Headaches while diving

[sonar]

I am currently doing my divemaster and rescuecourse so I dive twice daily. The first 10 dives were fine (fantastic actually) but since than I started getting headaches. After the dive i would have a small headache that lasted for about an hour or so; nothing special. Could be the pressure, could be the adrenalin, whatever. But the last 5 dives it got worse. First with a serious headache after the dive; that started once in the boat but the last two dives I got during diving. The first time I finished my dive and kept the headache for about 3-5 hours. The second time I aborted the dive and the headache lasted much shorter and was less intense.

All dives were to a max of 34m; some on air, some on nitrox. I dove with a hangover, without a hangover and with and without enough sleep. (meaning; thats pbb not the cause) I drink 1 coffee in the morning (back home I drink like 8 a day), eat healthy and I am in a relative good condition, 27 years, no history of headaches and my hangovers/ drinking is not insane (just beers)

The headache feels like there is a lot of pressure pushing my brain together and, on land, I feel like I am still on sea. I am not going to dive tomorrow to see if that helps. My diveinstructor doesnt understand it either.

Anybody here with some experience about this?

(DAN: DAN Divers Alert Network : Headaches and Diving Doesnt really help me; at least I dont think this solves it)

 

[treywilly]

how do you feel when you dive with Nitrox. When you say you dive to the Max depth 34m., How much time in between dives...........it could be residual nitrogen causing the headaches. I used to get the headaches when i dove Air, now i only dive Nitrox. If you felt no pain on the Nitrox, i would dive that.

 

[Seanpaul]

Hypercapnia (excess Carbon Dioxide) is known to cause headaches. Have you changed your breathing pattern or your equipment to create more dead air space? At depth your partial pressure may be too great for your body to eliminate it. Reference the Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving - The Physiology of Diving section - Hypercapnia.

 

[sonar]

thx

will check it; if i can find it here

Get the headaches from air and nitrox as well. I changed my gear just to be sure but it had no results. My buddies also dont have any problems taking the same dives, same equipment, same air

 

[Dadvocate]

Hey, Sonar!

This same thing happened to me on my last live-aboard trip to Thailand. I was on the Colona VI diving out in the Similans. The trip called for up to 21 dives, and I had every intention of doing all of them.

The problems set in after the second dive of the first day. I felt a headache coming on as soon as we reached the surface. By the time I had stashed my gear and gone up to the dining deck, the headache was much more severe, including these random sharp pains that seemed to shoot up from my neck and encircle my eyes every now and then. My neck felt tense as well.

I ate, drank loads of water, and took a little catnap. Things got better. I did the third dive of the day after the surface interval (of about 2.5 hours) and started feeling the headache coming on near the five meter safety stop after about a 55 minute dive (We maxed at maybe 15 meters on that dive) . It felt as though it was a tension headache coming up from my neck again, only this time it was worse. The same scenario took place. By the time my gear came off I was wincing in pain. I was nauseous as well and at one point I thought I as going to vomit. I slept it off for nearly three hours and felt good enough to eat a later snack that evening before going back to bed. I missed that last dive of the day obviously.

I told my DM about all this the next morning and explained that perhaps I was more dehydrated than I thought, not accounting for live-aboard dehydration issues. He recommended I try to drink this energy boosting drink with electrolytes in it or something like that as well as water. The first dive that day went very well, and there were no problems when I got back onboard. I thought I was going to make all four dives that day, but by the third dive the scenario had kicked in again and I was out of it from a whopping headache that only sleep could cure. I had no appetite, despite the food smelling fantastic. My fiancée saved some food for me, which I shoved down a few hours later when all was well again.

Our DM said pretty much the same thing as SeanPaul regarding excess carbon dioxide caused from a big change in my breathing while diving. He thought that perhaps I was over using my lungs and inhaling and exhaling too deeply (and slowly) so that I could maintain my air consumption and control buoyancy. Like you, I was diving Nitrox and air when it started on the first day. Thinking that it was because I was on air, I switched to Nitrox only on the second day but to no avail. The DM also said that I might not be using my BCD effectively enough and that I might be overweighting myself also. I ended up playing with these things also in the course of tying to figure out what was going on.

