have as workers, wives and mothers, they tend to experience stress headache more frequently.

What is the major cause of stress headache?

Stress is accompanied by the secretion of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisone. These hormones increase the heartbeat and breathing frequency, they increase the blood pressure and muscle tension.

Along with the stress, the anxiety and depression conditions are exacerbating the problem of stress headache. The negative feelings tend to increase the blood biological factors that usually are accompanying stress while they are reducing endorphins and other substances that help relax and relieve the body.

There are many situations in daily life that create stress headache and negative mental state. These include the pressures on the professional environment, conjugal problems, parental role, interpersonal relations, economic difficulties and the many obligations of any kind that burden every day people.

The daily problems, leading through the stress and negative mental state such as depression and anxiety situations to stress headaches. Women are more vulnerable and therefore more often than men experience stress headaches.

Studies have shown that regular small problems of everyday people have greater influence in causing stress headache than major life events like marriage, divorce or job loss.

What is the recommended treatment for stress headache?

It is important that if the headache is persistent to get professional treatment from a doctor. The history, clinical examination and other additional tests (if needed), can reveal whether the patient is suffering from stress headache and exclude another disease that requires a different type or more drastic treatment.

For the stress headache besides the doctor other people that can help the patient are psychologists, chiropractors, physiotherapists or other professional who is qualified to provide a different form of complementary therapy.

Understanding and learning to handle stress better are the first steps in combating stress headache.

Particular importance should be given to patients with chronic stress. The chronic stress can cause heart disease, reduction of body defence mechanisms, and vulnerability to infection, diabetes, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders and increased blood pressure.

For the relief of stress headache, you can initially use analgesic drugs such as paracetamol, non-steroidal analgesics and aspirin.

Today's work conditions create more feelings of anxiety, tension or pressure, and as a result there is low productivity, reduced income, professional stagnation or even dismissal. According to surveys, 80% of stress is due to conditions prevailing in the workplace. To deal with stress and be able to achieve what you want in your career you should consider the advice of specialists regarding ways to manage stress. First you must determine whether you are stressed and then find the cause of stress. As regards the sources of stress in the workplace, these are varied. Some relate to the role of the employee, others are specific to certain professions and others are related to working conditions.

The poor working conditions, such as non-protective measures for workers or overtime not paid, are the most common causes of stress. The pressure on the deadlines is another factor that can cause stress to the employees. A list of potential sources of stress that may be experienced by employees is as follows:

High degree of accountability
Lack of promotions
Receiving promotions
Non-participation in decision-making
Uncertainty regarding their position
Problems with colleagues, superiors, or subordinates
Feeling that their work is not recognized or appreciated
Constant changes
No clear idea of their responsibilities
Working environment, with strict and rigid rules.

After the stress diagnostic factors i.e. if you notice that you feel stress because of your work, you should follow techniques to solve the problem. Some tips to cope with stress, according to psychologists, are:

Find what is causing you stress in your environment and observe your emotional and physical reactions. Do not ignore the problem in the hope that it will pass. Most times it gets worse.

Identify what you can change. If you cannot change your environment or to reduce stress, take care of yourself, make breaks more often, exercise, watch your diet.

Reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions. Do not try to please everyone around you. Put priorities, all the things with which you deal are not urgent. Try to see the positive side of things and not always the negative.

Use relaxation techniques and meditation to reduce tension in the muscles and breathing to help restore the normal pace. Even 10 minutes a day helps considerably in reducing physical symptoms of anxiety.

Avoid alcohol, smoking and large amounts of caffeine, because they tend to increase any physical symptoms of stress. It is important to sleep well and not disrupt the program of your sleep.

Develop friendships and relationships that support you mentally.

