Sharp, Stabbing, Shooting Pains or Pressures in the Head, Scalp, Face, or Neck
Sharp, stabbing, shooting pains or pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck are common symptoms of anxiety and anxiety disorder. They are caused by a combination of an anxiety-activated stress response, anxiety-caused hyperstimulation (chronic stress), and their effects.
This article explains the relationship between anxiety and sharp, stabbing, shooting pains and pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck and what you can do to get rid of them.
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Common Anxiety Symptom Descriptions
- You get sharp stabbing or shooting pains, or odd pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck.
- You might also feel light to severe pressures regularly or sporadically in the head, scalp, face, or neck.
- These stabbing or shooting pains, or pressures can be incredibly sharp and intense, or feel like dull aches or pressures.
- While these pains and pressures can feel different from one another, they are caused by the same reason.
These pains and pressures can appear in the same place over and over again, or can randomly change and shift throughout the head, scalp, face, and neck.
This symptom can also present in a combination of ways. For instance, you get just shooting pains one time and then pressures the next. Or, you get a combination of shooting pains and pressures. Even though this symptom can appear as just pains or pressures, it can also appear as a combination of both.
This symptom can affect one area of the head, scalp, face, and neck only, shift and affect another area or areas, and migrate all over and affect many areas.
This symptom can:
- Occur occasionally, frequently, or persistently.
- Precede, accompany, or follow an escalation of other anxiety symptoms or occur by itself.
- Precede, accompany, or follow a period of nervousness, anxiety, fear, and stress, or occur "out of the blue" for no reason.
- Range in intensity from mild, to moderate, to severe.
- Come in waves where it’s strong one moment and eases off the next.
- Occur for a while, subside, and then return for no reason.
- Change from day to day and moment to moment.
All the above combinations and variations are common.
This symptom can seem more noticeable when undistracted, resting, trying to sleep, or when waking up.
To see if anxiety might be playing a role in your symptoms, rate your level of anxiety using our free one-minute instant results Anxiety Test, Anxiety Disorder Test, or Hyperstimulation Test.
The higher the rating, the more likely anxiety could be contributing to or causing your anxiety symptoms, including feeling like impending doom symptoms.
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Causes
Medical Advisory
Talk to your doctor about all new, changing, persistent, and returning symptoms as some medical conditions and medications can cause anxiety-like symptoms.
1. The Stress Response
Anxious behavior, such as worry, activates the stress response. The stress response secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream, where they travel to specific locations to immediately prepare the body for emergency action – to fight or flee.
This survival reaction is often referred to as:[1][2]
- The fight or flight response.
- The freeze response(some people become so frightened that they freeze with fear like a “deer caught in headlights”). This response is thought to be a survival mechanism that allows the person to blend in with their surroundings and avoid detection by a predator.
- The faint response (some people faint when afraid). This response is thought to be a last resort for survival in situations where fighting or fleeing is not possible or likely to be successful.
- The submit response (some people easily surrender to their threats when afraid). This response is thought to be a way of avoiding further harm or injury and may be seen in situations where the person feels powerless or overwhelmed.
- The appease response(some people attempt to calm or placate the threat to avoid harm or conflict). This response is thought to be a way of avoiding or reducing the severity of the threat.
Some of the stress response changes include:
- Quickly converts the body’s energy reserves into “fuel” (blood sugar) to provide an instant boost of energy.
- Increases heart rate, respiration, and metabolism due to the boost in energy.
- Stimulates the nervous system, increasing nervous system activity to be more sensitive and reactive to danger.
- Heightens most of the body’s senses to be more aware of danger.
- Suppresses digestion so that most of the body’s resources are available for emergency action.
- Causes muscles to tighten to make the body more resilient to injury.
For complete information about the many body-wide changes, visit “The Stress Response” article.
The degree of stress response is proportional to the degree of anxious behavior. For instance, the more anxious you are, the more dramatic the stress response changes.
Since stress responses push the body beyond its internal balance (equilibrium), stress responses stress the body. As such, anxiety stresses the body.
Therefore, anxiety symptoms are symptoms of stress. They are called anxiety symptoms because anxious behavior is the main source of the stress that stresses the body, causing symptoms.
Regarding this symptom, the neck, scalp, face, and neck contain many muscle groups.
Muscles respond to nerve impulses. Nerve impulses cause muscles to move by contracting and releasing them. A muscle contracts (tightens) when it receives a nerve impulse and releases (relaxes) when the nerve impulse stops.
