# Migrane after diving?



## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

Just getting back into diving after not having done it for a while. I always used to get a headache after diving but today we came up after our 2nd dive of the day and I got what I believe to be a full fledge migrane. What causes this? Does anyone else have this happen. I have never had a migrane before but it fit all the symptoms. My head hurt (bad). I felt sick to my stomach and I had to put a shirt over my face because the sunlight was too bright for my eyes.

We dove to less than 80ft and I was no where near my limit fordive time. I didn't accend too fast and we made a 3 minute stop at 15ft.Although I know it was caused by the dive, I don't think it was anything I did wrong to induce it.

Anyone else experience similar things? Any suggstions?


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## bluffman2 (Nov 22, 2007)

were you diving with my ex wife?????

KIDDING.....i dont know man...ive never had those while diving


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## Skippy (Sep 18, 2008)

Had it happen to me one time, turned out to be bad air, possible oil contamination or bad filter on the compressor, stopped buying air at that particular store, and never had it again.



Skippy


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

Forgot to mention. I didn't have any issues clearing my ears either. It was MBT air and the other divers were on it too and didn't have any issues. It was bad enough that if it happens again I might back burner diving again for a good long while.


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## opus68 (Sep 28, 2007)

If you want to definitely eliminate the air, if you have any left, try breathing it at sea level for about 20 minutes.


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

Was it straight air or nitrox. I used to get headaches after each day of diving regular air. Ever since I went to Nitrox, the headaches are gone.Your headache probablywas acarbon dioxideheadache more than likely. I have posted this info before.But don't give up on diving. Just try to find the cause and remedy it.<P class=header>Diving Medicine Articles
<SPAN class=subheader>Headaches and Diving 

By Dr. Frans Cronje, M.D., President & Medical Director, DAN Southern Africa 

DAN gets many inquiries regarding headaches and diving. Probably very few divers who dive regularly have not left the water at least once with some cranial discomfort. This piece reviews the common causes of headaches in diving and offers some simple advice that should solve the problem in most cases. 

Finding the cause of a headache is probably unnecessary if it only happens once or twice, occurs in the absence of any other symptoms and clears spontaneously or with only mild analgesics. However, a few divers complain of frequent and more troublesome headaches, and it is for these individuals that the following considerations and suggestions are intended. 

One way to find the cause of a headache is to run through a checklist of possible causes and eliminate them one by one. While not an exhaustive list, these may include: <UL><LI>Anxiety / Tension <LI>Sinus or Ear Barotrauma <LI>Sinus and Ear Infections <LI>Cold <LI>Saltwater Aspiration <LI>Mask Squeeze <LI>Temporomandibular Joint Pain (TMJ) <LI>Dental Problems <LI>Gas Toxicity (especially high CO2) <LI>Decompression Illness <LI>Migraine <LI>Hyperextension of the Neck <LI>Cervical Spondylosis <LI>Caffeine and Other Drugs </LI>[/list]

By simply looking at the list, one can already see that the origins of headaches are truly diverse. However, important clues can usually be found in the history taken from someone who develops headaches regularly. These five key questions may provide an answer to the causes of headaches: 
<LI>*Have you had previous head or neck problems, injuries or regular headaches, even when not diving?* 
Divers who develop headaches regularly above water are also very likely to get them underwater. Such headaches, especially if they are associated with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, abnormal sensations, vision, abnormal smell or even paralysis, may be serious and require assessment by a specialist neurologist. 

Migraine, a relative contraindication to scuba diving, requires expert assessment. Headaches may also result from tension, large caffeine intake and menstrual changes, among other reason. 

A bad-fitting mouthpiece can also cause headache: Some regulators are quite heavy in the water and require a constant "bite" to stay in place. Swapping regulators or trying different mouthpieces may spell the end of a continuous string of headaches. In the end, it is always better to own your own equipment once you have found what works for you. 

