Tension Headache Causes, Symptoms and Home Remedies

Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache. As many as 90% of adults have tension headaches. Tension headaches are more common among women than men. Many people confuse tension headache symptoms for migraine, and can end up with the wrong treatment. One problem is that many symptoms overlap, and many people with migraine get frequent tension headaches as well.

About 90% of the headaches that strike are tension headaches. Tension headaches are also called muscle contraction headaches. Most of your skull is covered with a layer of muscle. When this muscle contracts abnormally, it can decrease the blood flow in your head. One of the tension headache symptoms can be tenderness around your head.

Tension Headache Causes

Muscle Contraction Headache or Acute Tension Type Headache occurs in about 50% of the population on a monthly basis but is usually low impact which is why it is not seen a lot in primary care. The exact causes of tension headache are not known but stress and tension play a part. Typically the tension headache is mild to moderate only, non-pulsating and bilateral. Sensory sensitivity to noise or light is more likely to be associated with migraine. Difficulties arise when patients who are suffering from migraine are misdiagnosed as having tension headaches. They then do not receive appropriate pain management. Patients often describe their head pain as a “feeling of tightness or squeezing”.

Most often, it is the vata humor that is out of balance when you have a headache. Some of the many possible causes include:

1. Mental stress
2. Fever
3. Excessive caffeine or nicotine
4. Reading without proper lighting
5. Sitting too close to the television, or watching too much of it
6. May also be a symptom of some other disease
7. Side-effect of another medication.

Home remedies for tension headache

1. For tension headaches massage few drops of peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil on temples.

2. Massage the scalp with slightly warmed sesame oil. This relieves tension headache and induces sleep.

3. Regular exercise, yoga and meditation reduce the stress levels and keep the tension headache at bay.

4. Persons of vata type can use hot water bags on aching parts and a hot shower will be of good help.

Natural Headache remedy using Henna

The flowers of henna have been found valuable in curing headaches caused by hot sun. The flowers should be rubbed in vinegar and applied over the forehead. This remedy will soon provide relief.

Aroma therapy cures.

Sniffing peppermint oil, rose oil, Lavender oil, Chamomile oil can give relief from headaches. Try burning some candles made with these oils to get a fragrant room while the headaches vanish. Try and consult a aroma therapist for a specific oil recommendation best suited to your problem or experiment with a few smells.

Drinking a glass of water (warm water in winter and cool water in summer), mixed with a teaspoon of honey first thing in the morning, is also a good remedy. Copious drinking of water throughout the day is also advised.