Also a very effective way to self manage stress is the proper use of time and your career. You must properly manage your time not only to avoid stress because you do no have enough time to finish your work, but also because, as the famous saying says, time is money. A useful guide on how to properly use your time is the following:

1. Your time schedule should be a decision making tool.

2. Your time schedule should be flexible.

3. Your time schedule should make efficient use of resources.

4. Your time schedule should have clear targets.

5. Your time schedule should clearly define priorities.

6. Your time schedule should not be over scheduled

7. You should continuously review your time schedule

When you set targets it is good to write them in a piece of paper and clearly define what is urgent, what is important and what is not, in order to determine what ahs priority. The registration of your goals may be in the following format:

As regards the time management you should consider the situations in your work in which you loose unnecessary time, precious minutes and how you can save this time. Visitors are one reason that several times forcing you to stop your work. You can deal with them by closing the door of your office, avoiding discussions that do not lead anywhere. In this case you must acquire modern equipment, to keep notes while you speak, and be prepared to tell the most important when asked. You can also loose valuable time from the lack of organization of your office. So discard the unnecessary paperwork, write to the organizer about your business or even better on a schedule that exists on computers. Leave on your office only the current work and arrange the office space by placing relevant documents and tools in the same position each time.

Generally you should know that all these solutions would perform better if you have the opinion of a professional career advisor or psychologist, because for each person the conditions of work are unique. Of course, if none of the above measures does not help reduce workplace stress, you may need to follow more drastic solutions, such as the search for job that is more satisfying. Remember that to grumble about your job and your boss constantly is equally futile to silently tolerate a situation that erodes your health and your career.

If you have a headache for more than ten or fifteen days a month, the problem falls under the category of chronic daily Headaches. This term is not a medical diagnosis but a descriptive term, since many types of headache can lead to chronic daily headaches.

Such frequent headaches require careful assessment by a specialist doctor in headaches, both to determine the headache causes, and suggest ways for the headache treatment. Whether the patient should do the diagnostic tests, this will be decided by the doctor (specialised in daily headaches), based on the clinical history and neurological examination. If the neurological examination is normal and has ruled out the existence of an underlying cause (for example, a cancer), then probably the daily headaches are due to one of the following six reasons:

1. Abuse of headache drugs
2. Chronic migraines
3. Chronic tension headache
4. Recent beginning of daily headaches
5. Cumulative headache
6. Continuous unilateral headache

See below a brief description of each of the situations that can cause daily headaches for more than ten or fifteen times a month.

1. Abuse of headache drugs

The abuse of headache drugs is a frequent cause of chronic daily headaches. This can occur in people with migraine or tension-type headache. Usually, these are people who have migraine or tension headaches for many years and, over the years, the headache crises gradually become more frequent and more powerful, and patients are receiving more and more drugs. Gradually, the headaches can occur daily, and are accompanied by the daily use of medicines. Increased use of drugs makes the headache most resistant and thus perpetuating the situation, leading to ever-greater use of medication and to frequent daily headaches. It should be noted that it is not to blame a particular medicine, but that chronic daily headaches due to drug abuse may occur with any medicine, from the simplest (eg paracetamol) to the most modern (eg triptanes). It appears that what's wrong is the misuse of drugs and the lack of limits on their use. In general, every person who takes any medicine for headaches in a dose over 10-15 pills a month, possibly he/she is making drug abuse and it is faced with the risk to switch gradually to chronic daily headaches.

Treatment of chronic daily headaches with daily drug abuse requires complex preventive therapy (at least two drugs) and is quite difficult because many patients initially improve but then relapse.

2. Chronic migraine headaches

While for most medical conditions, the term «chronic» means that the condition existed for many years, for migraine headaches the condition «chronic» means that the migraine occurs very frequently, more than 15 days a month. There are not many people who suffer from chronic daily migraine headaches. Most people with migraine headaches have only occasional crises, usually from 1 to 3 times a month or less. In some people, however, the migraine crisis may gradually become very common, and may even develop into a situation where the patient is experiencing 15 daily headaches per month or more to gradually become chronic migraine headaches. Chronic migraines may lose the typical characteristics of migraine and the headache is continuous or nearly continuous, without apparent intolerance to light and noise, without nausea and vomiting. People with chronic daily migraines are really suffering; they are constantly in a state of suffering and feel powerless. Chronic migraines require preventive treatment.

headache causes by tcp909

What causes headaches in people is not easily determined. Headache causes are a lot and vary from physical and psychological factors. Headaches are one of the most common medical symptoms. Everyone at some point in his or her life suffered from headache. Some people also suffer from chronic headaches. The headache is also a major economic impact because no one can work properly when suffering from a headache. It is a sensation of pain coming from the nerves and muscles of the neck and around her head. Sometimes the pain comes from the meninges, the membranes covering the brain. The brain itself, even if it has a problem, it will not hurt and does not feel pain. The sense is, however pain in the head or any some part of it.