The body is made up of muscles that respond to involuntary nerve messages (where the body decides when and how to use them) and voluntary nerve messages (where we decide when and how to use them).
The Skeletal muscles, such as those in the head, scalp, face, and neck, are voluntary. They contract and remain so until we decide to release them. They also automatically respond to stress.
When the body’s nervous system and muscle tensions are normal, nerve impulses and muscle responses function normally.
However, as mentioned, stress can cause muscles to tighten (contract), including in the head, scalp, face, and neck. Tight muscles can result in sharp stabbing and shooting pains and pressures.
Head, scalp, face, and neck pressures are due to slight to mild muscle contractions, whereas stabbing and shooting pains are due to moderate to severe muscle contractions.
As such, acute anxiety and the stress it causes is a common cause of sharp stabbing and shooting pains and pressures in the head, scalp, face, and neck.
2. Stress-Response Hyperstimulation
When stress responses occur infrequently, the body can quickly recover from the many stress response changes.
However, when stress responses occur too frequently, such as from overly anxious behavior, the body can remain in a state of semi-stress response readiness, which we call “stress-response hyperstimulation” since stress hormones are powerful stimulants.
Hyperstimulation is also often referred to as “hyperarousal,” “HPA axis dysfunction,” or “nervous system dysregulation.”[3][4]
Visit our “Stress Response Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect the body and how we feel, including Nervous System Excitation and Dysregulation, Homeostatic Dysregulation, and Hormone Changes.
Just as an active stress response acutely stresses the body, causing acute anxiety symptoms, such as acute sharp stabbing and shooting pains and pressures in the head, scalp, face, and neck, hyperstimulation (chronic stress) can cause chronic anxiety symptoms, including this one, chronic sharp stabbing and shooting pains and pressures in the head, scalp, face, and neck.
Furthermore, hyperstimulation can cause significant changes in the body that can affect this symptom. For instance:
- Electrical activity in parts of the brain and nervous increases, causing them to act erratically.[5]
- The nerves responsible for receiving and reporting information to the brain become more sensitive and reactive (sensitivity and reactivity increase as stress hormone levels rise).[6]
These changes can cause the body to act erratically, such as muscles that pulse, throb, twitch, spasm, or contract uncontrollably and involuntarily as the brain sends erratic nerve impulses to the body’s muscles.
These erratic nerve impulses can be sent to any of the body’s skeletal muscles, including the head, scalp, face, and neck. They can also be sent at any time and to any degree. Consequently, muscle contractions can occur from slight to dramatic “out-of-the-blue” for seemingly no reason.
Sharp stabbing and shooting pains and pressures in the head, scalp, face, and neck are common indications of hyperstimulation (chronic stress).
While alarming, annoying, disturbing, and even severely painful at times, these symptoms are merely symptoms of acute or chronic stress. Therefore, they needn’t be a cause for concern.
However, we do need to heed the warning that the body is under stress. While short-term stress isn’t harmful, chronic year-after-year stress has been linked to many health problems.
Other Factors
Other factors can create stress and cause anxiety-like symptoms, as well as aggravate existing anxiety symptoms, including:
- Medication
- Recreational drugs
- Stimulants
- Sleep deprivation
- Fatigue
- Hyper and hypoventilation
- Low blood sugar
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Dehydration
- Hormone changes
- Pain
Select the relevant link for more information.
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Treatment
When this symptom is caused or aggravated by other factors, addressing those factors can reduce and eliminate sharp, stabbing, shooting pains or pressures in the head, scalp, face or neck symptoms.
When sharp, stabbing, shooting pains and pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck are caused by an anxiety-activated stress response, calming yourself will end the active stress response and its changes. As such, this symptom will subside as your body recovers from the active stress response.
Keep in mind that it can take up to 20 minutes or more for the body to recover from a major stress response. But this is normal and shouldn’t be a cause for concern. Keeping yourself calm will cause the cessation of this symptom in time.
When this symptom is caused by hyperstimulation, eliminating hyperstimulation will bring an end to this anxiety symptom.
You can reduce and eliminate hyperstimulation by:
- Containing anxious behavior.
- Reducing stress.
- Regular deep relaxation.
- Relaxed diaphragmatic breathing.
- Regular light to moderate exercise.
- Getting regular good sleep.
- Eating a healthy diet of whole and natural foods.
- Avoiding stimulants.
