tension headache
1
3.1
- noun
- /ˈtɛnʃən ˈhɛdˌeɪk/
:
cefalea tensional
- This tightens your muscles and leads to tension headaches.
- tension headaches and migraines
- pain, particularly tension headaches
- muscle tension headaches
For me personally, this feels like pressure behind my eyes, extreme tension headaches.
- For me personally, this feels like pressure behind my eyes, extreme tension headaches.
- My dermatitis, my axe and my tension headaches, my seasonal flu.
Examples
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To relieve a tension headache, it's helpful to take breaks and stretch your neck and shoulders.
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He knew he was getting a tension headache when he felt tightness at the back of his neck.
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I had to stop when I got pregnant due to doctor's orders, and now I get the worst tension headaches.
Blog text (8) -
Apply a drop to your temples to ease a tension headache.
Blog text (10) -
A deep tissue massage today to get rid of these tension headaches.
Blog text (17) -
Her head had begun throbbing with a tension headache the moment Alex told her the news.
Fiction book (2000) -
As the name suggests, tension headaches are known for creating the sensation of a tight band squeezed around the head.
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I get tension headaches from neck spasms and TMJ.
Blog text (10) -
I still get tension headaches from my neck and shoulder, but I can usually get them to go down (not away) with a heating pad and rubbing.
Blog text (10) -
After a long day at work, she often suffers from a tension headache due to stress.
Synonyms
427
1.0
A continuous pain in the head
A pain in the head that often comes from tense muscles, blood vessel changes, or medicine side effects
Antonyms
How Painful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'tension headache' is fully compositional: 'tension' (muscle tightness/stress) modifies 'headache' (pain in the head), so the meaning 'a headache caused by tension' is directly derivable from the constituents. This noun–noun compounding pattern is common in English and many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Tension headache comes from the image of tension as muscles around the head and neck becoming 'tight' like a band. When these tight muscles press on the head, they cause pain, so tension headache means a headache caused by 'stress' or muscle tightness.