What causes headaches can be analyzed in two categories, the primary and secondary headaches. In the primary they have no association with a disease while in the secondary headaches are caused by a medical problem. When for example we get a cold we usually also have a headache, this is a secondary headache. The primary there is no specific cause can be due to various circumstances e.g. acute stress conditions that ultimately may cause a headache. The headaches depending on the pain are also separated into categories such as migraines, local headaches, etc. All headaches can be treated with various medications that help relax the region of the neck and head or suspend the feeling of the pain.

Secondary headaches are overcome when the illness that causes them is cured. The primary headaches do not have a specific way of dealing with them and we should give them special attention when they are intense or frequent to find what causes them.

Major causes of headaches

Headache cause #1: Stress

Stress is one of the main causes of headache. Stress is the major cause for a large percentage of headaches affecting people. The tension headaches are the most common form of headaches and stress is responsible for a large percentage of the cases.

The tension headaches are caused by increased tension of the muscles of the upper back, neck and head. People who have a tendency to depression or anxiety are likely to experience more tension headaches. Also women due to the increased obligations they have as workers, wives and mothers, they tend to experience more stress. For these reasons, they have more frequently than men, tension headaches.

Why does stress causes headaches?

tips for stress management by dotbenjamin

Stress is a disease of modern life that needs special attention. To manage stress sucessfully you have to follow certain tips for stress management that will help you eliminate stress and protect your health from the harmful effects of stress. Stress is not always bad, it is sometimes good because it helps us react quickly and solve problems. If on the other hand stress is repeating and lasts for a long time, chronic stress, it can cause several problems to our physical and emotional health. This article outline 20 tips for stress management and also explains what is chronic stress and what you can do to manage this type of stress.

Stress can be effective...

Stress is a protective mechanism and a defense agency of the body and can do miracles when necessary to tackle a problem. But when the pressure exceeds human strength, the stress can cause many health problems to our body and mind.

It has been found that workers who have to work increasingly longer hours and also have many duties, most often resort to other harmful health habits such as smoking, alcohol, poor diet. The result is at increased risk to fall ill, in relation to employees who work fewer hours and do not have many duties.

The solution? Yoga, adventure games and relaxation techniques are the best tips for stress management.

manage your work stress by work-stress

The nature of work life has changed significantly in recent decades. The requirements are more than ever. Nearly one in three European workers, or more than 40 million people, are suffering from work-related stress. Stress can affect everyone. Concerns employees, employers, managers, professionals, apprentices and trainees.

Work stress is the reaction that many people have when they are under high pressure at work for a given period. Many people are motivated by the challenges and difficulties arising from the requirements of their work. Fulfilling these requirements leads satisfaction. However, when the pressure at work reaches high levels and lasts for a long time, people find the existence of a threat to the welfare or interests and then experienced feelings like fear, anger or anxiety.

There are may ways to manage work stress and over the year a lot of institutions carried out research about the causes of work stress and ways to eliminate it. In this article we outline 9 quick ways to help you manage your work stress starting from tomorrow.

causes of stress in modern life by raylopez

Modern life is creating stress and we all react the same way. We see the effects in our bodies, our pulses are increased, and we feel the tension in our muscles. The causes of stress in modern life emerge from the too many obligations we have to handle everyday to the modern way of negative thinking.

We have all experienced stress periods in our life. This is something normal. Indeed, in small levels stress can be constructive! When, however, is a problem?

Is this a period in your life that you have many outstanding obligations; Do you worry about the future? Do you experience problems at home or at work? Do you work a lot and you are not resting enough? Do you feel trapped in situations that you cannot change? If the answer is «yes», even for a single question, be careful because you may engage in the vicious cycle of stress, which weakens the immune system and is the cause of many psychological and physical disorders.