- Passively-accepting your symptoms until they subside.
- Being patient as your body recovers.
Visit our “60 Natural Ways To Reduce Stress” article for more ways to reduce stress.
As the body recovers from hyperstimulation, ALL hyperstimulation symptoms subside, including sharp, stabbing, shooting pains or pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck.
However, eliminating hyperstimulation can take much longer than most people think, causing symptoms to linger longer than expected.
As long as the body is hyperstimulated, even to a mild degree, it can present symptoms of any type, number, intensity, duration, frequency, and at any time, including this one.
Even so, since sharp, stabbing, shooting pains or pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck are common symptoms of stress (acute and chronic), including anxiety-caused stress, it's harmless and needn't be a cause for concern. It will subside when unhealthy stress has been eliminated and the body has had sufficient time to recover and stabilize. Therefore, there is no reason to worry about this common anxiety symptom.
Anxiety symptoms often linger because:
- The body is still being stressed from stressful circumstances or anxious behavior.
- Stress hasn't been reduced enough or for long enough.
- The body hasn't completed its recovery work.
Addressing the reason for lingering symptoms will allow the body to recover.
Since worrying and becoming upset about anxiety symptoms stress the body, these behaviors can interfere with and stall recovery.
Passively accepting your symptoms – allowing them to persist without reacting to, resisting, worrying about, or fighting them – while doing your recovery work will cause their cessation in time.
Acceptance, practice, and patience are key to recovery.
Since the body can take a long time to recover from hyperstimulation, it's best to faithfully work at your recovery despite the lack of apparent progress. If you persevere with your recovery work, you will succeed.
You also have to do your recovery work FIRST before your body can recover. The cumulative effects of your recovery work will produce results down the road, as hyperstimulation has to diminish before symptoms can subside.
Eliminating hyperstimulation will bring results in time!
Remember: Focusing on your sensations and symptoms makes them more pronounced. If you'd like to lessen their impact, learn to focus your attention elsewhere through distraction, enjoying your hobbies, undertaking pleasing and calming activities, regular deep relaxation, and by recalling pleasant memories or experiences.
Short-term remedies:
Even though eliminating hyperstimulation will eliminate chronic anxiety symptoms, including this one, some people have found the following strategies helpful in reducing episodes of this symptom in the short term.
However, keep in mind that each person can have a unique symptom experience since each person is somewhat physically, chemically, psychologically, and emotionally unique. What might work for one person might not for another.
Reduce stress – Since stress, including anxiety-caused stress, is a common cause of this symptom, reducing stress can reduce episodes of it.
Any stress reduction strategy can help improve this symptom. Again, you can visit our article “60 Ways To Reduce Stress And Anxiety” for natural stress reduction strategies.
Recovery Support members can read chapters 4 and 14 for many natural ways to reduce stress and anxiety.
Regular good sleep – Regular good sleep can reduce stress, cortisol, and the body’s overall level of stimulation. Their reduction can reduce and eliminate anxiety symptoms, including this one.
Regular deep relaxation – Deep relaxation reduces the body’s overall level of stimulation and stress, leading to a reduction in anxiety symptoms, including this one.
Regular light to moderate exercise – Regular light to moderate exercise can reduce stress and use up excess cortisol, which can help reduce anxiety symptoms, including this one.
Avoid stimulants – Stimulants, such as caffeine, bring about their stimulating effect by increasing circulating cortisol, the body’s most powerful stress hormone. To help the body recover from hyperstimulation, we need to reduce the production of stress hormones and stimulation, not increase it. A reduction in stress and stimulation can help reduce symptoms of hyperstimulation, including sharp, stabbing, shooting pains or pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck.
Contain your anxiousness – Since anxiety activates the stress response, which causes anxiety and hyperstimulation symptoms, containing your anxiousness about this anxiety symptom can help reduce and eliminate it, even in the short term.
The more successful you are in containing your anxiousness, the more opportunity your body has to reduce stress and stimulation. A reduction in stress and stimulation can reduce episodes of this symptom.
Keep well hydrated – Dehydration can cause anxiety-like symptoms and aggravate existing anxiety symptoms. Keeping your body well hydrated can reduce and eliminate anxiety symptoms, including sharp, stabbing, shooting pains or pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck.
Other short-term strategies can include:
- A warm bath – can relax the body and nervous system, which can help reduce muscle-related sensations and symptoms.
