Head Ache's after Diving

[Titanic]

How many dives have you done?

As a v. inexperienced diver I used to get headaches in my even earlier days which I put down to a result of tension / anxiety.

However, I now reckon it was shallow breathing (as a symptom of the tension) causing it.

I am now much more relaxed when I dive and feel I am over the anxiety, I give some thought to my breathing (slow and deep being the aim), touch wood no headaches on any recent dives.

As people have already said, don't just ignore them, something is causing them.

[MDS]

Originally Posted by Titanic

........However, I now reckon it was shallow breathing (as a symptom of the tension) causing it.......

Deep inhalations remove the C02 build up in the dead space of the upper airways. Not breathing deeply causes re-inhalation of CO2 retained in upper airway from previous breath

By all means breath out slowly and in spurts to make your air last longer but breathing in deeply ensures the lungs get NEW air with each breath

Still a good move to do the NITROX course though

[ardhill]

Originally Posted by MDS

Still a good move to do the NITROX course though

Yep, I spot more O2 in the mix can't hurt and may well help.
.

[MAKING BUBBLES]

being a new diver i have been suffering some headaches.....certainly be trying some of the remedies mentioned....think for starters im slightly holding breath on breaths which my cause my headaches. but i do try keep the slow deep breath rythem going.....will have a look at my hood for position and try a notch or two of my mask see if that helps.

[Nick_lincoln]

Try doing deep stops - even on no deco dives. My buddy used to get headaches after every dive. We were both thinking of buying the vytec DS so when up in scapa last september practiced simulated deep stops. He noticed his headaches did not occur after doing deep stops. This has since been proven to be a consistent result.

The sort of profile that worked for him was:

1min at 16m
2 mins at 12m
3 mins at 9m
6 mins at 6m


Within the recreational depth range the vytec in DS (deepstop) mode gives you your first stop roughly halfway between your max depth and the surface, you can set the stop length to 1 or 2 mins, we use 2 mins. This has continued to work for my buddy in ridding him of headaches, even though the vytec deepstops are considerably less than our simulated ones in scapa. Though the vytec deepstops are usually combined with deco stops of 3 mins at 9m at 6 - 12 mins at 6m.

Hope this helps

Nick

[DIVE BUDDHA]

i used to get headaches when i first started and put it down to co2 retention dureing a dive .
slow deep breaths usualy work for me !

[ardhill]

Interestingly, I noticed on Sunday during a dive that I started to get a headache, so I conciously took some deep breaths in and fully out to ensure I wasn't retaining any CO2. It messed my buoyancy up a bit as there was a bigger change in lung volume than normal, but it worked for me. It just took a minute of that and my head cleared up again. I dunno if it was CO2 or anything else, but better utilisation of my lungs helped and I surfaced at the end of the dive without pain.

[SilvaFish]

CO2 retention (deep slow breaths on the highest Nitrox mix you can safely get your hands on to dive solved that one), or look at if and how your neck may be bent in your trim. Have found if head bent back (ie looking up) continuously, a stinking headache usually ensues.

[Steven]

Originally Posted by MDS

Deep inhalations remove the C02 build up in the dead space of the upper airways. Not breathing deeply causes re-inhalation of CO2 retained in upper airway from previous breath

By all means breath out slowly and in spurts to make your air last longer but breathing in deeply ensures the lungs get NEW air with each breath

Still a good move to do the NITROX course though

Intresting thread I was only talking about this on Sunday returning home after diving (at the Farnes).
I often used to get head aches after diving - top of my head - really painful, but since using nitrox haven't had a problem.
Recently did 2 dives on air - headache back.
very strange
used nitrox on Sunday ok again.

[buchhawk]

This may be rubbish but.
I recently bought a new mouth piece, they had a fancy one that you put in hot water and it moulds to your mouth.
Anyway the woman in the LDS said that it helped with head aches, as you don't bit on the mouth piece as hard, worth a thought
Ken