Tension-type Headache

Headaches are often brought about by increased stress levels known as “tension-type” or tension headaches.

Tension-type headaches are defined by the absence of migraine features, so they tend to appear on both sides of the head, feeling like a pressure pain, without the usual migraine accompaniments of nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and worsened by head movement.

According to the US National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus database, tension headaches are the most common type of headache and are described as pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck, often associated with muscle tightness. Tension headaches affect roughly 70% of people, and can last for 30 minutes to 72 hours.

When people are exhibiting stress, physiological changes occur in the body. Increased cortisol levels and our fight-or-flight response gets revved up, triggering a migraine or tension-type headache.

Aside from stress, other triggers of tension headaches include alcohol use, caffeine, illnesses (colds, the flu, etc.), dental problems, eye strain, excessive smoking and fatigue or overexertion.

Depending on the severity and length of your stress headache, it can go away on its own by simply taking a break from whatever activity is causing you stress. Lying down, meditating, or doing some light yoga are all great options.

But if headaches are not the norm for you, especially if you are over the age of 50, you should consider speaking to a neurologist or headache specialist, since this could signal that something else more serious is going on. Some other warning signs to pay attention to include headaches that consistently get worse or more frequent over time, accompanied by any neurological conditions such as double vision, numbness, tingling, paralysis, loss of vision, or accompanied by a fever.