More Headaches? Me Too — Here’s Why And How To Relieve Them
Our brain keeps our stiff muscles contracted even while we’re asleep
While we are all reacting differently to the pandemic and lockdown, I’m hearing more and more often of people having headaches. I’ve had a few myself, and I’ve rarely had them before.
Aside from underlying medical conditions, it seems likely that the most common cause is muscular tension in reaction to stress.
Speaking personally, I had a blood test 2 weeks ago and visited my local GP for the results. All perfect, he said. I took the opportunity to ask about headaches, and I mentioned that I’d never suffered from them in the past.
He asked me two questions:
- Are you waking up with them? “Yes”.
- Where is the ache? “Around my head like a band, more around the back”.
He then felt the muscles around my shoulders and the base of my neck. “Tight as a rock”, he proclaimed. “That’s most likely your problem”.
My doctor was referring to a common cause of tension headaches which is rooted in the neck, resulting from muscle tension and trigger points.
