It hurts when I get nervous. All about headaches from nerves and stress. How to break the vicious circle

Why does this happen?

The human body is a closed system that reluctantly adapts to external stimuli.
The nervous system controls the smooth and coordinated functioning of the entire body. But in a critical situation, when a person experiences excitement, stress, or anticipation of danger, the central nervous system is disconnected from its main activity to help the brain protect the body from attack and cope with an emergency situation.

As a result, the stress hormone adrenaline is released, the heart begins to contract more often, and the blood vessels become toned.

Pathogenesis, mechanism

It is important to understand the mechanism of the effect of stress on the heart and cardiac muscle.
When experiencing any negative emotions, adrenaline, which is a stress hormone, enters the bloodstream. Its action is a sharp rise in blood pressure due to the effect on the vascular walls, which are compressed. This significantly increases the load that the myocardium currently bears.

With frequent or regular repetition of a stressful situation, it is difficult for the heart muscle to maintain normal operation; over time, resources are depleted, and overload develops. Because of this, pain begins to develop.

Symptoms

Neuralgia can be manifested by squeezing sensations. Quite often, perialgia occurs, radiating to various parts of the face. In this case, the pain resembles electric shocks. Neuralgia is triggered by changes in the structure of nerve endings.

Under the influence of severe stress, there may be no obvious symptoms. This type of perialgia is called “tension headache.” It is quite difficult to determine this type of perialgia. It has no clear localization and is accompanied by dizziness and nausea. Most often, pain occurs in symmetrical areas of the head. One gets the impression that an iron helmet is put on his head, which constantly squeezes it.

Constant severe pain caused by stress is a symptom of a dysfunction of the central nervous system. Of course, stress existed before, it was just not called that. Now there is an official diagnosis: tension headache, part of the ICD. Nervous perialgia is divided into 2 groups:

• episodic;
• chronic.

A tension headache is episodic if the episodes last from 30 minutes to 2 days. Sometimes perialgia can be observed for 2 weeks, followed by 1 or 2 weeks of pain-free periods. Over time, a person gets used to living with constant pain and performs his usual work.

Muscle tension headaches are most common among the working age population. It is also called psychogenic or idiopathic; it greatly spoils the quality of life of patients, but they often do not seek medical help because they believe that if there is no temperature, there is no need to take sick leave.

Episodic headaches can develop into chronic headaches. It is diagnosed if the frequency of attacks is more than 15 days a month, as well as more than 180 days a year. The course of the disease lasts from 3 months. Chronic tension headaches can lead to cancer, as well as functional disorders of many organs and systems.

Kinds

There are several types of headaches, which differ significantly from each other. They arise for completely different reasons and have completely different manifestations.

With neuralgia of the cranial nerves, headaches occur. In most cases, this manifests itself as trigeminal neuralgia.

It occurs on one side of the face. The pain always appears unexpectedly and is similar to electric shocks.

Important! If the pain is accompanied by a rise in temperature and vomiting, this may be a sign of one of the dangerous infectious diseases. With meningitis, pain is caused by an inflammatory process in the lining of the brain. The pain is very strong and intensifies when changing body position and trying to tilt the head. Treatment for this disease at home is strictly prohibited. It is necessary to be hospitalized urgently.

But besides these, there is also a nervous headache. It is difficult to determine its location.

It is quite difficult to determine exactly where this headache is located - it is located completely throughout the head.

They can be short (a few minutes) or long (several days). It can also be systematically repeated with a certain regularity.

Due to the fact that these pains in most cases are not too intense, a person gradually learns to live with them and does not pay attention to them.

He believes that this is not a significant reason to pay attention to the state of his health.

For example, the reason to see a doctor may be for some more serious reason.

In fact, this type of headache exists as a medical diagnosis.

Symptoms of headache

Viruses and bacteria are the main physical causes of pain, nausea and vomiting.

However, it is emotions, especially anxiety, stress and excitement, that can contribute to a decrease in immunity, weaken the body and lead to negative consequences in the form of infectious diseases and frequent pain radiating to the stomach.

How are stress and muscle pain related? People who are under stress have symptoms of a psychosomatic disorder (disruption of internal organs and systems), suffer from headaches and problems with the digestive tract.

