Many Americans suffer from tension headaches for many different reasons. In some cases, the cause may be hereditary, while others are the result of lifestyle or environment, such as poor posture, bad eating habits, a new child or a combination of any stress-inducing factors.

Massage therapy can help you deal with the pain while you figure out how to mitigate the factors that might be causing your headaches.

What the research says

The American Journal of Manipulative Physiological and Therapeutics reports that a 30-minute massage on cervical trigger points may improve autonomic nervous system regulation in chronic tension headache patients. Patients also exhibit a better psychological state and reduce the stress and anxiety associated with this disorder. Patients reported relief of symptoms within 24 hours after the massage.

According to a study by the National Headache Foundation, stress is the most frequent headache trigger, with 88 percent of patients from rural and urban areas reporting stress as the cause for ensuing headaches and exacerbating headache symptoms.

Managing stress is a good way to keep headaches at bay

It’s true that stress is a part of most everyone’s life. Finding ways to manage stress, such as making massage therapy a regular part of your health regimen, can help you relieve the pain of tension headaches.