Anxiety and headaches (tension or migraines): Western and Chinese perspectives and how acupuncture can help

If you’ve ever felt like your head is in a vice during moments of anxiety, you’re not alone. Anxiety often leads to tension headaches or even more severe migraines, which can make everything feel a lot harder to manage. Let’s take a closer look at why this happens and how acupuncture can help.

The Western medical perspective: Anxiety and headaches

Anxiety triggers a cascade of physiological responses, many of which can contribute to headaches. Here’s why it happens:

• Muscle tension: Anxiety causes your muscles to tighten, especially around the neck, shoulders, and scalp, leading to tension headaches.
• Increased stress hormones: The increased release of stress hormones, such as cortisol, can lead to inflammation and pain, particularly in the head.
• Nervous system overactivation: Anxiety often leads to a hypersensitive nervous system, which can cause pain perception to be heightened, resulting in more intense headaches.

The Chinese Medicine perspective: Liver Qi Stagnation and Liver Yang Rising

From a Chinese Medicine standpoint, headaches caused by anxiety are often related to Liver Qi stagnation or Liver Yang rising:

• Liver Qi stagnation: Anxiety can cause emotional strain, leading to a blockage of Liver Qi. This stagnation can lead to headaches, often worsened by stress.
• Liver Yang rising: Chronic stress can lead to Liver Yang rising (warmth and/or movement that rises upwards), which creates an excess of heat in the head, causing severe tension headaches or migraines.
• Blood deficiency: Long-term anxiety may lead to a deficiency of Liver Blood, which can cause headaches as well, particularly migraines with dizziness.

How acupuncture helps with anxiety-related headaches

Acupuncture is incredibly effective in addressing both the physical and emotional components of headaches. Here’s how it helps:

✅ Relieves muscle tension: Acupuncture targets specific points that release tension in the muscles, helping to alleviate the physical strain that contributes to headaches.
✅ Improves circulation: Acupuncture encourages better blood flow, which can reduce the inflammation and pressure that causes headaches.
✅ Calms stress responses: Acupuncture helps regulate the nervous system, reducing the stress and emotional turmoil that can lead to chronic headaches.

Acupuncture points commonly used to relieve headaches include:

• Gallbladder 20 (Fengchi): Located at the base of the skull, this point is known for its ability to relieve tension headaches.
• Large Intestine 4 (Hegu): This point is effective for relieving head pain, especially migraines, and also helps alleviate stress.
• Liver 3 (Taichong): Known as the “Great Surge,” this point helps to release Liver Qi stagnation and calm the mind.

If you’re struggling with anxiety-related headaches, acupuncture can offer relief by addressing both the physical and emotional sources of your pain. At Village Healing Centre in Curl Curl, we’re here to help you manage your anxiety and find lasting relief from headaches.

If you’re in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and you’d like to explore acupuncture for headaches or migraines, we’d love to help you. Let’s get you feeling better.

📍 Find us in Curl Curl (Sydney Northern Beaches)
📞 Call us at (02) 9938 2182
📅 Book your appointment