The mechanism of stress

Stress triggers a whole mechanism that gives us the ability to be physically ready to face a risk or run away. During this reaction specific hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released, thereby increasing the heartbeat, slow down digestion, increase the flow of blood in most muscle groups and many other functions of the autonomous nervous system change, giving the body more energy and strength. When the alleged threat is subsided, the organism is designed to return to its normal state. In modern life, however, stressful stimuli are continuous and stress is daily, so the body cannot relax, the pressure builds up and eventually causes damage to the body.

manage stress by relaxing by eltercero

With the exception perhaps of Buddhist monks, stress is in our lives, to a lesser or greater extent. Managing stress means to be in position to understand the factors that can cause you stress and be able to minimize them or even better eliminate them completely. This is a difficult process and not all people can successfully manage to control their stress levels. The very first step in the process to manage stress is to understand what actually is stress. With the term stress we mean all the physiological changes that occur in humans when threatened or endangered by a stimulus or a situation. Therefore, any stimulus that can cause stress is known as a stress factor. Anxiety on the other hand, is nothing other than the feeling of fear and tension born in us when we face a new, provocative or dangerous situation (i.e. when we are in a state of stress). Stress is not necessarily something negative. In small levels it can be the driving force behind us. The desirable is that in the morning stress should be low, then rising during the day and at the evening to close at the low levels found in the morning.

The current pace of life is more intense and the ever-increasing demands force most of us to wake, sleep and live with stress, leaving no time to rest either the spirit or our body. Thus, even in conditions that there is no stress, we are still in a situation of constant muscle tension, which gradually became our way of living. The symptoms of intense stress occur at four levels:

• Feelings (distressed, irritability, restlessness)
• Mind (negative, destructive and irrational thoughts)
• Behaviour (indecision, excessive demands on others, loss of humour)
• Body (headaches, abdominal pain, grit, sweating)

manage stress after holidays by yukonblizzard

Millions of people worldwide are suffering from "stress syndrome after the holidays". This is a special form of stress, which appears after a particularly pleasant and relaxing (if not physically, but mentally) period of our lives. The effects of this type of stress are not only visible after the summer holidays but it affects people that take a break from work during Christmas and New Year's holidays. It takes a lot of effort and needs a special way to manage stress after the holidays.

manage exam stress by forhealth

Students have a lot of stress especially during the exam period. It is more than vital for students to be able to manage stress if they want to succeed in the exams.

Exams themselves are a compelling experience that causes stress, because the stakes are high: the dreams that students make for their lives, the beginning of a career, the expectations that they have for themselves, the expectations parents have for their children. The exam stress is usually associated with the fear that students will disappoint their parents by their performance, and with the expectations they have from themselves. 

This article outlines some very useful tips that can help students and parents understand what are the causes and symptoms of stress and how students can manage stress before, during and after the exam period.

manage stress at work by career

Stress is a term that causes anxiety and it is usually connected with nervous tension and fatigue. The workplace is one of the major contributors of stress for all people. Despite the reasons that can cause stress at work there are quick and easy ways to manage stress at work and become more relaxed and more productive. This article outlines 12 methods you can follow to manage and relief your self from stress those difficult days at work.

12 Ways to manage stress at work

1. Give up your coffee

Coffee flows in your blood this is the problem. The caffeine is like wet stress that flows in your veins. It increases the production of adrenaline and simultaneously it prevents the production of adenosine, a natural sedative for your brain. «Blocking the caffeine from your daily habits is the most effective strategy to reduce stress as far as I know,” says David B. Posen, stress expert and author of Always Change a Losing Game. Posen supports the fact that 75% of decaffeinated coffee patients feel more relaxed and more active at work, mainly due to better sleep. For more information about coffee, you can read The real truth about the myth of coffee.

manage stress and your life

Regardless of what is the cause of stress the degree in which stress affects us depends on how we think about it. To manage stress effectively we need first to be able to manage our thoughts and the way of thinking. Each situation and each event gets the value that we give them, and thus causing us such stress, as we allow them to. Each person things and reacts differently from all other people. Also, the same person things and reacts for the same events differently at different times, depending on the circumstances.

