There is a fairly good chance that someone you know has experienced some type of headache recently, just because there are so many different types of headaches around. These forms of headache may be the result of dehydration, missed meals, migraines or other sorts of headache like a tension headache or even a chronic tension headache.
While a tension headache feels like a tight elastic band around your head, the pain from tension headaches goes away after a little while. Now imagine having to suffer from a tension headache every day. This kind of tension headache is classified as a chronic tension headache because the pain is experienced at least 15 days a month for a period of several months.
With the case of chronic tension headaches, the symptoms of the headache are similar to those of tension headaches, except that the pain never really seems to go away. People who have had chronic tension headaches, say that the pain is as if they were wearing a pressure band around their heads. Other people have described severe chronic tension headache pain as a hooded cape that drapes down onto their shoulders.
In the case of both tension headaches and chronic tension headaches, the pain can be felt either in the forehead region, at the sides of the head and sometimes even at the back of the head. At its normal power the chronic tension headache is a dull, aching pain, although sometimes the pain is like a tourniquet. Generally the pain is mild to moderately intense.
The severity of the pain varies with the general physical state of the individual concerned and it can also vary with the different forms headaches. Many people begin to experience chronic tension headaches as soon as they awake in the morning, whereas others say that their chronic tension headaches do not start until the early hours of the day.
Normal tension headaches are more common than chronic tension headaches, although twice as many women as men suffer from chronic tension headaches. The duration and the severity of the pain is about the same as a normal tension headache , although the pain from the chronic tension headache is almost a daily thing and is also continuous in nature.
People who suffer from chronic tension headaches are thought to be more prone to anxiety and depression than non-sufferers of tension headaches. It is also known that chronic tension headaches occur during or after heightened periods of stress and anxiety. Anyone who has mood disorders like depression or anxiety should have these conditions treated before getting their chronic tension headache attended to.
People suffering from chronic tension headaches can lead pretty normal and fulfilling lives with the correct medication and treatment. Over time, they may come to understand what triggers their headaches and how preventing those triggers occurring can prevent the start of another bout of chronic tension headaches.
If you have a problem with migraines or headaches, you should definitely go to our website on Stopping Headaches. This and other unique content ‘headaches’ articles are available with free reprint rights.