Divers with previous neck or upper back problems or injuries are very prone to develop headaches underwater or even as a result of a bumpy boat trip. The underlying bony problems lead to muscle spasms, which in turn cause the headache. A medical specialist such as an orthopedic surgeon should assess these problems. Physiotherapy and muscle strengthening exercises are often of value. Some report improvement after visiting a chiropractor. Back surgery is usually a last resort. <LI>*What is the position of your tank on your back?* 
Is the diver constantly avoiding the pillar valve by bending the part of the neck closest to the shoulders downwards, and then having to hyperextend the part closest to the skull to curl around the valve? As odd as this may sound, it is a very common cause of headache in divers. The solution is to ensure that the neck, when extended normally, does not bring the head against the pillar valve by simply adjusting the position of the cylinder as needed. <LI>*Where is the pain, and what does the pain feel like?* 
Pain related to neck problems is usually a persisting non-throbbing pain that gradually spreads from the back of the head to the temples. Sinus pain is usually over the forehead or cheekbones or sometimes behind the eyes or on top of the head. Ear pain is mostly quite obvious, but it is always worth asking whether ear equalizing was easy and effective during a dive. <LI>*What is your surface air consumption?* 
Many divers boast about low air consumption or try to artificially reduce their air consumption by skip breathing. The truth of the matter is that removing carbon dioxide from the lungs is very analogous to rinsing dye out of a carpet. The bigger the spill (in our comparison, this would be the amount of exercise which produces more carbon dioxide) and the bigger the carpet (in our example, the size of the person's lungs), the more water you would need to rinse it clean - that is, the more air you will require to wash the carbon dioxide out. Larger lungs require larger breaths and consequently an increase in air consumption. That is why female divers typically have better air consumption than males. 

The only way to effectively reduce breathing requirements without building up carbon dioxide is to reduce underwater exercise, ensure adequate thermal protection and to relax; take slow deep breaths (better gas exchange - good rinsing) rather than shallow ones. A healthy breathing pattern is the key to solving many headaches. <LI>*What was the dive profile?* 
Long or deep dives, rapid ascents, breath-holding and panic ascents followed by headache all raise the suspicion of decompression illness (DCI) as a possible cause. Although fortunately uncommon, DCI is a cause that would require immediate treatment. Abnormal symptoms following any exposure to compressed air should always prompt a suspicion of DCI. Don't deny symptoms; when in doubt call DAN. </LI>

*Some quick-fix solutions that may be useful (and are good diving practice anyway) include:* 

*1) Loosen your mask strap* to avoid pressure on the nose, forehead or cheekbones. If necessary, change your mask to a more comfortable one. 

*2) Relax during your dives.* After all, you are on holiday. 

*3) Take slow deep breaths.* These relax you and provide a more efficient way of removing carbon dioxide. 

*4) Relax your neck* during dives. Even though it spoils your trim momentarily, rotating the body rather than the head to look at objects underwater may avoid the strain and the discomfort of hyperextending the neck. 

*5) Stay in shape.* Exercise reduces the incidence of headaches. 

*6) Avoid caffeine and tobacco* with diving. 

*7) Always follow safe diving practices.* Spend three to five minutes at a safety stop at 3-5 meters (10-15 fsw) below the surface. It is relaxing (weather and conditions permitting) and allows time to reduce the carbon dioxide built up from finning to the surface. 

*8) Wear adequate thermal protection.* 

*9) Go for regular dive medical examinations:* at least every two years for those younger than 40, and annually for those older than 40. 

Headaches can spoil a dive trip or vacation and detract from the wonderful underwater experience. Fortunately, once the cause has been determined, many headaches are simple to cure. Those who experience frequent, severely incapacitating, or chronic headaches may require an intensive evaluation by a physician to determine the underlying problem. 

Remember, it is always better to go for a check-up unless the headache is trivial or can be explained. Call DAN if you need additional advice or assistance in determining if your headache is a cause for concern. 

Safe Diving! 

_This article appeared in Alert Diver, November / December 2003._


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## Florabama (Oct 19, 2007)

Carbon Dioxide build up from skip breathing or not breathing normally.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

How long did the headach last? If it only lasted for a short time after the dive it could have been sinus congestion. Sinus blockage on ascent can cause severe pain but it usually doesn't last that long.