Even a tiny amount of stress can force a person to instantly assess the situation and make a decision. Initially, we perceive any stress as a negative reaction. Actually this is not true. Stress provides the body with a constant internal environment.

If you think about it, the absence of a minimal shake-up makes life sluggish and static, and sometimes even joyless. But maximum stress leads to weakened immunity and contributes to the development of diseases, provokes an inability to make the right decisions, etc.

There are many factors that can provoke pain, nausea and vomiting in a person. The main ones are pathogenic microorganisms, but there are also psycho-emotional reasons: anxiety, stress and severe anxiety can lead to a decrease in the body's defenses.

Various symptoms may characterize a nervous breakdown. Each group of symptoms is characterized by certain characteristics:

• physical: seriously disturbed sleep (too long or too short); diarrhea, memory loss, constipation, irregular menstruation, fatigue, poor appetite, migraine;
• behavioral: strange behavior, mood swings, expression of anger, feelings of violence;
• emotional: anxiety and restlessness, indecisiveness, tearfulness, desire to die, drug addiction, paranoia, sense of grandeur.

Disturbed sleep and appetite, depression, weakness in the social sphere are the main symptoms. A person feels hopeless and cornered, depressed. When loved ones want to help cope with stress, the patient develops a feeling of hatred, rudeness and aggression towards them.

Why do you get a headache when you're nervous? Long-term stress has a negative effect on the body. The intensity of discomfort depends on the stage of the disease and individual characteristics. Patients begin to experience headaches that appear at the most inopportune times. During attacks, a person is unable to concentrate on work.

A nervous breakdown has a negative impact on all systems of the body. Particularly sensitive to disruptions in brain tissue. The disease in restless patients manifests itself in the form of:

• pulsations;
• squeezing;
• distension.

Nerve headaches may affect only one side of the face. With a large area of ​​damage, pain is felt on both sides of the skull.

When blood vessels narrow, the nerve cell sends a signal about poor circulation. The disease progresses if the person is in a state of emotional exhaustion at this time.

The nervous system can be damaged due to injury. In this case, the patient needs long-term rehabilitation. After an unsuccessful fall, the victim feels weak in the body. The intensity of pain depends on the severity of the damage.

Stress headaches appear, in most cases, after mental overload.

The situation is aggravated by such unpleasant manifestations as, for example, lack of rest, heavy strain on the eyes when working with a computer or documents, as well as stuffiness in the room.

But the most unpleasant thing that leads to serious disorders in the body is bad habits.

The human body's response to stress, negative emotions, or even just the daily routine is called nervous stress. And if in small quantities it is even useful, since it makes you think and take initiative, then when stress becomes constant, the body weakens, loses strength and the ability to solve problems.

At the same time, immunity also decreases, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases develop.

The stressful state of a person can be divided into three phases:

• The anxiety phase, when the body prepares to face a difficult situation;
• The period of resistance, when internal resources are used to overcome stress;
• The phase of exhaustion, in which the body's reserves are depleted.

Before treating a tension headache, you need to understand the causes of the disease. The most common trigger for tension headache symptoms is stress. Perialgia can be temporary or permanent. The transition from a temporary form to a protracted one can provoke prolonged stress or constant noise.

Another reason is incorrect body position while working on a PC. Against this background, the physical load on the cervical spine increases. Activities that require a lot of concentration on a monotonous process also increase brain tension. Blood circulation in the brain centers is disrupted, resulting in spasmodic muscle contraction.

Nervous headaches, pain due to nervous tension, how to treat?

In this world you will not find a single person who in his entire life has not complained at least once about the occurrence of a severe headache. Moreover, the causes of headaches can be completely different.

For some, headaches arise from increased stress (physical or mental), for others - after training, for others - headaches are a symptom of one of the diseases occurring in the body. Even small children, coming home from school, can complain of a severe headache - in this case it arises from overwork.

Often exhausting working conditions lead to nervous tension in a person. In this article we will look at - in what cases does a person experience nervous headaches? How to treat them and what to do when they appear?

What is a "tension headache"? Why does someone have a headache from nerves, screams, emotional disorders, physical and mental stress, while for others everything is fine and nothing bothers them?

