Photo by Oliver Evangelista from videoFish Geek's Technique Speak
Headaches, diving, and what you can do about them.
"I love diving, but I always end up with a killer headache afterwards! Why? Is there something I can do about them? Should I be concerned? Do I have the bends?!?!"
We get this question here at Fish Geek Central all the time, and mostly: No, you most likely aren't bent with the shallow reef dives and long, chatty, whale-watching surface intervals on our boat. But there are some things we can talk about to maybe ease your headaches!
Reason: Dehydration
Solution: Drink more water!
Actually, the most common reason for headaches, and the most common reason we see on the boat, is not drinking enough water. I know: You get off an airplane (with dry air) and you drink a big ol' Mai Tai (dehydrating), then a Coke from the mini-bar (dehydrating), then maybe wine with dinner (dehydrating), wake up the next morning for your much-anticipated dive trip and slam a quick coffee... It's not the Bends- It's lack of water! We drink a ton of water in Hawaii because of sun and saltwater and and an active lifestyle. You should too! Now you are left with the question: How can I drink enough water and still refrain from peeing in my wetsuit! Argh!
Reason: Hypercapnea
Solution: Breathe normally. Perfect Buoyancy. Wash out CO2 with deep safety stop breaths.
Oh dear! "Hypercapnea" sounds serious! But it just means "excess carbon dioxide". There are many reasons carbon dioxide builds up in our bodies: Increased breathing rate due to stress or exertion, dead-air spaces inside our scuba gear, or some people's physiology just creates and holds carbon dioxide more. The increased pressure: both water pressure and physical and mental stress of diving can make us breathe harder and cause a build-up of CO2. Also, an inappropriate technique called "skip-breathing" causes CO2 buildup. Skip-Breathing is adding breath-holds to your breathing in a faulty attempt to slow your breathing down (inhale-hold-exhale-hold). But this technique actually causes the circulatory CO2 to increase, leading to faster, stressed breathing, and earlier tank air depletion. A better idea is to focus on breathing normally, perfecting buoyancy skills so your gear does the work for you, and letting the joys of diving naturally relax and slow your breathing. Obsessively tracking your breathing rate will increase stress. Stop obsessing. (Now you're obsessing, aren't you.)
Finally, on your 3 minute safety stop at 15', take some nice, deep breaths. Often we breathe shallowly, which increases dead-air space. Take some deep breaths that fill your whole lungs through your abdomen. Hold onto a line if the deep, slow breaths make you positively buoyant. Spending a bit of your 3 minute stop breathing whole breaths may help.
Reason : Jaw fatigue.
Solution: Relax teeth. Try new mouthpiece.
An often overlooked reason for diver headaches may be jaw stress. We are supposed to lightly hold the regulator mouthpiece with our teeth, while primarily holding the regulator in with our lips. But our bitten-through rental regulator mouthpieces tell a different story! Locking our teeth on the regulator will tense all those jaw muscles and cause headaches later. Try relaxing your teeth, wiggling your jaw (Hey! That helps with ear equalization!), or even touching your jaw bone with a few fingers to remind yourself to relax. Another solution is trying a few different mouthpieces until you find one that allows your teeth some comfort. There are ones with longer teeth plates, shorter plates, cushioned, mold-able, and this diver's favorite: A mouthpiece that holds in against the roof of the mouth, taking the back teeth completely out of the equation. (Middle black mouthpiece on reg in photo).
Reason: DehydrationSolution: Drink more water!
Actually, the most common reason for headaches, and the most common reason we see on the boat, is not drinking enough water. I know: You get off an airplane (with dry air) and you drink a big ol' Mai Tai (dehydrating), then a Coke from the mini-bar (dehydrating), then maybe wine with dinner (dehydrating), wake up the next morning for your much-anticipated dive trip and slam a quick coffee... It's not the Bends- It's lack of water! We drink a ton of water in Hawaii because of sun and saltwater and and an active lifestyle. You should too! Now you are left with the question: How can I drink enough water and still refrain from peeing in my wetsuit! Argh!
Reason: Hypercapnea
Solution: Breathe normally. Perfect Buoyancy. Wash out CO2 with deep safety stop breaths.