- Massage – can also help the body and nervous system relax, which can relax muscles and soothe the nervous system.
- Listening to soothing music – can help the mind, body, nervous system, and muscles relax.
- Going for a leisure walk - can help the body, nervous system, and muscles relax.
- Going for a leisure swim - can help the body, nervous system, and muscles relax.
- Floating on a water device – lying down on an inflatable water raft can be soothing and relaxing, and so can leisurely floating in a boat. Some people find the gentle rocking of the waves enjoyable and especially relaxing.
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Therapy
Unidentified and unaddressed underlying factors cause issues with anxiety. As such, they are the primary reason why anxiety symptoms persist.[7][8][9]
Addressing your underlying factors (Level Two recovery) is most important if you want lasting success.
Addressing Level Two recovery can help you:
- Contain anxious behavior.
- Become unafraid of anxiety symptoms and the strong feelings of anxiety.
- End anxiety symptoms.
- Successfully address the underlying factors that so often cause issues with anxiety.
- End what can feel like out-of-control worry.
All our recommended anxiety therapists have had anxiety disorder and overcame it. Their personal experience with anxiety disorder and their Master's Degree and above professional training gives them insight other therapists don't have.
If you want to achieve lasting success over anxiety disorder, any one of our recommended therapists would be a good choice.
Working with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist is the most effective way to treat anxiety disorder.
Typically, working with an experienced therapist is the only way to overcome stubborn anxiety.
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Considerations
Hyperstimulation can adversely affect the immune system, diminishing the body’s ability to fight of intruders, such as viruses and infections. Sinus infections can also cause sharp, stabbing, shooting pains or pressures in the head, scalp, face, or neck.
In this case, we recommend discussing this symptom with your doctor so that a medical cause can be ruled out. Chronic hyperstimulation is notorious for causing issues with chronic inflammation, infections, and protracted recovery from viruses.
NOTE: If the shooting pains become too painful, you can talk with your doctor about taking a pain reliever or muscle relaxant to help ease these types of symptoms when they are strong or greatly distracting.
It’s wise to discuss these types of symptoms with your doctor so that all other possible causes are ruled out. Sometimes, these types of symptoms can be caused by other conditions such as vascular headaches; migraine headaches; ear, nose, or sinus infections; and the flu.
Common Anxiety Symptoms
Additional Resources
- For a comprehensive list of Anxiety Disorders Symptoms Signs, Types, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment.
- Anxiety and panic attacks symptoms can be powerful experiences. Find out what they are and how to stop them.
- How to stop an anxiety attack and panic.
- Free online anxiety tests to screen for anxiety. Two minute tests with instant results. Such as:
- Anxiety 101 is a summarized description of anxiety, anxiety disorder, and how to overcome it.
Return to our anxiety disorders signs and symptoms page.
anxietycentre.com: Information, support, and therapy for anxiety disorder and its symptoms, including Sharp, Stabbing, Shooting Pains and Pressures in the Head, Scalp, Face, and Neck anxiety symptoms.
References
1. The Physiology of Stress: Cortisol and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis." DUJS Online. N.p., 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 19 May 2016.
2. "Understanding the Stress Response - Harvard Health." Harvard Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
3. Elbers, Jorina, et al. "Wired for Threat: Clinical Features of Nervous System Dysregulation in 80 Children." Pediatric Neurology, Dec 2018.
4. Teixeira, Renata Roland, et al. “Chronic Stress Induces a Hyporeactivity of the Autonomic Nervous System in Response to Acute Mental Stressor and Impairs Cognitive Performance in Business Executives.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015.
5. Yaribeygi, Habib, et al. “The Impact of Stress on Body Function: A Review.” EXCLI Journal, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, 2017.
6. Kinlein, Scott A., et al. “Dysregulated Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Function Contributes to Altered Endocrine and Neurobehavioral Responses to Acute Stress.” Frontiers In Psychiatry, 13 Mar. 2015.
7. Hofmann, Stefan G., et al. “The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-Analyses.” Cognitive Therapy and Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Oct. 2012.
8. Leichsenring, Falk. “Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy the Gold Standard for Psychotherapy?” JAMA, American Medical Association, 10 Oct. 2017.
9. DISCLAIMER: Because each body is somewhat chemically unique, and because each person will have a unique mix of symptoms and underlying factors, recovery results may vary. Variances can occur for many reasons, including due to the severity of the condition, the ability of the person to apply the recovery concepts, and the commitment to making behavioral change.