If we turn to the opinion of experts, most doctors believe that tension headaches are the most common type of pain.

For example, if we take all forms of headaches, then tension headaches will be the leader among all - approximately 80 out of 100 people suffer from such unpleasant sensations. In world practice, every second woman and every third man experiences tension headaches at least once a week.

Headaches caused by various diseases are much less common in humans and these cases should be considered separately.

With a tension headache, the head will not hurt excessively, split, or pulsate in the temple area. Most likely, your head will ache a little, which also provokes not very pleasant sensations. Even a slightly sore head can significantly impair a person’s daily life.

It has been proven that when a person has a headache (even a minor one), it leads to the fact that he cannot concentrate on performing normal daily activities. It is difficult to work, read, write and even talk with your interlocutor.

Can you imagine how a person feels who has a constant headache without stopping?

Doctors began to deal with headache problems only at the end of the 19th century. Before this, unpleasant sensations in the head, throbbing and pressing pains, oddly enough, were not considered something serious and worthy of attention.

But, later it turned out that if you do not pay due attention to the problems of headaches, this can lead to quite serious consequences.

To understand whether you actually have a tension headache and not some other form of headache, consider the symptoms of this phenomenon:

• The headache begins quite abruptly;
• The pain is characterized as monotonous, pressing, sharp, dull;
• Unpleasant sensations do not have a clearly defined localization - a person may initially experience pain in the temples, then in the back of the head or the entire circumference of the head;
• The pain does not intensify during movement or during physical activity;
• No stomach upset is observed (most often, with headaches, a person may begin to feel sick or a gag reflex may open).

Tension headaches arise from increased nervous and mental tension, as well as from disruption of the central nervous system.

Even 100 years ago, headaches were eliminated using rather barbaric and outlandish methods. Doctors prescribed patients ice baths, vigorous physical (and extremely exhausting physical exercise), and also opium tincture. Exactly! Drugs were sold in absolutely every pharmacy not only as a remedy for headaches, but also for asthma, cardiovascular disorders, etc.

At the end of the 20th century, it was found that as a result of prolonged tension in the muscles of the head, as well as the cervical spine, it leads to a natural anatomical narrowing of arterial and blood vessels. As a result of this phenomenon, a spasm of the capillaries that feed these muscles occurs. What happens next?

Due to spasm of blood vessels, the brain does not receive the required amount of oxygen, as well as blood and other useful substances necessary for additional nutrition. Gradually, the muscles weaken, become flabby, lose tone and elasticity, as a result of which they swell. Taken together, this picture of the painful condition leads to severe headaches.

The risk group for tension headaches includes office workers who keep their neck tense throughout the working day, sit in one position at a desk, and do not perform any unloading physical exercises.

When a person starts to have a headache, he loses interest in life - he becomes very lethargic, gloomy, and his general health deteriorates significantly.

To prevent the occurrence of headaches or at least reduce the frequency of their occurrence, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle (eat right, even in the office; walk more in the fresh air; take short breaks during the working day, getting up from your workplace).

Nalgesin is a fairly effective pain reliever today. It eliminates tension headaches within 15 minutes of administration. Other painkillers can be: Tempalgin, Paracetamol, Nimesulide, Ibuprom, Ibuprofen.

Headache caused by nervous tension begins to manifest itself during active mental and minor physical activity. The risk of manifestation increases in the presence of various provoking factors, such as:

1. Poorly ventilated area.
2. Work on a PC without interruptions.
3. Use of various stimulants: coffee, cigarettes, drinks with guarana.

Headaches from constant neuroses can occur in people of any age, including children. The fact is that the human body is under constant stress, so it is not surprising that many suffer from headaches associated with nerves.

The hormonal levels begin to gradually recover, the muscles become toned, which greatly affects the nervous system.

Coffee and cigarettes increase the risk of headaches

Unlike an adult, a child’s nervous system is not yet fully formed. Often the occurrence of headaches in children coincides with the period of admission to kindergarten or school. A headache in a child due to nervous tension is accompanied by a lack of appetite, a decrease in the body’s protective functions, nosebleeds, and changes in behavior.

When a child leaves the walls of his home and goes to kindergarten, his nervous system undergoes severe stress. He feels abandoned and lonely. In school institutions, most often, children's stress is associated with muscle strain, inability to establish contact in society, as well as prolonged mental stress.