Oh dear! "Hypercapnea" sounds serious! But it just means "excess carbon dioxide". There are many reasons carbon dioxide builds up in our bodies: Increased breathing rate due to stress or exertion, dead-air spaces inside our scuba gear, or some people's physiology just creates and holds carbon dioxide more. The increased pressure: both water pressure and physical and mental stress of diving can make us breathe harder and cause a build-up of CO2. Also, an inappropriate technique called "skip-breathing" causes CO2 buildup. Skip-Breathing is adding breath-holds to your breathing in a faulty attempt to slow your breathing down (inhale-hold-exhale-hold). But this technique actually causes the circulatory CO2 to increase, leading to faster, stressed breathing, and earlier tank air depletion. A better idea is to focus on breathing normally, perfecting buoyancy skills so your gear does the work for you, and letting the joys of diving naturally relax and slow your breathing. Obsessively tracking your breathing rate will increase stress. Stop obsessing. (Now you're obsessing, aren't you.)
Finally, on your 3 minute safety stop at 15', take some nice, deep breaths. Often we breathe shallowly, which increases dead-air space. Take some deep breaths that fill your whole lungs through your abdomen. Hold onto a line if the deep, slow breaths make you positively buoyant. Spending a bit of your 3 minute stop breathing whole breaths may help.
Reason : Jaw fatigue.
Solution: Relax teeth. Try new mouthpiece.
An often overlooked reason for diver headaches may be jaw stress. We are supposed to lightly hold the regulator mouthpiece with our teeth, while primarily holding the regulator in with our lips. But our bitten-through rental regulator mouthpieces tell a different story! Locking our teeth on the regulator will tense all those jaw muscles and cause headaches later. Try relaxing your teeth, wiggling your jaw (Hey! That helps with ear equalization!), or even touching your jaw bone with a few fingers to remind yourself to relax. Another solution is trying a few different mouthpieces until you find one that allows your teeth some comfort. There are ones with longer teeth plates, shorter plates, cushioned, mold-able, and this diver's favorite: A mouthpiece that holds in against the roof of the mouth, taking the back teeth completely out of the equation. (Middle black mouthpiece on reg in photo).
Reason: Contaminated Air.
Solution: Have your tanks filled by a reputable shop that changes it's filters regularly. A good clue is- Does everyone on-board have the same headache? Is there an oily taste to the air? Our own Captain Stephen tracks and changes our filters, and we all know how detailed and clean he likes things! Also: If you are on a boat, stay away from diesel engine fumes. Move forward to be in the cleansing sea air (and also get a better view of Spinner dolphins!)
Reason: Sinuses.
Solution: Do not dive with a cold! You probably can't equalize your ears and sinuses anyway with a head cold. Snorkeling is a great solution!
Reason: Badly fitting mask or hood.
Solution: Loosen your mask strap! Remember, the water pressure holds your mask in place, and a tight strap will hurt your forehead and actually make your mask leak more, as the skirt of the mask peels back under the stress of the tightened strap. Make sure your mask is positioned correctly on the crown of your head, and not folding or crushing your ears. Finally, make sure your snorkel keeper or clip isn't digging into your temple or pulling your hair.
Reason: Your buddy is driving you crazy!
Solution: Well. All we can say is, spend the surface interval talking with them, reminding them what it means to be a good dive buddy. Good luck!
While "headache" can be one of the symptoms of many more serious conditions, including decompression illness, with a lack of additional symptoms one of your headache reasons is probably listed above. However, please don't ignore more serious symptoms. Communicate any symptoms or concerns with your Captain, crew, divemaster, and buddies. We have an extensive first aid kit aboard with an Oxygen kit, a cooler full of water, and a willing ear.
It is one of my best post i read in my perious ten post. nice of it.
ReplyDeletesimilan liveaboard | similan islands liveaboard
Thanks, Mr Samir!
ReplyDeletethanks this is good blog. certified organic skincare
ReplyDeleteNice information! This is a really good blog wish more people would read this, you give some really good information on Scuba Diving In Phuket For Beginners. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete