Headache after diving?? WTF

[fnfalman]

If you got bad air fill then it wouldn't just be you that's getting sick. Bad air fill is a possibility, but unless this shop is a rinky dink operation, bad air is a very remote possibility.

 

[Jorgy]

Early in my diving career I kept my mask strap way to tight......

I recall this gave me headaches......

Now I keep it very loose, no mask ring on the face after the dive and no headaches....

M

 

[ronbeau]

Thanks for all the answers so far.


#2- The tanks always get filled from the same place. I will look into buying a C02 gauge.

What you want is a CO monitor as in carbon monoxide as opposed to CO₂ which is carbon dioxide. A higher than normal carbon monoxide concentration in the scuba cylinder usually points to a poorly maintained compressor being used to fill your scuba cylinders.

 

[Superlyte27]

My guess is, Dehydration, Over Exertion, and Poor breathing habits.

If you are pee'ing yellow, drink alot more before you dive.
Go slow, it's not a race. It should be relaxing
Breath deep, exhale deep, breathe purposefully.

If none of that works. Give me all your gear and take up stamp collecting.

 

[SCUBASailor]

For what it's worth: I'm still a newbie myself, and for my first several dives, I would get the slight headaches, too. A after several dives, I got very comfortable in the water my breathing calmed dawn. I wasn't breathing so choppy anymore. My SAC rate went down, and the headaches went away.

 

[TSandM]

There are a lot of possible causes of headache in diving, but probably the most common ones for new divers are CO2 retention and volume depletion (aka dehydration).

If it were CO2 retention then the headache would have been very sharp but not lingering.

That is not necessarily true. A CO2 headache can be dull, aching, and persistent. Ginnie Springs taught me that!

In addition to the two common causes, sinus problems can also cause headache. If you are accustomed to a lot of caffeine intake, and your dive days are short on your beverage of choice, you can get headaches from that. Neck position, tight straps, jaw fatigue from the mouthpiece, tight hoods and other gear and posture-related issues can cause headaches as well.

But by far and away the most common cause is probably inefficient breathing. Try to manage a slow, rhythmic inhalation and exhalation of about the same length (you can count one-two-three, one-two-three) and see if it helps.

 

[Nemrod]

Hi all,
Noobie question but might be a good one.

This has been going on for the last 5 dives but last saturday I was down 45 feet for 38 minutes and when I came back up the rest of the day I had a slight headache. Not a painful one just a lingering one. I dont get it....WTF. I dont shoot to the surface or do anything stupid either. I actually do a 3min/15ft safety stop on most if not all my dives....(overly safe I guess).

I have talked to a couple of dive shops and they have given me some pointers but I would like to address this here with everyone else and see what you guys have to say??

Thanks!!!!

CO2 retention, or possibly over ventilation.

Tension (it is common to be tense and the heavy equipment pulling on the shoulders does not help).

Mask too tight?

A little bit of sinus perhaps?

N

 

[a22shady]

Yo9u wont need a co2 guage. Haviing co2 retention during the dive is judt that you not breathing all the co2 out of you system. You could be breathing to quickly or not pushing all the air out. Also another big factor is being hydrated. If you are not hydrated enough its more difficult for your body to get rid of excess co2. If you ever start to get a dry mouth is a definete sign of not drinking enough water.

If you are staying well hydrated and breathing is a good pattern slow breaths and still get the head aches I would look into possibly doing a Nitrox class as added a little more does Help. I too would get headaces as well as my G/F. We noticed when we dove with Nitrox we didnt seem to get them. One other thing I noticed is my mouth would go dry so hence I drank more water a few hours before dive, all the up untill I got in the water and have not had headaches last 3-5 dives

 

[DevonDiver]

My first guess would be either CO2 retention or dehydration.

Solutions:

CO2 Retention
Breath slowly and deeply...flush out your lungs with each breath when diving.
Don't smoke for 1-2 hours before diving (ideally don't smoke at all).
Don't sit near exhaust fumes on the dive boat.

Dehydration
Drink several extra litres of water or fruit juice per day, prior to diving. Gatorade diluted 50/50 with water is a very good hydration fluid.

Avoid caffeine products (tea, coffee, coke and 'energy drinks' like redbull or mountain dew). Avoid alchohol on the evening before diving.

Other possibilities:

a) Insufficient head insulation if diving in cold water.
b) Mask strap or hood too tight.
c) Insufficient equalisation of mas
d) Sinus problem (equalisation, infection, reaction to salt water)
e) Pre-existing stress tension, exacerbated by apprehension when diving.
f) Lack of sleep.
g) Over-forceful bite on mouthpiece (see 'e') and/or badly fitting mouthpiece.
h) Too much exposure time in direct, strong sunlight on diving trips (sunburn symptoms?)
i) Insufficient eye protection from sunlight, especially reflected glare from water surface (wearing sunglasses?)
j) Polluted air-fill (highly unlikely). If all other options are ruled out, you may want to check for carbon monoxide.
k) High blood pressure? Consult a doctor.
l) Sub-Clinical DCS (post-dive tiredness) Ascend very slowly from dives (5-9m per minute), in addition to 3m safety stop. Avoid 'saw-tooth' dive profiles.

Hope that helps...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

#2- The tanks always get filled from the same place. I will look into buying a C02 gauge.

Just to clarify ... CO2 doesn't come from your tanks, it comes from your body. When you breathe in, your body uses the oxygen in the air you breathe to provide your body with "fuel". CO2 is the waste product that's produced by that process ... in effect, it's like the exhaust your car produces when it burns gasoline to make your car go. Only in this case, the exhaust doesn't come out your tailpipe ... it gets carried back to your lungs through your blood and comes out when you exhale. If you are getting a CO2 headache, the most common cause is that you aren't breathing properly. Make sure to breathe deeply and slowly ... to give your lungs a chance to expel the CO2 you're creating in a more efficient manner.

Headaches are common among newer divers. The biggest reason is that you're just learning and therefore exerting yourself in ways you're not used to. Over time ... as you improve your skills ... you will work less hard, and the problem will resolve itself.

Like others have noted, the other common reason for these headaches is a lack of proper hydration. Always make sure to drink a bottle of water before the dive. A lot of people don't, because they don't want to pee during the dive. But not hydrating sufficiently makes your blood's ability to flush the CO2 out of your body less effective, which leads to those headaches.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)