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<  MI Users Confront The Wider World  ~  Tension headaches

Poley_Sorrowfall
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:18 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 3740 Location: Berufasuto, Airurando
Anyone else ever get these? I always seem to get them around exam periods, even though I don't get particularly stressed. But been waking up this past week with a busting headache and stiff jaw from clenching my teeth all night. Its allegedly related to stress.
Whatever it is, its a real nuisance.
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stabmasterarson
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:43 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 1678 Location: Dublin
Could be a shift in the weather pattern and atmosphere change. I awake up with changes in it...affects mu sinus' and ears sometimes too.

I had something more like what you described back in '05. Really bad stress headaches at night, but I was stressed! haha. I would also clamp my teeth at night, but my tongue would loll over if I slept on my side and would be chewed at the side...turned out I had MS though.
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Shunyata
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:50 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 23 Jul 2009 Posts: 1436 Location: Let's get fucked up
Try taking magnesium supplements if the problem is purely due to bruxism.
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drummer101
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 3:39 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 Posts: 307 Location: Saintfield
I get them pretty regularly. Most of the time it's due to not eating/drinking enough. Staying in bed too long in the mornings also seems to bring them on, whether it's the pressure against my head or the lack of breakfast I don't know. Probably get a few with university stress too and sunlight in the eyes when driving. Bit of a bitch but decent pain killers normally knock them back quick enough. I used to try to avoid pain killers and just sleep them off instead. One time though I slept for seven hours and woke up with the headache still pounding so I just go for the pills now.
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Poley_Sorrowfall
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 3:39 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 3740 Location: Berufasuto, Airurando
Might give them a go, its a real bollox, pain all the way down my neck from the jawline and crown back.

Wow stabmasterarson, I suppose I have much to be thankful for in that case, sorry to hear.
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ragnarok
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 4:14 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 1763 Location: Belfast
Just a hunch here, but I found this was a major cause of mine.

For obvious reasons around exam time people who don't normally wear glasses all the time wear them more often and when the weather is like it is now you could be wearing sunglasses the rest of the time. Does this apply to you?

I found that was a major cause of tension headaches with me as I seemed to get into the habit of constantly tensing the muscles above my ears, even when not wearing glasses. Do that long enough and you'll end up with a killer headache.
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Poley_Sorrowfall
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 4:36 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 3740 Location: Berufasuto, Airurando
That's quite interesting, I have never thought about that. It doesn't apply to me though, I don't wear glasses.

It does seem to be first thing in the morning and can carry on thoughout the day. Its very difficult to focus on anything with the constant pressure, concentration is strained at the best of times when revising! It feels like the muscles are too tight for the skull, if that makes sense?

Its been a long running problem for me, and its caused a weakening of the muscles holding the left side of the jaw in place, meaning it now slips out of the notch and locks every time I yawn too widely. Which is what leading scientists are calling 'shite'.
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blahblahbleh
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 5:11 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 30 Jul 2005 Posts: 2570 Location: Bangor
Know these well. For me it is down to stress 100%. Grinding of teeth at night, leading to neck pain and headaches. I find a bath helps to relax everything, leading to a better nights sleep.
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Poley_Sorrowfall
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 6:02 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 3740 Location: Berufasuto, Airurando
Lack of sleep I'm convinced is definitely a factor, as current revision climate isn't permitting nearly enough of it. That and that myself and Pete are perfecting the art of perfectly foaming milk with our cappuccino machine. Laughing
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nev_crucifracture
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 7:01 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 716 Location: kilkenny / Out the drummer
Yea man, get the exact same, every year at xmas and summer exams.
Would do serious clenching of my jaws and have awful headaches during the day as a result.
Nuerofen+ helped for me. Nothing like the first session after the exams to wake up mad hungover but no tension.
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stabmasterarson
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 8:01 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 1678 Location: Dublin
Poley_Sorrowfall wrote:
Wow stabmasterarson, I suppose I have much to be thankful for in that case, sorry to hear.



Thanks. It was hell at first, but luckily is a mild case so I've actually become fitter than I was before having changed my diet and lifestyle significantly. I'm kinda cool with it now...not gone, but under control.