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## Evensplit (Oct 2, 2007)

Probably the most common cause of headaches while or after diving is CO2 buildup from "skip breathing" (holding your breath in between inhale and exhale) as Florabama pointed out- most of us do ittopside and it's easy to do underwater without realizing it. If you regularly have headaches during or immediately after diving, this is a likely cause.

Physical Stress from using muscles that haven't been used in a while, coupled with some mental stress from having to relearn can cause bad headaches andbiting down too hard on a mouthpiece for a long period of time can cause tension headaches as well - we see some of this with new students.

As previously pointed out, sinus issues cancause all sortsof problems, but they're usually pretty obvious.

"Bad Air" israre, and if it wasbad enough to cause that type of headache, you'd know it was bad before you hit 20 feet. 

My official disclaimer: I am not an MD, and if the headache lasts for a while or reoccurs I recommend that you go see a doctor that is familiar with dive ops to make sure there is not something more serious going on.


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

The headache went away within an hour but for a good 20 minutes after getting on the boat I was done. I didn't want to move. I didn't help with the anchor. I didn't stow my gear. Nothing. The pain was behind my eyes / forehead. Not in the back of my head at all.

I may have been inadvertantly skip breathing. I was trying to be cautious with my air. Taking slow deep breaths and slowing exhaling. Seems like a lot of people get headaches after diving, but this one was bad. I need to take the nitrox course and try it.I have read a lot of reports of not having the diver's headache on nitrox.


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## UnderWater Angler (Jul 18, 2008)

I get a headache after diving probably 4 out of 5 times, but i know it's because of skip breathing..i catch myself doing it. But what you are describing reminds me of headaches I would get while playing baseball. If the sun was behind the batter or our dugout had the sun shinning in it the whole game I would get extremely sever pain behind my eyes that would not go away till the next morning. This would not happen if i wore sunglasses...did you forget your sunglasses?


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## BADBOY69 (Oct 3, 2007)

X4 on the skip breathing!


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## JSeaWach (Oct 29, 2007)

> I was trying to be cautious with my air.


Another vote for CO2 induced headache. If you're being cautious of your air, you are not breathing normally resulting in CO2 buildup, same result as working hard underwater. Relax, breathe normally and forget "air caution"....better SCR will come with more consistent time underwater.


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

Just wanted to update this thread in case anyone reads it using the search function. I have dove twice since this happened and haven't had any headache since. Once was a short 10 minute dive to 90ft and the other was a 35 minute dive to 50. On both dives I made an effort to breathe like hell. I didn't care how fast I went throughmy air(I about emptied an AL 80 on the 35 minute 50ft dive). So I can say it probably was a CO2 headache I had before. Thanks for the help.


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## Caver2130 (Jul 8, 2008)

You don't really have to breathe "like hell,"but breathing fully and consistantly (fill lungs, empty lungs, repeat) will give good gas exchange and will reduce CO2 build up. Higher performance regulators and regularly serviced regulators have been shown to help in reducing breathing effort. If you get a full, slow, consistant breathing pattern down, you will actually find that you will stretch your gas supply even more than skip-breathing, as CO2 is also your body's trigger to take a breath.


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## deepcelineman (Sep 16, 2009)

use to get head aches after over exsuerion if you have acssese to 100 % o2 on surface for a few minutes you will feel much better quickier works good after hangover also hooya deepce death before free asent


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Hey Dreamweaver, I catch myself skip breathing, not to conserve air, but to avoid bubbles and have clear vision when I am lining up shots on fish, or stalking. What everyone on here said about CO2 buildup is dead on.



If you are empting that AL80 faster than you like, get some lowpressure steel tanks. When you have way more air than you can use without going into serious deco, it is a good feeling. Plus knowing if you ever get jammed up down there, or a buddy does, you are3 not going to have to worry about not having enough air to reach the surface.



And the heavier tank just means you can drop at least 6 pounds of lead from your weight.



I never worry about air with my lp 120 and two lp 108's. NDL limits are all I have to worry about. ANd if I go into deco, that won't kill me if I follow my computer. Running out of air can though. Just a thought.


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