Therapy is aimed at relaxing nerve receptors, for which sedatives are prescribed or folk remedies are used. Echinacea tincture has proven itself to be excellent. It helps to relax the nervous system and increase the body's resistance. Massage for tension headaches also improves blood flow and relieves pain.

In addition, you need to properly organize your leisure time and educational process. It is very important to take regular breaks when your brain is active. The child should spend enough time outdoors. Another important stage in the treatment of headaches in children with nervous tension is psychological work.

How does the pathological condition develop?

Severe stress triggers the mechanism for the development of headaches from nervous tension. For example, a quarrel with a loved one, dismissal, passing an exam. It is worth noting that the headache also begins to hurt after pleasant shocks, for example, on a wedding day.

With prolonged stress, nerve cells transmit a signal about interruptions in the coordinated work of internal organs to the central nervous system using long processes - axons. The impulse reaches its target in a matter of moments, therefore, as a response, a nervous headache occurs.

Often a person cannot understand that his headache is caused by nerves. This happens because many are skeptical about the deterioration of well-being due to nervousness. The danger lies in the fact that while the patient tries to look for the cause in more serious diseases, the condition only worsens, and the headache hurts even more from the nerves.

There are several characteristic signs indicating that the headache is caused by nerves. For example:

• memory has deteriorated;
• lethargy, decreased vital activity;
• sleep disorders;
• A nervous tic appears periodically.

The above are signs that can only indicate that a headache is caused by nervousness. The symptoms listed below indicate a ninety percent chance of nerve headaches:

1. Unilateral localization of painful sensations. In advanced cases, unpleasant manifestations cover the entire head.
2. The pain is moderate and relatively easily tolerated.
3. With the slightest stress, the pain intensifies.
4. Taking painkillers for headaches is not effective enough.
5. The condition worsens in the evening and at night.

In order not to encounter a condition where your head hurts from your nerves, you must follow the following preventive recommendations:

1. Do not perform excessive loads, rest and relax more.
2. Stop drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking tobacco.
3. Once every six months, undergo a relaxing massage course.
4. Increase the duration of night sleep to eight hours.
5. Eat easily digestible natural foods, drink at least two liters of clean water per day.
6. Take a daily walk lasting from forty minutes to an hour.

The main recommendation when you have a headache from nerves is to consult a healthcare professional. A specialist will help eliminate pain and avoid adverse health consequences.

Treatment of nervous headaches is impossible without performing the following important procedures:

1. Play sports, do light exercise, run and undergo hypnosis.
2. Improve family relationships and normalize the work environment. Try to reduce the risk of stressful situations at work and at home. A month's rest with a complete change of environment will give the necessary results in the treatment of tension headaches.
3. Find something you love to do, thanks to which you can take your mind off unnecessary experiences and intrusive memories.

All of the recommendations described will help coordinate the treatment of nervous tension headaches. There is no need to rely on doctors alone, because the effect of therapy depends on the activities of the doctor and the patient.

Nervous tension headaches are a pathological process that most often affects people who are unable to cope with their emotions and experiences. The result of prolonged depression will be attacks of pain in the head. It is not possible to eliminate the symptoms with the help of medications alone; it is necessary to use complex treatment.

If you experience a headache from nerves, it is recommended to undergo a diagnosis. The doctor will examine the patient and take anamnesis. In order to confirm the diagnosis previously made by the doctor, the use of laboratory and instrumental methods is recommended.

The patient must undergo a consultation with an ophthalmologist, who will examine the fundus using special equipment. Thanks to this manipulation, stagnant processes are determined that affect the nerve endings, which leads to headaches.

To determine the functioning of the brain, echoencephalography is recommended. Patients may experience headaches due to damage to the nervous system. To confirm them, it is recommended to use electroencephalography. Highly informative diagnostic techniques are computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. During the diagnosis of headache, it is recommended to examine the cerebrospinal fluid, therefore a puncture is recommended.

Diagnosis of the causes of headaches

Diagnosis of tension-type headache and migraine, like all primary pains, is based primarily on the analysis of clinical manifestations, and abuse headache should also be considered as a possible diagnosis. The mechanism of its formation is as follows: constant painful sensations force the patient to take painkillers (list here).

