Media release from Nurofen

Forget work, family or partner pressures, general stress has been revealed as the leading cause of headaches amongst New Zealanders - and Kiwi women are particularly affected.

Results released today from the inaugural New Zealand Brain Pain Survey* have exposed the extent of interruption to everyday life caused by headaches. Of the 500 Kiwis surveyed, 49 percent of women and 40 percent of men identified stress as the leading cause of their headaches, with exhaustion following as the second highest cause.  58 percent of women surveyed said their headaches significantly affect their concentration and productivity.

Registered Psychologist and stress expert Sara Chatwin says that Kiwis need to take control of their headaches fast to ensure they don't cause major disruption to everyday life.

"Stress is becoming a significant problem for Kiwis. I am seeing more and more people, through my clinic, experiencing physical symptoms relating to stress. This can be anything from depressive symptoms to the common and debilitating tension headache. The demands of modern lifestyles are causing us to live life 'in the fast lane'. We are living harder and under more pressure than ever," said Ms Chatwin.

"Looking for ways to minimize the impact of headaches on everyday productivity is very important, and the research indicates that this is especially true for women. I was fascinated, but not entirely surprised, to see that Kiwi women are experiencing headaches frequently and that their headaches are having an adverse affect on their lives. Finding rapid, lasting relief is essential."

Clinical research comparing the effectiveness of pain medications has shaken up the consumer pain relief market with the revelation that Nurofen is proven to work faster and last longer than paracetamol products for relief from tension headaches¹,².
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), tension headaches are related to stress and are the most common kind of headache. While Kiwis are quick to take medication to alleviate their headaches, with 59 percent taking medication within one hour, many (42 percent) are choosing slower-acting paracetamol products.

In addition to taking pain medication, sleeping or rest was chosen by nearly three quarters of all respondents as the best alternative remedy for relieving headaches. Women were also more likely than men to try alternative methods such as pressure point massage, exercise and natural remedies.

The international studies show that Nurofen works within 15 minutes³, provides significantly longer relief1 and is gentle on the stomach for everyday pain⁴

, meaning Nurofen is the more effective choice for tension headache relief².

Other interesting findings from the New Zealand Brain Pain Survey include:

•    Men experience more stress related headaches as they grow older
•    Children were rarely the cause of headaches (2 percent women / 0% men) or partners (1 percent women / 2 percent men)
•    People under 20 years of age are the fastest to take medication - typically within 15 minutes
•    Women experience twice as many severe or extreme headaches than men
•    Women are more likely to get headaches weekly (21 percent) or monthly (31 percent) compared with men (20 percent weekly / 13 percent monthly)
•    Large numbers cited their concentration levels affected them enough to reduce their productivity:

o    "You can't concentrate on anything else"
o    "It makes me more stressed and annoyed, I can't concentrate when I have a headache"
o    "It makes your eyes sore and it's hard to concentrate"
o    "It slows me down and distracts me"

1. Packman et al. Headache 2000. 40: 561-567. 2. Schachtel BP et al. J Clin Pharmacol 1996; 36(12):1120-1125. 3. Schachtel BP et al. Headache, 1988. 28: 471-474. 4. Moore N et al. Clin Drug Invest 1999; 18(2): 89-98.