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Chronic Tension Headaches
By Wendy Simons

With the various types of headaches to be found there is a good chance that someone that you know has experienced some form of headaches. These headaches may be the result of dehydration, missed meals, migraines or other types of headaches like a tension headache or chronic tension headaches.

While a tension headache feels like a tight band around your head the pain from the tension headache goes away after a little while. Now imagine having to suffer from a tension headache every day. This type of tension headache is classified as chronic tension headaches because the pain symptoms may be found even after 15 days in a month for a period of about several months.

In chronic tension headaches the symptoms of the headache are similar to that of tension headaches excepting for the fact that the pain never seems to go away. People who have experienced chronic tension headaches describe the pain as if they were wearing a pressure band around their heads. Other people may describe severe chronic tension headache pain as a hooded cape that drapes down onto their shoulders.

In both tension headaches and chronic tension headaches the pain can be located at the forehead region, sides of the head and sometimes even at the back of the head. At its usual strength the chronic tension headache is a dull, aching pain, sometimes the pain is a pressure tightness. Generally the pain can be mild to moderately intense.

As the general physical condition of individuals varies the severity of the pain changes from person to person like it would with different headaches. For many people chronic tension headaches are known to begin as soon as they wake up in the morning. Still others have reported that their chronic tension headaches start in the early hours of the day.

Unlike normal tension headaches chronic tension headaches are less common however twice as many women as men suffer from chronic tension headaches. In this type of headache the duration and the severity of the pain is about the same as a normal tension headache. However the pain from the headache is a daily occurrence and it is almost of a continuous duration.

People who suffer from chronic tension headaches are supposed to be more susceptible to anxiety and depression than non-sufferers of headaches. It is also known that chronic tension headaches occur during or even after heightened periods of stress and anxiety. Anyone who has mood disorders like depression or anxiety should have these conditions treated prior to getting their chronic tension headache seen to.

With the proper medical advice and treatment people who suffer from chronic tension headaches can lead normal and fulfilling lives. In time they may understand what the triggers of their headaches are and how avoiding these triggers can prevent the onset of chronic tension headaches.

Author Details:
Wendy Simons, writes for various websites, mainly about skin care, microdermabrasion and other health matters. If you are looking for further information try these migraine articles from Simply Top

Source: The A to Z of Headaches

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