Anxiety headaches, migraines, head tension symptoms

Headaches are a common sign of anxiety

Anxiety headache description:

You have headaches or frequent headaches that feel like a tension, pressure, tight band around your head, shooting pain(s) in your head and/or face, and/or stabbing pain in the head. It also may feel like your head is 'frozen,' 'thick,' 'numb,' and/or many other odd aches, pains, feelings, and sensations.

Some people describe anxiety headaches as feeling like they have an odd pressure in their head or that their head feels like it is about to explode.

Anxiety headaches and migraines may occur as a response to feeling anxious or stressed, or may occur for no apparent reason.

Anxiety headaches can be mildly noticeable, moderately bothersome, or greatly problematic. They can occur rarely, frequently, or persistently, and may change from day to day and even moment to moment.

Anxiety headaches are also associated with migraine headaches.

All combinations and variations of the above are common.

What causes anxiety headaches?

Medical Advisory

There are four types of headache:  vascular, muscle contraction (tension), traction, and inflammatory. 

Behaving in an anxious manner activates the body’s stress response. The stress response stresses the body. Muscle contraction headaches are commonly caused by stress, including the stress caused by being overly anxious.

Stress causes muscles to contract, and therefore, tighten. This can include the many muscle groups in the head, face, neck, and shoulders. Chronic stress can cause persistent muscle tension, and even muscle spasms (involuntary sudden muscle contractions).

When muscles remain tense, they can become painful, which is a common reason for stress-related headaches, head “pressures,” and feeling like you have a “tight band around your head.”

Tight muscles can also spasm, which is a common cause of stabbing and shooting pains in the head and face.

A common type of vascular headache is a migraine. While there are many causes for migraine headaches, stress, including the stress caused by being anxious, can also cause them.

How to get rid of anxiety caused headaches?

Because anxiety headaches are caused by the stress of behaving in an overly apprehensive manner, you can eliminate them by changing your behavior to a less anxious approach and reducing your body’s stress overall. As your body’s stress diminishes, so should your anxiety headaches. Keep in mind that it can take up to 20 minutes or more for the body to recover from a major stress response. But this is normal and shouldn’t be a cause for concern.

When your headaches are caused by persistently elevated stress, it may take a lot more time for your body to calm down and to the point where your headaches are eliminated.

Nevertheless, when your body’s stress has been sufficiently reduced, anxiety headaches, including anxiety-caused migraine headaches, should completely disappear.

You can speed up recovery time by reducing your stress, practicing relaxed breathing, increasing your rest and relaxation, and not worrying about your headaches.

Anxiety Therapy

If you are having difficulty with anxiety, its symptoms, and troublesome worry, you might want to connect with one of our recommended anxiety disorder therapists. Working with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist is the most effective way to overcome problematic anxiety.

All of our recommended therapists have experienced anxiety disorder, have successfully overcome it, and are medication-free. Their years of personal and professional experience make them an excellent choice to work with on your road to recovery.

Visit our "Why Therapy" and "What Makes Our Therapists Unique" articles for more information.

 

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