Stress Doesn’t Only Cause Headaches – It Makes Them Last Longer

It’s no secret that stress can cause headaches – anyone who works in a busy or high-pressured environment knows that. In fact, you probably worked that out when you were in school or college and facing exams, assignments and general worry about your future. To make matters worse, researchers working on the German Headache Consortium Study have found that, the more stressed you are, the longer your headaches will last. If your job means you tend to suffer from stress-related headaches, this news alone might add to the lifespan of your latest one.

The truth about stress-related headaches

The German Headache Consortium Study researcher interviewed 5,159 participants about their headaches, speaking to them once every three months over a three-year period. One of the questions included in these interviews involved rating the intensity of the headache pain on a scale from 0 to 100. Over the course of this study, tension headaches were shown to be both the most common type of headache, and the type which was most affected by stress levels. Migraines were also affected by stress, but to a lesser degree, while some participants were found to suffer from a migraine and tension headaches at the same time.

After the data obtained from the interviews was adjusted to allow for factors such as gender, age, painkiller use, drinking and smoking habits, and other relevant factors, the following results were published:

• Of participants suffered from tension headaches, which affected them for an average of 2.2 days per month. Every 10-point increase in stress made these headaches last 6.3% longer, or for an additional 3.3 hours per month
• Of those involved in the study reported suffering from migraines, with an average duration of 4.5 days per month. A 10-point stress increase led to a 4.6% increase in how long the average migraine lasts
• Were afflicted by both tension headaches and migraines at once, reporting an average headache lifespan of 3.6 days per month. The stress-related increase for these people was around 4% per 10 points of stress
• Of headaches experienced during the study were found to be “unclassifiable” and, therefore, could not be analyzed for sensitivity to stress

Stress-related injuries in the workplace

If you suffer from tension headaches, migraines or both, you’ve probably become all too familiar with the phrase “it’s just a headache”. You’ll already know how debilitating a headache can be, particularly if you’re unlucky enough to fall into the category of those prone to combined headaches.

If work-related stress is causing you to have severe headaches and, perhaps, making them last longer than they should, you may have a claim for a stress-related injury.

Stress-related injury, including PTSD, are no laughing matter and should be taken very seriously. At the Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach, a Los Angeles stress-related injury attorney will be more than happy to take on your case and fight for any compensation you may be entitled to.

Contact us today on 818-609-7005 to schedule a free initial consultation.