Stress Linked with Headaches; Study Confirms

A new study from Germany has found a link between stress and headaches, something that we have been suspecting all along.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University Hospital of Duisburg-Essen, found that people who report headaches are more likely to have higher levels of stress than others.

Headaches can be triggered by many factors including muscle strain and noxious gases, Livescience reported. The latest study shows that stress can also be a major factor in triggering a headache.

"Our findings are important to support the tailoring of stress management in patients with different types of headaches," said lead researcher Dr. Sara Schramm, at the University Hospital of University Duisburg-Essen, according to HealthDay. "The benefit from interventions for stress might be slightly higher in patients with tension headaches than in migraine patients."

Over 5,000 participants took part in the current research. The study team found that frequency and intensity of headaches in the participants were linked with stress levels, meaning greater the level of stress, greater was the severity and number of headaches, Livescience reported.

In the study group, 31 percent participants had tension-type headaches, 14 percent reported migraines and 11 percent had migraines with tension headaches. About 17 percent of the participants had unclassified headaches, HealthDay reported.

The association between stress and headache remained even after researchers accounted for participants' smoking and drinking habits.

Dr. Souhel Najjar, director of the Neuroscience Center at Staten Island University Hospital, in New York City told HealthDay that managing stress could help people reduce headache severity.

"This finding is important and suggests that identifying sources of chronic stress, and utilizing strategies directed toward elimination or modification of stress, including meditation, deep breathing exercises and muscle relaxation techniques, can be very effective in reducing the frequency of all types of headaches, particularly tension headaches," Najjar told HealthDay.

The study findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology, held from Apr. 26 to May 3 in Philadelphia.