One thing that does make me feel worse is the shift pattern at work. I managed to get out of night shifts a few years ago and that helped a huge amount. I see earlier you said about sleep...burning the candle at both ends with it is a head fuck and you should really aim for at least 7 hours a night in a regular enough pattern.

Not sure if you've seen a doctor with your symptoms? (I'll call them that as they're more than just fatigue). If you haven't, then do it, if you have ask to be sent for Neurological tests...an MRI etc. I had two doctors tell me I was 'just one of those things' before the third one actually bothered to look into things and help me out. Doctors don't always know, but some are afraid to admit that they don't know everything, so go for easy diagnosis and miss important shit.

Check out some supplements to use to boost your bodies defences. Try Holland and Barrett. The staff aren't encyclopaedias, but make direct you to something you're lacking...but definitely push for more tests to find out the source though.
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Zomboidgirl
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:05 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 3774 Location: Belfast
used to get them from quite a young age (9yrs old) and it was all due to exam stress. Everytime I went to the docs it was "have you had your eyesight tested recently?"

Years of that shite and I don't really get them a lot now. (then again i'm not doing a lot by way of tests) Do still grind teeth but my dentist advises a gumshield for that. Prone to migraines at times.

For tension headaches, soluble cocadmol was always what I used to take...mainly due to a real issue of swallowing pills.
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Poley_Sorrowfall
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 11:29 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 3740 Location: Berufasuto, Airurando
stabmasterarson wrote:
Poley_Sorrowfall wrote:
Wow stabmasterarson, I suppose I have much to be thankful for in that case, sorry to hear.



Thanks. It was hell at first, but luckily is a mild case so I've actually become fitter than I was before having changed my diet and lifestyle significantly. I'm kinda cool with it now...not gone, but under control.

One thing that does make me feel worse is the shift pattern at work. I managed to get out of night shifts a few years ago and that helped a huge amount. I see earlier you said about sleep...burning the candle at both ends with it is a head fuck and you should really aim for at least 7 hours a night in a regular enough pattern.

Not sure if you've seen a doctor with your symptoms? (I'll call them that as they're more than just fatigue). If you haven't, then do it, if you have ask to be sent for Neurological tests...an MRI etc. I had two doctors tell me I was 'just one of those things' before the third one actually bothered to look into things and help me out. Doctors don't always know, but some are afraid to admit that they don't know everything, so go for easy diagnosis and miss important shit.

Check out some supplements to use to boost your bodies defences. Try Holland and Barrett. The staff aren't encyclopaedias, but make direct you to something you're lacking...but definitely push for more tests to find out the source though.


Aye man, I've been to the doctors, jaw x-rays, MRI (awesome!), eye tests, dentist etc. It comes and goes pretty exclusively around exam time so I reckon it is the lack of sleep and added pressure, as well as day upon day of getting up and walking straight across my room to my desk, and sitting there all day.

Holland and Barrett mightn't be a bad idea though.
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ConnorBK
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 11:59 am Reply with quote
Joined: 30 Dec 2005 Posts: 883 Location: Onboard a jet-ski in the Pacific
Probably a statement to be laughed at by many, but have you tried meditation? Not necessarily the Zen Buddhist form, but simply 10 minutes out of your day, sitting in a relaxed position, concentrating on your breathing and clearing your head, focusing on one single thing and maintaining for that whole period. It's difficult at first (I've tried it), but a number of neuroscience books I've been reading lately have shown (through studies) that it physically changes the shape of the brain as well as improves general well-being and concentration levels.

A long shot, but maybe worth a go.

Or, if you wanna go down the medical science route, look up something called "nootropics".
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Shunyata
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 12:57 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 23 Jul 2009 Posts: 1436 Location: Let's get fucked up
99.99% what people mean when they refer to nootropics won't do shit for the majority of tension headaches which are usually caused by bruxism, via overstimulation of the TMJ, which may or may not be down to an existing nerve problem (such as TN). The reason I said take magnesium is that ~2-300mg of magnesium daily will cause muscle relaxation via reducing intracellular (myoplasmic) Ca2+ to rest levels.

It can take a while to have effect though, as you need to build residual levels. Your kidneys are remarkably resistant to excess mg2+ though, so flushing your system with it isn't going to make you ill.
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