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She is sitting in class listening to a lecture on California history. She tucks her light brown hair behind her ear, takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. There is nothing new about the sharp pain rising in the back of her neck and spreading to the front of her head.
Senior Danielle Panec, along with 45 million other Americans, suffers from chronic tension headaches and migraines.
"It depends on my stress level but I get tension headaches about once or twice a week and migraines every two to three weeks," Panec said.
The history education major is a coordinator for the classroom aide program of Community Action Volunteers in Education, which causes added pressure, Panec said. Migraine headaches run in her family, but her tension headaches are usually brought on by stress.
"Tension headaches are often associated with stress as well as tightness and pain of the neck muscles," Dr. Jeff Thomas, chief of clinical medicine at the Student Health Center, said in an e-mail.
The Health Center treats many students for chronic headaches and migraines, Thomas said. Although tension headaches affect a variety of people, what causes them really depends on the individual.
Fluorescent lights are common headache inducers.
Panec noticed her sensitivity to fluorescent lights when her high school installed them into remodeled classrooms, she said.
"A lot of times I would get a headache after sitting in one of those rooms awhile," Panec said.
Fluorescent lights, a popular form of lighting in classrooms and offices, flicker about 60 times a second, according to the National Headache Foundation. Although the flickering is not noticeable, it fatigues the brain, which can cause a headache.
Tension headache treatment is up to the person, Thomas said. They need to reduce stress, exercise regularly, get adequate sleep, relax and stretch tense neck and shoulder muscles, Thomas said.
When Panec exercises and eats a balanced diet her headaches are not as frequent, she said.
"We also advise patients who spend lots of time in front of computers to take periodic breaks to get up and stretch and to make sure that their computer is arranged so as to avoid neck strain," Thomas said.
Diet can play a major role in reducing the frequency of tension headaches, said Dawn Clifford, assistant professor in the nutrition and food science department and a registered dietician.
"Drinking the same amount of caffeine consistently and not drinking so much alcohol that you're dehydrating yourself is important," Clifford said. "Moderation is key."
Skipping meals also increases susceptibility, she said.
"You're less likely to get them if you eat every three to four hours or whenever you get hungry," she said.
Medicines for tension headaches can include anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen, and muscle relaxants.
Migraines
Some people might say comparing migraine pain with tension headaches is like comparing a paper cut to a severed limb.
Usually tension headaches, although painful, are bearable, Panec said. Migraines are debilitating and extremely painful, so much that when Panec gets one, she has to cancel most of her day to lie down in a dark room and essentially become dead to the world until the neck, head and eye-stabbing pain eases to a dull throb.
"I take Excedrin and then put an ice pack on the back of my neck to help with blood flow," Panec said. "And after that, all I can do is sleep."
Like tension headaches, migraines can be caused by several things that vary from person to person.
"Red wine and chocolate are major migraine triggers," Clifford said.
These foods contain the amino acid tyramine, which dilates blood vessels and causes headaches. Aged cheeses, organ meats, vinegar, ketchup, salad dressings and sour cream also contain tyramine.
"We as dieticians encourage our patients to do an elimination diet," Clifford said. "The patient really has to play detective to figure out what foods are causing their headaches."
Taking a magnesium supplement is also beneficial because migraine sufferers could have a shortage of it in their brains, according to the National Headache Foundation. Magnesium can be found in most green vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Amanda Drew can be reached at adrew@theorion.com
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