Ellen Campbell -Grizzle

Life now seems topsy-turvy. It is stressful to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Dean and to live without the usual utilities at this time. Some people might be suffering from election trauma as well. Small wonder that some people are feeling that tightening of the forehead that often presages tension-type headaches (TTH). In fact, most people have such headaches from time to time. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in developed countries, TTH alone affects two-thirds of adult males and 80 per cent of females.

Tension-type headaches can last for 30 minutes to several days and can be continuous in severe cases. Causes identified include:

Emotional tension, anxiety or stress.

Physical tension in the muscles of the scalp and neck. Poor posture at the desk may cause the neck and scalp muscles to tense. If you squint to read because you cannot see well, this may tense your scalp muscles as well.

Food, bright sunlight, a side effect of medication, depression, cold, heat, tiredness, noise or caffeine may trigger these headaches.

Is this pain serious?

With tension-type headaches, you are normally wellbetween headaches and have no other ongoing symptoms. Compared to migraine, a tension-type headache is usually less severe and is constant rather than throbbing. Also, migraine is usually a one-sided headache, and many people with migraine feel sick or vomit. If you have a TTH, you are usually able to continue with normal activities. However, some persons may have TTH and migraine at different times.

Medication

This common condition, TTH, is usually self-treated with over-the-counter painkillers. Paracetamol works well when taken at the correct dose; anti-inflammatory painkillers ar However, be careful! If you take a lot of painkillers for a bad spell of headaches, your body will become used to them. A 'withdrawal headache' then develops if you do not take these painkillers every day. This is called a 'medication headache'.

Prevention

Keep a diary. If you have frequent headaches, note when, where, how bad and how long each episode lasts. A pattern may emerge and you should find the trigger which you can then avoid. Possible triggers are hunger, eye strain, bad posture, stress and anger.

Avoid stressful situations. Stress is a common trigger. Learn how to cope with stress and take time out to relax. Breathing and relaxation exercises do ease anxiety.

Regular exercise. Try brisk walking, jogging, cycling, yoga or swimming. It is not clear how exercise helps, however, exercise eases stress and tension which could have the knock-on effect of reducing headaches.

A Cautionary note

Never take painkillers for headaches for more than a few days at a time or more than 15 days in any month. If you do so, you may develop 'medication headaches'. Never take painkillers to prevent headaches. See a doctor if you need painkillers for headaches on most days.