Can tensing up in the neck and shoulder muscles cause odd head pressure?

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   ii3rittlesposted 12 years ago

   Can tensing up in the neck and shoulder muscles cause odd head pressure?
   
   I noticed, anytime I am nervous or anxious I get this head pressure as if I was upside down. My hearing is slightly deaf-end and I usually get a headache before, during or after this. It is a freaky feeling. I feel like I may faint at any moment. The longest it lasted was 10 minutes one time when I was in the store. Usually rubbing my neck seems to make it less intense. I think I tense up when  I am nervous without even realizing it. Can this head pressure I feel be from tensing my muscles?

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   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   Yes, The muscles in your neck are actually connected to keep your head sturdy and falling to the side, backwards, etc. So, This is very possibly a pain from straining the muscles.

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      ii3rittlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Do you know of anything I can do to relieve the pressure and tension?

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      JThomp42posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ibuprofen helps muscle pain. So maybe?

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      ii3rittlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Eh. lol I don't like taking pills if I don't have to. I meant like stretches or something.

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   cat on a soapboxposted 12 years ago

   Absolutely yes!!  Tight muscles from the neck, back, and shoulders impinge the nerves to your head and face and can even cause anxiety and panic. Try  to keep arms down while sleeping and avoid leaning on your elbows. I hope you feel better soon!

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      ii3rittlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you!

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   fpherj48posted 12 years ago

   Before making any comment, let me say that I certainly advise you to speak to your PCP with this exact description of your concern.  IMO, the details you give, should not be left to a guessing game by non-medical individuals.
   Having said this, ii3rittles, You describe the sensation of blood rushing to one's head, which can have numerous causes and explanations......anxiety, certainly being one of these.  The slight "hearing" alteration occurs, more than likely, due to your heart beat ECHO becoming more audible in your head, which may drown out other noises within your hearing range.....not that your hearing itself has been compromised. 
   An episode of this nature would easily cause dizziness and a light head......thus making you feel faint.   Experiencing these various sensations can only prove to increase your anxiety and naturally, exacerbate symptoms.....like the cat chasing it's tail.
   Until you are able to seek medical attention for this through your Dr, you might want to try taking control of these incidents as they occur.  I would stop what I am doing and if possible, sit down and begin very slow, deep breathing, inhaling to capacity and releasing the air through pursed lips until you feel your lungs have emptied.   Close your eyes and focus on what you are doing, and not on what may have caused a rise in your blood pressure.  Stroking or massaging your neck does help because you are somewhat slowing the rush of blood to your head....Sip some water if available and do not resume activity until you are feeling much better.......Do this each time this event occurs..   SEE YOUR PCP. and Good luck.   (FYI, I experience much the same sensations on occasion, due to an electrical issue I have with severe heart arrhythmias.)

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   DreamerMegposted 12 years ago

   I agree with the other comments made. There are a couple of things you can do to release tension in the neck and shoulders. One is the "shoulder shrug". Deliberately lift your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a few seconds, then release. Do this two or three times. This can very definitely release tension held in the shoulders and neck, which can cause headaches. Sometimes, we do not even realise we are holding our shoulders tensely and it's a great relief to do a shoulder shrug and realise that tension has disappeared when we didn't even recognise it was there.
   The other exercise I have tried comes from autogenics, which I have read about, though you are better going to autogenics classes, if possible. Autogenics includes a lot of relaxation training and the part for the shoulders is to have practised relaxation throughout the body, then to sit quietly, eyes closed and head comfortably bowed and repeat over and over to yourself, "My neck and shoulders are heavy". This helps the neck and shoulders to drop, rather than be high and tense. One tip I read from the autogenics is to put a little sticky dot on your computer monitor to remind you to practise this regularly.

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   ginjill ashberryposted 12 years ago

   Hi,
   when you write; head pressure as if you are upside down, I thought it is similar to high blood pressure. The question is whether you also feel a wee bit suffocated, not unlike drowning sensation (your nostrils feels raw at times)? If so, this could also be a lacking of oxygen passing to the head. It happens when I get too anxious. Yes, and the muted hearing too.
   Sometimes when we are anxious, our distress gets us to tensed up(muscles), but that's the outward reaction and it does have it's own effect. Internally, our heart beats increases, as the blood is pumped rapidly through our bodies it heightens our blood pressure as well and this is why, individuals with HBP are constantly adviced to relax and avoid stress. They get light headed too.
   In smokers (sorry, not implying that you are a smoker, Ii3rittles), they chain smoke without realizing it and the level of oxygen intake is decreased while the amount of inhaled toxins increased. Thus sometimes, contributes to the suffocating sensation. But this is also possible for non smokers because during a particularly stressful time; breathing is shallow intensely without the individuals notice.
   Anyhows, these are all sharing views. All the shared views above are very helpful knowledge as well. Do try to relax and do breathing exercises. Please consult a doctor if it persists. Take good care. Tweet.

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   greenchaposted 11 years ago

   Get your boyfriend to give you a good massage...regards

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   Ozmar Evansposted 11 years ago

   Yes...I have this symptoms every time I am anxious or worried and it leads to migraines. I would advise you have a massage and try hydrotherapy. Do a hot steaming shower and follow immediately with a blast of cold water. That should do the trick.

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   Lor's Storiesposted 11 years ago

   Please don't crack your neck. You may like to hear it now but it could lead to arthritis and disc problems.
   Which makes you more open to nerve damage and down the road, you could be like me. Totally fused from the skull to the c- 5
   It's really not nice to have a fusion.
   And that crunching noise. No! You don't want to do that.
   If you feel you need your neck cracked go to a chiropracter
   Bones are not meant to be cracked.

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      Lor's Storiesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Gentle massage. I think. It's like heaven.

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    Oztinatoposted 10 years ago

    That is a given! Sure can! It is the MAIN cause of headache and tension.

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