These headaches are killing me !!

[jjacobsen22]

Hi Guys - I was hoping you could help me with a rather annoying problem that is damaging my enjoyment of the sport. I get headaches
while diving, and they continue sometimes several hours after the dive has ended.

I have 50 logged dives, and think I am making good progress diving wise, but these headaches are really troubling me. I suspect that they might be related to my breathing, which I havent quite gotten the hang of yet.
I try long slow breaths, but sometimes get the feeling that i need more air, especially at depth, so I start breathing faster. The result of this is that my breathing becomes quite a mess, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, and unfortunately often with me
feeling that I do not get the air I need to fully relax. My air consumption is good, significantly better than most of the people I dive with, but how can I end the headaches ??

 

[PvtStash]

the reason your air consumption is Significantly better than those you dive with and the fact the you sense your not getting enough air (esp. at depth) is because you ARENT getting enough. I've only had one of the kind of headaches your describing and it was when I dove with a less than full tank and was making a conscious attempt at maximizing my breathing efficiency (skip breathing I suppose). Upon finishing the dive and exiting the water (around 450psi) I got this bad headache that lasted about an hour.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I am no doctor so I would not give any medical advice.

Try paying attention to evything else except your breathing.

It sound to me like to are trying to breathe differnet than you would on the surface which could cause CO2 buildup which could cause a headache.

The other thing that I have experienced is really cold (38-45 degrees F) water sometimes I will come up from a dive with a slight headache usually goes away with a cup of something hot.

More qualified people will add more responses.

If you want a medical opinion ask DAN or go to the Dr. Deco area of the board.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

My husband gets the same headaches so I'm really interested in reading the responses of our wise fellow scubaboard.com members. It's really bringing him down! Often he skips the second dive of a 2 tank dive because of the headaches. He too tends to breath shallow and is trying to focus on deep breathing too. He does take Dramine (sp, sorry) before he dives because he does sometimes get a little seasick.

Thanks for posting the question! I should have thought to do that too!

 

[1MyWay]

I had the same problem, until I was told to check my mask. I loosened it and the headaches went away. The headaches were brutal and lasted for hours after the dive, so I was glad to get rid of them.

 

[Nemrod]

If it is breathing related it is because you are "panting" and not taking deep, slow, relaxed breaths. Panting does not allow for efficient exhange and utilization of the oxygen in your lungs.

It might as well be stress related, shoulders tensed up, neck muscles like steel cables, feet pointed down flippering up a tidal wave and combined with shallow panting would give you a headache. Try to get yourself sorted out and your bouyancy under control so that you can relax and concentrate on not counting every breath you take. N

 

[Bismark]

)It is not uncommon for divers (particularly newer divers) to attempt to adjust their breathing patterns in order to conserve their gas or air supply and thus extend their dive. In doing so you are allowing C02 to build up over time. While this may not cause you a problem if you are walking in the park, increased partial pressures of C02 caused by increases in ATA can make a non-event into something noticeable. This can be further amplified by more strenuous activity at depth such as kicking into a current and their is also a relationship between narcosis and C02 build up, each of which builds upon the other, further amplifying a rather vicious circle. For the most part, technical divers are very aware of the problems caused by C02 build up as we typically operate at deeper depths (hence higher ATA's) further exacerbating this problem. However, I have also noticed this in myself in recreational depths when fatigued or fighting current. Physical fitness and your bodies ability to process gas is also a factor, but this is not the only thing. My wife is a triathlete and in excellent cardiovascular condition however she must make a conscious effort to breath fully and deeply when diving or she will also suffer C02 build up and suffer headaches also.

Rather than try to extend your gas supply by breathing more shallowly, concentrate on breathing fully and be content with the fact that SAC rates are not a competition and you will use exactly as much gas as you need to do the dive.........

 

[stairman]

It could be too tight a mask or hood.The neck strain of heavy gear out of water,dehydration etc.Abnormal breathing patterns cause co2 to rise causing hypercapnia.[blood vessel dialate]Sleep apnea sufferers have the same problem.Skip breathing reduces the rate at which co2 can be scrubbed from the blood.Its important to breathe in slowly and fully,pause for 3 seconds roughly[dont close the throat]and exhale fully.Caffene helps control dialation in the brain.Goody powders,Excedrin have caffene for this purpose.If you take in a new breath before completely exhaling,you will retain co2.

 

[diverrick]

A couple of other ideas. Try Nitrox. It'll have a higher O2 content. If not that, try using a different reg. My wife was having headaches, and nausea/Vomiting. It would come on during the dive about a half hour into it. and would last for a few hours after we finished diving. Until we found what caused it. Her reg was leaking a imperceptable amount of saltwater, which she was inhaling. We changed out her reg and the problem vanished. Do you taste salt in your mouth when your diving? Thats a sign right there. you should not be tasting salt. Just my 2Cents worth.

 

[stairman]

My experience has showed me that nitrox will not help.Have you ever held your breath for a long time?You need to breathe badly,but instead you can get temporary relief by exhaling.Getting rid of the co2 is allowing you to go longer without needing another breath.Im talking out of the water here not while diving of course.