What upset us is not the events themselves, but the perception we have for them. If this perception changed, then it is possible to manage, change or reduce the degree of stress we feel.

A very good way to manage stress, is to examine whether the situation or the causes of stress are really so bad as we think, or they are only bad in our thoughts. The steps below will help you manage your stress by first managing your thoughts.

manage stress and relax by ameliaps

Stress has become an integral component of our life. There are various ways to manage stress in a fast and efficient way. There are techniques that have to do with how we deal with problems - which are the major cause of stress and techniques we can use to relax in order to help our self to manage stress more efficiently. The bottom line is that stress is not a tangible component but it is a perception we have in our mind about different situations. Each situation and each event gets the value that we give them, and thus causing us such stress, as we allow them to.

Stress is not always a bad thing. Instead, it can keep us alert, it can warn us from possible dangers and in essence it helps us to understand what is important or not.

The inability to manage stress can sometimes prove to be dangerous for our health. We must be careful and take the necessary steps to protect ourselves. It is us that can make the difference in whether stress will remain useful or become dangerous for our health. Stress is harmful when we allow it to be.

happy faces by 001fj

The good thing with the stress of the holidays is that it is predictable. Unlike other types of stress that we encounter in life, we know exactly when it will start and when it will finish! Therefore, we can organize ourselves in order to avoid it or at least control it.

In our previous post "6 causes of Christmas stress and depression" we outlined the major causes why for many people Christmas holidays is a period of depression and stress. These are:

• Absence of a beloved person
• Family misunderstandings
• The economic difficulties
• Physical tiredness
• Loneliness
• Seasonal Emotional Disturbance

In this post, we give 15 tips to follow in order to make this Christmas holidays a period of joy and happiness.

Christmas Stress Ball by axell

No doubt the celebrations of Christmas and New Year are moments of love, joy and happiness. At least that is how it should be or how we want to believe it is. Unfortunately for many people Christmas holidays is a period of depression and stress.

There are many situations that affect the beauty, charm and spirit of holidays. Many people, each for different reasons, feel too much tension, some surrender to depression, others get frustrated because they can not do everything that they wanted to do in such a short period of time.

Apart from the emotional stress and mental intensity that can harm our health during the holidays, there are also the rich dishes that are not the best thing for our diet and physical health. The foods that are rich in calories, salt, fats and carbohydrates are ceaseless temptations even for those with a very strong will.

Stress in the workplace is devastating. Regardless of the factors causing stress at work is very important to develop ways to manage stress to be creative and productive for us. It is unrealistic to believe that we can live without stress. The aim of stress management is not to stop worrying and care about everything (so that we can avoid stress) but to learn to keep our self relaxed and under control.

In recent decades the word stress has entered our vocabulary for good, describing the fatigue, discomfort and pressure we are experiencing in our daily lives. The difficult working conditions, the financial difficulties, and the small or big personal problems of each of us became our personal load that we are forced to carry every day.

stress in workplace by nonsuonamale

Stress in workplace arises when we realize that the tasks we have to undertake in our work are greater than what we can handle. When the stress is intense and lasts for a long time, we begin to develop various symptoms that warn us that something is amiss. The most typical symptoms (signs) are the following: intense irritability, anxiety, uncertainty, difficulty in sleeping (insomnia), memory disturbances, tremor in the hands, headaches, abnormally tense muscles (particularly in the neck), nausea, tachycardia, intense sweating, dizziness, trends faint, and others.

Stress and sleep are strongly bound together. Lack of sleep can cause stress and stress can be the cause for lack of sleep. It is important to find ways to manage stress and sleep because this combination can cause serious problems to our mental and physical health.

stress and sleep, image by fuffer2005

Stress is how the body and brain reacts in any new or threatening emotional (exciting) situation. Stress is not always harmful but it is sometimes helpful because it gives you more energy, which may help you experience physical challenges, solve problems and reach / achieve objectives / purposes. When stress continues without interruption for long periods can cause insomnia (lack of sleep), headaches, back pain, anorexia, fatigue, depression and other physical symptoms.

