Stress, traffic and finances ‘main causes of headaches’

STRESS at work, traffic jams and financial worries are causing more than one million Irish people to suffer from regular headaches, research has found.

Headache is the second most common form of pain in Ireland today, and experts are highlighting the importance of striking a work-life balance to ward off the pain which often leads to sleepless nights, moodiness or poor performance at work.

Research published yesterday found that half of all headaches are caused by stress in the work place, 10% are related to financial worries and 13% are caused by sitting in traffic jams.

Researchers asked 1,000 people of their experiences with pain in February of this year. The figures are contained in the 15 Minute Guide to Good Health, a booklet produced on behalf of pain relief medication, Nurofen.

The booklet said headaches can be managed by 15 minutes of exercise after work each evening, which, it said, is the best time of the day to do physical activity.

According to figures previously released by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), 90% of Irish workers consider their job to be stressful. The main cause of stress was when workers felt they did not have enough time to carry out their duties, or when they felt unappreciated by their employers.

Pharmacist Declan Kerins, said: “Increasingly, people are spending more and more time in work and must cope with stress and a busy work load while tied to their desk.

“This can be very unhealthy for both posture and mental health. You can quickly get run down which can lead to all kinds of ailments including back pain and sleepless nights.”

He said: “It is important to protect your mind and body through proper food and water intake, exercise and avoid stress where possible.”