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Stress as a trigger for headaches: relationship between exposure and sensitivity.
Paul R Martin1, Lidia Lae, John Reece
1Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Australia. paul.martin@med.monash.edu.au
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping
|November 14, 2007
Summary
Exposure duration to stressors impacts head pain sensitivity. Short or prolonged exposure can increase pain sensitivity, challenging traditional advice to avoid headache triggers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Psychology
Background:
- Headache sufferers are often advised to avoid triggers.
- The impact of exposure duration to stressors on headache sensitivity is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the length of exposure to a stressor and its capacity to elicit head pain.
- To examine how varying durations of stressor exposure affect headache sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- 127 participants (93 with regular headaches) were randomly assigned to five exposure-length conditions.
- A laboratory session included pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention tests.
- Head pain ratings were collected after different exposure durations.
Main Results:
- A significant cubic trend was observed between stressor exposure length and head pain ratings.
- Very short exposure increased sensitivity; longer exposure decreased it.
- Extended exposure, however, led to increased sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- The duration of stressor exposure critically influences head pain sensitivity.
- Avoiding triggers may inadvertently lead to sensitization and increased headache frequency.
- Findings challenge conventional advice for headache management, suggesting a nuanced approach is needed.
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