The last thing the DM suggested was that I make sure I slept well the night before the morning dives, not sleep to rid myself of a headache he insisted. He thought a combination of more sleep and better, less forced breathing might do the trick, along with all the water I was drinking.

I can’t say if it is coincidence or not, but the headaches did subside for the third day and for the rest of the trip after I tried these measures. You explained that you were having a few drinks before some of these dives. This could be adding to your dehydration. I drank copious amounts of water along with the electrolyte drinks they offered, and I made sure to hit the sack really early before diving the next day. I also cut out the beers for a couple nights as well.

I don’t know if this is related to your case or if any of this helps, but on this trip these actions might have helped for me. Thanks for posting this. I hope to learn more as well as others share their thoughts

Cheers

 

[TSandM]

The possible causes of headaches related to diving are many, but one thing jumped out of your post to me:

I drink 1 coffee in the morning (back home I drink like 8 a day)

The first trip I took to Mexico to cave dive, I woke up on the second day with a headache that lasted three days. When it started, I thought it was the margaritas from the night before, but two margaritas have never given me a three day long hangover . . . After the second trip had the same problem, I finally figured it out: caffeine withdrawal. I'm used to drinking a pot or more of tea every morning at home, and here it was one cup and off to dive. Going from 8 cups of coffee to one could easily do this. The solution is easy -- the headache will go away with time, as the withdrawal eases, or you can prevent it for the next trip by cutting down on your consumption for a week or so before you leave.

Obviously, this is not a diagnosis; you could have sinus problems, or be getting tension headaches from your neck position underwater, or be retaining CO2 (which has resulted in some of the very worst headaches of my life). But it's certainly true that you have drastically decreased your caffeine intake, and caffeine withdrawal is well known to cause headaches.

 

[FredT]

Skip breathing causes headaches from CO2 build up, but can also stretch a tank or make it easier to stalk fish. A one minute stop with deep breathing at 40' (~ 12m) on the way up can help a lot, as will blowing lots of bubbles at an extended stop @ 10' to 15' (3m-5m). Remember that bubbles left in your tank when you get on board do you no good deco or CO2 wise, and you are generally going to fill the tank before you use it again anyway. (Repetitive short bounce dives on a single tank excluded.)

 

[krawlings]

Do you notice if the headaches start at the bach of your neck at the and the base of your head . I get realy bad headaches that start ther. I get them when I get stressed or the muscles in my back and neck tighten up and couse a tention headach . That can get realy bad If I feel one coming on I take an Excederen tention headache gel tab If you are a little up tight about the trianing and dive it may be the case I start getting them just a couple years ago . The doctor said that It may have been stresses over time The tention headaches have triggered my migraines . I would see a doctor and just macke sure that there is nothing medicale going on just to be safe.

good luk and dive safe KEN

 

[mts0628]

Hi Sonar:

The dreaded headache! As you read there could be so many causes as there is good advice. Everyone here has given truly valuable advice and you hit on some things as well- hangover, coffee, no sleep (but I dunno if you had any of these while doing your course but the no sleep is usually my downfall). So, eating good, sleeping well, staying hydrated isn't cutting it eh?

TS&M brings up an excellent point about caffeine headaches. Anyone who has had one knows, to either suck it up, take an analgesic (Tylenol or aspirin) and go to sleep, or give in to your vice: mine is Pepsi. I know it's not good for me but it's like my nectar of life and I have tried so many times to quit it (and I have the headaches to remind me each time). But I digress...

Finally, tell us more about your accent rate and safety stops, as in how fast do you ascend and do you do deep stops? Either of these could be affecting you as well depending on your practices.

I hope you find your problem and then implement an appropriate solution so that you can continue to enjoy your diving.

With kindest regards,
Thomas

 

[sonar]

wow guys

thanks a lot for all these replies. The more I think about the more I get convinced it's a combination of things. Cutting down on caffeine, being too greedy with air (I am by fair the least experienced diver so I am too focused on saving air and blow out as slow as possible) I also noticed in my first dives (before the headaches) that I stretched my neck too much

I will drink more water as well; get some gatorade stuff as well. Obv. no alchohol. I wont dive today and try it again tomorrow

Ascending ans descending goes fine; I have the same speed as the others

thx a lot guys; got kinda worried my head wasnt sufficient for diving..