Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are marked by dull pain, tightness, or pressure that can feel like a clamp squeezing your skull. Also called stress headaches, they’re the most common type for adults.

What Are Tension Headaches?

Tension headaches are marked by dull pain, tightness, or pressure that can feel like a clamp squeezing your skull. Also called stress headaches, they’re the most common type for adults.

Types of tension headaches

There are two types:

Episodic tension headaches happen fewer than 15 days per month for at least 3 months
Chronic tension headaches happen more than 15 days a month for at least 3 months

Tension headaches can last 30 minutes to a few days. The episodic kind usually starts slowly, often in the middle of the day.

Chronic ones come and go over a longer period. The pain may get stronger or ease up throughout the day, but it’s almost always there.

What does a tension headache feel like?

This type of headache can:

Start in one area of your head and spread
Become a band of dull pressure or squeezing pain around your entire head
Affect both sides of your head equally
Make the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and jaw feel tight and sore

Tension Headache Symptoms

Common symptoms include:

Mild to moderate pain or pressure in the front, top, sides, or back of your head
A headache that starts later in the day
Feeling very tired
Crankiness
Trouble focusing
Mild sensitivity to light or noise
Muscle aches
A tight band or vise (causing a squeezing pressure) on or around the head
Tenderness of the scalp

Unlike migraine headaches, tension headaches don't cause other nerve symptoms, such as muscle weakness or blurred vision. They also don’t usually cause severe sensitivity to light or noise, stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting.

What does a hypertension headache feel like?

There's no strong evidence that headaches from high blood pressure feel different from regular headaches. It can be hard to figure out if a headache is causing high blood pressure or if high blood pressure is causing the headache, as it can be a "chicken and the egg" situation.

High blood pressure can cause other symptoms besides headaches, such as chest pain, blurred vision, nausea, and shortness of breath. While a spike in blood pressure alone may not require a hospital visit, you should see a doctor if you also have severe headache, chest pain, or shortness of breath.