Relieving tension headaches: tips & help

Tension headaches are the most common, with more than 300 in every 1,000 people suffering regularly from them.

The pain feels like it is pressing or pulling and builds slowly, usually on both sides. These headaches don’t make you ill in the classic sense, but they can remain persistent.

And women seem to suffer them more frequently than men.

“With tension headaches, most people can continue to work, but with clearly reduced concentration,” says Huggenberger.

Migraines are far less common, but much more intense. Around 14% of women and 7% of men suffer from migraines; in children, girls and boys are affected equally often.

Migraines are pulsating, pounding, and often one-sided, and they almost always go hand in hand with sensitivity to light or sound, and sometimes also nausea.

Many people affected have to withdraw until the attack subsides.

Cluster headaches are rare: only 1 in 1,000 people experience them, and men twice as often as women.

The attacks come in episodes, often at the same time every day, and are concentrated on one side around the eye.

The pain is described as burning or piercing and is often accompanied by red eyes, a blocked nose or sweating.

• Use painkillers effectively: Medicines such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, naproxen or metamizole can help with occasional tension headaches. They usually act quickly and reliably. Important: don’t take painkillers for more than ten days a month, otherwise there is a risk of drug-induced headaches. “We’ve known for some years that pain medication itself can trigger headaches, so it’s important to use it with caution,” warns Huggenberger.
• Rest and relaxation: Taking a break, lying down or lowering your head for a moment can noticeably reduce the pain. Conscious breathing also has a calming effect and reduces tension.
  

• Acupuncture and acupressure: Study results are inconsistent. “There’s no clear evidence that acupuncture is as effective for tension headaches as it is for migraines, but it can help in individual cases,” says the expert from many years of experience with affected patients. Acupressure points – for example between the thumb and index finger – can also provide short-term relief. 
• Hot or cold treatment: Many people find that heat is the most comfortable option: a warm bath, a cherry stone cushion applied to the neck, or a red light lamp. These stimulate blood circulation and ease tension. Others find that cold works best, such as applying a cooling pad to the neck.
• Massages: A gentle massage to the temples, scalp or neck promotes blood circulation and can reduce sensitivity to pain. Many sufferers find this beneficial, especially when their underlying muscles are very tense.
• Biofeedback: With biofeedback, those affected learn to consciously influence physical processes such as muscle tension, pulse or skin temperature. This lowers the basic tension and can reduce the frequency of headaches. Some health insurers pay a share of the costs. “You have to be able to understand your own physical stress responses to take effective countermeasures and thus reduce the headaches,” says Huggenberger. 
• Swimming: “Time and again, I hear from my patients that swimming really helps,” says Huggenberger. The combination of body tension, rhythmic movement and the relaxing effect of the water reduces muscle tension – provided you do it consistently.
  

• Peppermint oil and fresh air: Many sufferers use cold compresses on the back of the neck or peppermint oil applied over a larger area when experiencing mild symptoms. A short walk in the fresh air can also do good. 
• Medicinal plants: Willow bark, meadowsweet, ginger or feverfew are traditionally used to treat headaches, usually as a tea. A cup of coffee with a little lemon juice can also have a soothing effect. Caffeine enhances the effect of some painkillers.

Sitting or standing, rotate both shoulders forwards 20 times, then backwards 20 times. Then move each shoulder forwards and backwards individually. As a variation, circle your outstretched arms instead: first forwards, then backwards, then in opposite directions.

Lift both shoulders towards your ears, hold for about five seconds, then lower and relax. Repeat five to ten times. This exercise releases tension in the upper shoulder area.

Tilt your head to the side and use a hand to apply a gentle, steady pull to increase the stretch until you feel a stretch on the opposite side of your neck. Stretch the other arm downwards, palm facing the floor. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then change sides. Repeat three times on each side.

Clasp both hands behind your head. Lower your elbows and let your head gently follow. The neck is stretched long and relaxed – ideal for a stiff or tense neck.

Stretch one arm out to the side and rest your forearm on a door frame. Take a slight step forward to stretch the shoulder area, hold for a few seconds, then switch sides. Helps with tension from prolonged sitting.

Not getting enough fluids can increase your sensitivity to pain. It’s best to aim for around 1.5 litres a day, preferably water or unsweetened tea. If you only drink when you’re thirsty, you’re already in deficit. Having a water bottle visible at work helps you stick to the routine.

Gentle endurance training like jogging, cycling, swimming or walking can prevent headaches and relax muscles. Staying active in everyday life is just as important: walk more often, take the stairs instead of the lift, or cycle short distances.

Stress is one of the most common triggers of tension headaches. Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, meditation or autogenic training reduce the basic tension. A warm bath, calming music or taking short breaks throughout the day can help stabilise your pain threshold.

A regular sleep pattern helps: at least seven hours, ideally at roughly the same time every night. Both lack of sleep and significantly longer periods of sleep at the weekend can trigger headaches. It is particularly important to go to bed at the same time and get sufficient rest.

Irregular meals or long breaks between meals can trigger headaches. Some people are also sensitive to specific foods, such as processed foods, red wine, histamine-rich foods, chocolate or nuts. If symptoms recur, it is worth observing your individual triggers.

Targeted training of the neck and shoulder muscles, light stretches or gentle massages can relieve tension that increases sensitivity in the head area. Biofeedback also helps some sufferers to control and reduce muscle tension more consciously.

Nicotine can increase sensitivity to pain and constrict blood vessels – both of which can promote headaches. People who are prone to tension headaches often benefit from reducing or completely stopping their consumption.

For some sufferers, postural problems or muscular imbalances play a role. Physiotherapy – combining stretching, strengthening and posture training – can help relieve the neck and shoulders and reduce the frequency of headache episodes.

If you suffer from frequent headaches, keeping a pain diary can help identity patterns: When does the pain occur? Were you stressed, sleeping badly or did anything unusual happen? “Those who document when headaches occur and under what circumstances may be able to recognise patterns and intervene more effectively,” says Huggenberger.

Tension headaches feel dull, oppressive or constricting, often like a tight ring around the head. Many feel the discomfort all over their head, others feel it more strongly in the forehead, temples or back of the head.

The pain ranges from mild to moderate, is not aggravated by movement and lasts from a few minutes to a week. There is no severe nausea or vomiting.

Unlike tension headaches, migraines are much more intense and usually pulsating, pounding or throbbing, often on one side of the head. Typical accompanying symptoms of migraines: Sensitivity to light and noise, often nausea.

Tension headaches, on the other hand, are constantly pressing rather than pulsating, are milder and are not aggravated by movement. There are no clear accompanying symptoms.

For tension headaches that occur infrequently, common painkillers can provide rapid relief.

It is important to use them in moderation: using them too often increases the risk of additional headaches from the medication itself.

Tension headaches cannot be cured permanently because the exact causes are unknown.

However, with the right combination of medication, relaxation, exercise and stress management, the symptoms can be significantly reduced.

Under certain conditions, basic insurance covers part of the costs for alternative therapies such as acupuncture and phytotherapy, as well as for medication.

Supplementary insurance covers higher costs than basic insurance and includes additional alternative medicine therapies, massages and fitness centre memberships.

The Cover Check in the Sanitas Portal shows you at the click of a button which costs are covered by Sanitas.