If this happens uncontrollably, over time their effect is dulled, the person is forced to take large doses, which become less and less effective. Sooner or later, a situation arises when pain is constantly present and is only slightly alleviated by analgesics. In this case, they talk about abusive cephalgia.

Table 2. Comparative characteristics of the clinical picture of socially significant types of headaches.

Signs

Myalgia is accompanied by aching and dull pain in the muscles when pressed, weakness, and stiffness of the body. Muscle pain may extend from the head to the lower extremities (fibromyalgia) or be localized to a specific location, such as the neck or back of the head (cervical myositis).

The signs of this disease can intensify with nervous overload, stress, and physical activity. After the diagnosis is made, comprehensive treatment is prescribed:

1. Removal of the inflammatory focus.
2. Removing muscle spasms.
3. Improved blood circulation.
4. Replenishment of blood supply to muscle tissue.
5. Restoration of the body's metabolic processes.

Often muscle pain occurs in the sternum, shoulder girdle and occipital region. To avoid this, you need to adhere to preventive rules:

1. With a sedentary lifestyle, you need to sit straight, straighten your neck muscles and walk more often. Walking in the fresh air will help you avoid stress.
2. Correct posture is the key to health.
3. Perform special exercises aimed at stretching and relaxing muscles.

In what cases does a patient need to be urgently hospitalized?

You must urgently call an ambulance or go to the hospital emergency room yourself.

It is dangerous for the body if there is a sharp increase in temperature or a headache with nausea and vomiting.

This can occur with migraine attacks or migraines. It is the second disease that is especially dangerous for the body.

The cause of migraine is cephalalgia, which can occur with loss of consciousness.

Additionally, his coordination of movements is impaired. It is necessary to urgently seek help from a specialist.

A very large number of migraine cases are fatal, so the minutes count.

You can eliminate the symptoms of a headache if you eliminate stress and strain from your life. It is necessary to relax in the fresh air as much as possible.

Diagnostic methods

Treatment of tension headaches requires in-depth diagnosis. Its symptoms are often similar to perialgia, which precedes other, more serious diseases. Typically, the following types of studies are prescribed:

• X-ray of the spine and skull;
• tomography;
• computer diagnostics;
• Ultrasound;
• REG.

In making a diagnosis, the location, frequency and intensity of pain are of great importance.

The doctor determines the sensitivity threshold by palpation or using a pressor algometer.

Can a headache be caused by nerves? During the examination, the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis. However, it is impossible to assess the patient’s condition only by the external manifestations of the disease.

He needs to undergo a more detailed examination. To determine the factor that provokes migraine attacks, a person is referred to a fundus examination procedure.

The cause of unpleasant sensations sometimes lies in the presence of stagnant processes that affect the nerve endings.

To assess the patient's condition, doctors study the results of echoencephalography. Treatment of the disease depends on the nature of the damage identified during the procedure. Pain is a symptom indicating various abnormalities in the nervous system. Patients suffering from regular headaches undergo electroencephalography.

The specialist will analyze the complaints and features of the clinical picture, prescribe tests and instrumental research methods. This will eliminate the possibility of pathological processes and organic problems in the body. Most often, if a tension headache is suspected, a biochemical blood test is performed, blood pressure and temperature are measured, and a CT or MRI is performed.

What to do?

What should you do if you have a headache from nerves? In this case, medications will help.

They help relieve pain quickly and effectively. The ideal option would be the following drugs: Analgin, Finlepsin, Pentalgin.

For people who are hot-tempered or suspicious, who are prone to nervous agitation, the doctor recommends taking medications with a predominance of inhibition - Relanium.

If it is necessary to eliminate pain that has arisen due to a depressive state, then it is necessary to take antidepressants.

Only a doctor can prescribe them, and they are sold in pharmacies with a prescription. It is necessary to strictly follow its recommendations and take medications only as prescribed.

There is a connection between headache and spasm. For example, with a sharp spasm of blood vessels, pain occurs and, conversely, due to pain, a spasm appears.

In this case, No-shpa or Papaverine will help.