Food is not only necessary for our survival but it can also provide a way to manage stress. Stress can create a lot of problems to our mental and physical health. Managing stress with food is about consuming those foods that can give your body those ingredients and energy to cope with the daily life obligations that are the major causes of stress.

Foods that can help you manage stress

Foods rich in protein – Gain More energy

You can manage stress by consuming foods rich in protein. The proteins are broken into amino acid during the process of digestion. A particular amino acid, the tyrosine, contributes to the increase of chemicals dopamine and epinephrine, which have the capacity to give the body energy and to keep you vigilant. Foods that have high concentration of protein are meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products.

Stress is not something that we cannot manage. There are ways to manage stress and reverse the negative consequences to our mental and physical health caused by stress. When we feel that stress is dominating our life we should take action immediately to find ways to manage our life and stress better.

Stress is created when we feel that the requirements in our lives go beyond those we can do and control. Stress is the physical defence of our organism. It is a good defence system in cases of emergency. At the same time it can cause problems to our physical and mental health if it continues for a long time. We should try and find ways to manage stress because our daily challenges and activities are full of stressful events and conditions.

image by programwitch

All changes in our lives are causing stress, even the good ones (e.g. a marriage, the birth of a child). The reaction of people to a change in their life is crucial. The reaction to a life change is one of the major factors whether the stress created from this situation will be good or bad for our health. Stress can cause health problems or make existing problems worse.

Efficient time management is one of the ways to manage stress in our life. In the world of technology and computers all designed to make our lives easier and add to our free time, day by day we are ultimately more busy than ever! Single or with family responsibilities, we must all find ways to organize and manage our time so that we get little time for our own personal pleasure and relaxation. Our time is our life. The more we are able to plan and manage our time in an effective manner, the more we will be able to enjoy our lives.

But not everyone is having the gift of efficient organization and proper time management. Often many people feel that they are oppressed by the many things they have to do for their family, home or work.

The pressures felt by the unrestrained flow of things we have to do during working hours are increasing and eventually they become intolerable by the additional requirements that currently exist in our personal and family life.

All this creates too much stress and removes the psychological calm that we all need so much today.

Does this mean that we are condemned to the mass of committed work to be done, suffering psychologically and having repercussions on our physical health?

The answer is NO. If we do not have the inherent gift of good organisation and management of time and innumerable obligations of each kind are invading us continuously, it is possible with a methodical effort to learn to apply a few basic principles that will be able to protect us. To manage stress effectively you must first be able to manage your time efficiently.

The benefits of such a successful effort will not only reduce our levels of stress, but will also improve our psychology, mood and satisfaction, and it is a major step towards better physical health. Let us see then how best to approach the issue of proper management and efficient use of our time.

image by aussiegall

1. Create a to-do list

Initially we can make a list of our daily obligations, or even with the obligations we have to perform in the near future, specifying when and how our obligations will be met. Repetitive obligations can be planned for specific days and times where we have the appropriate time and availability to finish them.

We must never forget that the planning and design of our activities for each day gives us a large degree of control of our time. We must recognize what is important for us and be placed first on our list.

2. Create a ‘smart’ plan

Stress is one of the most popular moods of our century. It is not a disease but if you do not manage stress properly and in time it can be the secret cause for many health problems.

This article talks about the major causes of stress in our work environment and gives 22 ways on how to manage stress at work but also in our everyday life.

Some facts about the consequences of stress at work:

• More than 40 million people in the European Union (EU), or nearly one in three European workers say they feel stress in the workplace.
• The stress at work is the second in frequency problem (after back pain), affecting 28% of workers in the EU
• According to an official European survey conducted some years ago, stress is the cause of the loss of millions of working days each year (more than 1 / 4 absences of at least 2 weeks for health reasons from work), thus costing Member States at least 20 billion annually.

What is stress and what are the major causes of stress at work?

As already stated above: stress is not a disease.

Stress occurs when the pressure and demands of work are in a constant and intense degree and beyond the ability we can handle and deal with the situation.

What are the major causes of stress at work?