Question about headache after dive....

[UCFDiver85]

Couple weeks ago me and my buddy went diving in West Palm. We went out to dive around 2 oclock and did our 2nd dive around 4 45. We had only eaten a bagel around 9 oclock that morning. My friend dove air on the first dive, then nitrox on the 2nd. When he came up from the 2nd dive he had a SEVERE headache and it was really killing him. What was this caused from? It wasn't DCS I think. Could it have been lack of food that day combined with nitrox?

 

[RICHinNC]

It could have been bad air. Did the air have any "taste" at all??

 

[Mo2vation]

I get them real bad. Real bad.

Arnaud and I have talked about this often. We have come to the conclusion that its because I don't breathe.

Actually, I do breathe - deeply, but very slowly and very infrequently. He's monitored me by diving behind me, and he'll sometimes come up and remind be to breathe normally.

Combine the breathing thing with the fact I usually drink water and not my diet raspberry Snapple or diet pepsi throughout a dive day - and the caffine withdrawls combined with the CO build up just hits me like a 4X4 in the grill.

I have to admit - when I remember to breathe, I do feel better.

Maybe that's it.

K

 

[Rick Murchison]

Two common causes of headaches in divers are dehydration and CO2 retention. As Mo2vation mentioned, "skip" breathing or excessively slow breathing will cause CO2 buildup and just about guarantee a headache. Dehydration will too, and it is surprisingly easy to get dehydrated in the water. No only do we tend to "forget" to drink enough water when we're immersed in it all day, breathing dry scuba air tends to accelerate water loss from breathing, and diving in salt water (whose salinity is about three times that of our bodily fluids) will actually suck water out of you by osmosis through the skin (not much, but when you're already dehydrated it can be the straw that breaks the camel's back).
So, I'd expect one or both of those first.
Rick

 

[d33ps1x]

When I first started diving I would breath rapidly out of nervousness and would get a painful head every couple of dives from the CO2 buildup.

Slow and deep and no more headaches.

 

[UCFDiver85]

Thanks for the great information, I'll definitly keep that in mind next time.

 

[SubMariner]

In the November/December issue of Alert Diver Dr. Frans J. Cronje addresses "Headaches and Diving".

Apparently, the cause of headaches can be anything from improper breathing pattens to where you position your tank.

All in all, very useful information... a good read.

 

[pipedope]

You really want to keep a nearly normal intake of food and drink.

If I don't drink my normal coffee I will get a terrible headache, dive or no.

This is in addition to the directly diving related things already listed.

 

[mwilding]

off the top of my head a few potential causes:

caffeine withdrawal
CO2 build-up
dehydration
bruxism - grinding on your mouthpiece

I often have a sore jaw after a dive and I think it might contribute to a headache. All of these can combine over the course of the day to give you a whopper. Best way to prevent them:

• Make sure you get close to your normal caffeine intake during the day
• Breathe!
• Hydrate well during your SI
• Get a good mouthpiece and check your hose routing/length to make sure it isn't twisting the mouthpiece in your jaw
• Dive with Nitrox - it noticeably reduces my post-dive need to sleep. Might help with the headaches

 

[bwerb]

Hey Mo2vation!

Ever seen anyone with a slight caffeine withdrawl? What did they look like? Hmmm...I might resemble that comment.

#1 - Caffinate
#2 - Eat
#3 - Hydrate
#4 - Breathe
#4B - Don't breath the diesel fumes

This should help...

Brian