Why does anxiety cause headaches and head pressure?
Anxiety puts your body into alert mode, where the muscles of your forehead, scalp, jaw, neck, and shoulders brace. Held for hours, that muscle tension aches and creates a tight band or pressure around your head.
Try the practice nowWhat happens in your muscles
When you are anxious, your body switches into alert mode. Alert mode is built for running from a threat, so the muscles of your forehead, scalp, jaw, neck, and shoulders brace.
When those muscles stay braced for hours, that tension starts to ache. The most common headache with anxiety is a tension-type headache. You feel it as a dull, pressing ache or a tight band around your forehead, the sides of your head, or the back of your head, usually on both sides.
A tension-type headache does not usually throb or make you throw up. Some people feel head pressure instead of pain. Your head can feel full or heavy, or feel like you are wearing a tight hat. If you are also over-breathing, that head pressure can come with lightheadedness.
Why it feels so alarming
A constant ache or heavy pressure in your head takes up your attention. Many people worry a headache means something serious.
Tension headaches from braced muscles are common and not dangerous. They ease as the muscles let go.
Why it shows up on calm days
After weeks of anxiety, your body can stop switching between rest mode and alert mode and stay in alert mode. Because your body holds that state, the muscles around your head and neck can keep bracing, and headaches can show up on days you do not feel anxious.
This state is trainable with daily practice.
Try 1/10th the Effort right now
- Find a comfortable position, take one breath, and scan your body for effort in your jaw, around your eyes, your shoulders and neck, and your forearms and hands.
- Ask yourself: could I stay here with one tenth of the effort I am using? Let the question sit without trying to answer it.
- Let your jaw, eyes, and tongue soften, and notice that trying to relax is another kind of effort.
- Let your shoulders soften and feel the ground or chair holding you up, so you do not have to.
When to check with a doctor
- You get a sudden, severe headache, the worst you have ever had (call emergency services).
- It comes with a stiff neck, fever, a rash that does not fade under a glass, or dislike of bright light (call emergency services).
- It comes with weakness or numbness on one side, slurred speech, confusion, a seizure, a drooping face or loss of vision (call emergency services).
- It started in the months after a head injury (go to the emergency room).
- You are over 50 and have pain when chewing, a tender scalp, or changes in your vision (get seen the same day).
- You are pregnant or gave birth in the last few weeks and have a severe headache, blurred vision, or sudden swelling of your face, hands or feet (get help the same day).
- It is new and keeps getting worse, is worse when you lie down, cough, or strain, or wakes you with vomiting.
- You have headaches on most days, or need painkillers for them on more than a few days a week.
Practice with the Stateshift app
Common questions
What helps an anxiety headache ease?
A glass of water, a regular meal, a break from the screen, gentle movement, and warmth on the neck and shoulders help.