Stress
Many people may wonder if headaches are a direct result of stress, but the answer cannot be simply presented as yes or no. Stress can cause many headaches and they can also exacerbate others.
Stress causes the neck and head muscles to tighten due to insufficient rest; the brain interprets this tension as pain in the head. Studies shows that psychological factors, especially stress, can have a great impact on primary headaches. Stress may also trigger a migraine – a kind of head pain with a more intense, throbbing feeling at a side of the head. While the National Headache Foundation (NHF) states that stress is not a migraine trigger, headache expert Teri Robert clarifies by saying, “Stress alone doesn’t trigger migraines but it does make us more susceptible to our triggers.” Thus, in a way, stress does increase migraines but not regarded as a direct cause.
Tension headache is a direct result of stress, people may feel like a tightness in the forehead or back of the neck including both sides of the head. People who have experienced this headache usually get it once or more than twice a month to varying degrees. [10]