Causes of Headaches And How To Avoid Them

Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are the most common type of a headache. They are caused by contraction of the muscles covering the skull. These contractions occur when the muscles covering the skull become stressed, resulting in inflammation and painful spasms. Tension headaches may also be caused by physical stressors on the body, including prolonged and difficult manual labor or sitting at a computer desk for extended periods of time. Emotional stress may cause tightening of the muscles surrounding the skull, which can contribute to a tension headache.

Treatments

The type of treatment recommended may depend on the kind of headache. General treatment methods may include taking over-the-counter pain medications including aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen. Other techniques that may help include resting in a cool and dark room, hot or cold presses to the head and neck, massage, and small amounts of caffeine. Some headaches may go away with exercise, meditation or other mind-body techniques. Closing the eyes for a few minutes and relaxing the muscles in the head may help.