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Topic Overview
What is a tension headache?
A tension headache causes constant, steady ache and tightness around your forehead, both temples, or back of your head and neck. Usually, pain from a tension headache is mild to moderate and doesn't keep you from performing your daily tasks. However, the pain can sometimes be severe or continuous and disruptive. These headaches are common and tend to recur, especially when you are under stress. Tension headaches can come and go periodically or can linger for days or weeks at a time.
What causes tension headaches?
The cause of tension headaches is not clear. They most likely occur when muscles tightening in the back of the neck or head due to stress, anxiety, fatigue, hunger, anger, poor posture, or over exertion.
What are the symptoms of tension headaches?
Tension headaches are characterized by constant headache pain that usually does not throb or pulse, but feels like tightness around your forehead often described as a "vice grip." Aching pain can also be felt at the temples or the back of your head and neck. Pain, fullness, or pressure is most often felt on both sides of your head. Unlike migraines, tension headaches do not cause nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and noise, and are not usually disabling.
Episodes of tension headaches can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several days. Chronic tension headaches occur at least 15 days or more a month.2
How are tension headaches treated?
Treatment for tension headaches may include pain medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, or NSAIDS, (for example, aspirin or ibuprofen).
Additional therapies, including stress management or biofeedback, may be tried or added to medications to reduce or prevent tension headaches.
For chronic tension headaches, the cause—such as anxiety or depression—must be identified and treated appropriately.
Who gets tension headaches?
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. Most people have occasional tension headaches. Around 4% of people in the United States go on to develop chronic tension headaches (more than 15 per month).2 Women get more tension headaches than men. Usually, the frequency of tension headaches declines with age. Symptoms can start in childhood, but they are more likely to occur during middle age and be linked to stressful life events.3