If this unpleasant symptom bothers you often or does not go away at all, then you need to tell your doctor about it, he will change the medications.

Therapy

Treatment for tension headaches will depend entirely on the symptomatic picture and frequency of occurrence. The main thing is to find what causes the pathological condition. If the symptomatic picture is unclear, you should start by reviewing your lifestyle:

• establish a sleep schedule;
• organize healthy meals;
• Give moderate physical activity to the body.

This form of perialgia practically does not affect the usual way of life, but causes discomfort to the person. Over-the-counter medications are usually prescribed to relieve pain. These are mainly medications containing acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen and other painkillers. Medicines such as Ketonal, Spazmalgon, Nurofen, Aspirin, Movalis, etc. have proven themselves to be effective. It is recommended to take these medications no more than 10 times every 28–30 days.

If perialgia is frequent, intense, paroxysmal, the dosage of non-hormonal medications is increased. It is recommended to take 2-3 tablets per day for 21 days. If this course does not produce a noticeable effect, it is useless to repeat it. For muscle tension, medications that relieve tone are often prescribed. Often sedatives are prescribed in combination with them. Sedatives help enhance the effect of pain medication.

For tension headaches, massage is often prescribed; it helps improve blood flow and relieve muscle tone. Patients are given auto-training sessions on psycho-relaxation.

When treating chronic tension headaches, taking painkillers is prohibited. They do not stop the pain process, but only slow down recovery. At this stage, tricyclic antidepressants are prescribed for six months. The dosage is gradually increased, and towards the end of the course it is again reduced to the initial one.

It is not always possible to choose the right tactics for treating chronic perialgia. Sometimes you have to change medications and start courses again. When a person is constantly nervous, his nervous system malfunctions, which is quite difficult to correct. It is important that the patient undergoes a course of psychotherapy and begins to approach life and his problem differently.

Prozac is available by prescription only.

TBI during physical overload

TTH is especially noted during physical exertion, for example, after prolonged work or training. Symptoms of tension headaches during increased physical activity:

• noise in ears;
• throbbing perialgia;
• nausea, dizziness;
• vomit;
• insomnia;
• chronic fatigue.

This is caused by systematic overstrain of brain receptors and poor circulation. The body does not have time to recover after prolonged exercise. Very often, such pain is recorded in marathon runners. When running, almost all muscle groups are involved, blood pressure and body temperature rise, and you feel dizzy. The body gets stressed and works to the limit of its capabilities. A good long rest helps to get rid of such manifestations.

Treatment of tension headaches due to physical overload involves a complex of wellness procedures, such as massage, acupuncture, and breathing exercises. Treatment is aimed at complete muscle relaxation and relaxation. Painkillers are prescribed in combination with sedatives. For these types of pain, folk remedies are actively used, represented by all kinds of herbal decoctions, and aromatherapy is also practiced. Traditional medicine helps not only relieve nervous tension, but also enrich the body with missing vitamins and minerals.

Poultry meat perfectly restores strength

Special conditions when immediate medical attention is required

Sometimes, after nerves, the headache hurts so much that a person is knocked out of the usual rhythm of life. If you cannot get rid of pathological symptoms on your own for more than two days, you must visit a healthcare facility.

In addition to a headache from nerves, there are several additional signs that indicate that a person requires hospital treatment:

• increased body temperature, chills;
• fear of bright light;
• nauseating feeling, vomiting;
• confusion;
• a nervous breakdown ended in fainting.

These symptoms may indicate the presence of more serious diseases that threaten life and health.

Prevention and treatment

When treating this symptom, the following rules must be followed:

• Improve family relationships. You should try to keep your home as calm as possible. Home is a place for relaxation, not for showdowns and constant scandals.
• It is important to spend your vacation away from home. It is recommended to completely change the location. It is desirable that it be the sea or mountains.
• Exercise. You can eliminate the stress that you have accumulated during the day only through intense physical activity.

Under constant stress, the body releases a large amount of adrenaline, which tones the blood vessels.

When playing sports, the body releases a huge amount of hormones, wastes them and then begins to work normally.

• Find a hobby. You need to find something that will allow you to take your mind off your usual routine.
• Work occupies an important place in the life of every person. But if this leads to disruption of the body’s functioning, then it needs to be changed.