Slowly I could feel myself waking up. Yet another headache. And just like every other morning when a headache wakes me, I peek at my watch. I hope it reads 6 something. 5 something at the worst. This morning I wasn’t so fortunate. 3:40 AM. Intensity a 4 out of 5, which means falling back asleep was not going to happen. My neck which was feeling fine since I had a two hour massage on Sunday was now feeling worse than ever.
Another wasted day in front of me. The headache will vanish in a few hours, but I’ll be exhausted the rest of the day. And although I’ll attempt to take nap, there is a 90% chance I won’t be able to fall asleep. My body will crave coffee to fight the brain fog, but it is the coffee that is most likely suspect that caused the headache.
Taking a Break
I’m going to take a week or three off from blogging. Trying to tame my coffee and sugar addictions with brain fog and headaches makes it hard to put together posts. I’m certain I’ve forgotten a few topics that I said I would blog about. If you have any suggestions or reminders, please leave a comment.
Blog break time. Not really going fishing though.
Post title is from the Marilyn Manson song Use Your Fist And Not Your Mouth.
crunchysue
Mar 27, 2013 — 12:06 pm
Wondering if you’ve tried Matt Stone’s suggestion of keeping a mix of 5 parts sugar to one part salt by the bed, and eating a little when you wake up too early. I’ve been meaning to try this but haven’t yet.
Also wanted to mention that I, too, cannot nap (unless I’m deathly ill), so I got an app for my phone that features a guy (Glennis something) hypnotizing me to sleep. Tried it once and it worked!
Peter S
Mar 27, 2013 — 12:26 pm
I have never been prone to headaches. But since sometime in my 40’s (47 now) I no longer wake feeling refreshed. I am sure it isn’t sleep apnea, or caffeine, and I have been keeping a sleep journal recently to see if I can figure anything out. I usually wake very fuzzy headed with a mild headache that usually clears with half an hour. Sleeping in on weekends is no help.
But on bad days like today, I get an all day headache. It isn’t severe but it is annoying. I even had a bit of a nap on the couch and it is still there.
Since I have a hard time forming habits without incentives. I only journal the really bad days.
I only marked one other since January. Both were simply staying up past normal hours. Last night I was only up about 1:15 minutes past regular.
It is like a giant Circadian boot to the head. I still don’t think I have a headache problem. It is more of a sleep problem, that I can’t get a handle on.
MAS
Mar 27, 2013 — 12:37 pm
@crunchysue – I had not read that tip. I’ll absolutely try it. In fact, I’m thinking I should take that mix before bed as a preemptive strike.
@Peter S – For me my habits are constant. 95% of the time I go to bed before 11 PM. Oddly, I don’t get jet lag either.
Roberta
Mar 27, 2013 — 1:24 pm
Sorry, I can’t help with the headaches or lack of sleep (unless maybe meditation – yes meditation not medication which I would not recommend!), but I wanted to mention that I love the outfit and in particular how it is coordinated with the dock!
Geoff
Mar 27, 2013 — 2:42 pm
Hang in there MAS and you’ll beat this. Get rest, get well, and we’ll see you back here real soon. Your readers will all be pulling for you to knock these headaches down once and for all.
Aaron
Mar 27, 2013 — 2:47 pm
Good luck bro.
Stuart
Mar 27, 2013 — 3:25 pm
Marilyn Mason rocks. I’m glad to see someone rep his stuff.
Txomin
Mar 27, 2013 — 5:28 pm
Wish you well, my friend.
Pauline
Mar 28, 2013 — 7:24 am
A break is as good as holiday. Hope you rest well and find some solutions to that nagging headache. Good luck!
Glenn Whitney
Mar 28, 2013 — 10:07 am
But maybe fishing is the best thing to do right now?
BTW – When I can’t sleep, I listen to podcasts in the dark. It’s not nearly as good as sleep but if leaves me feeling semi rested…
MAS
Mar 28, 2013 — 10:51 am
Thanks all.
I’ve decided to tackle my issues sequentially. Coffee then caffeine then sugar then return to the “Turn Up the Heat” Experiment. Doing them all at once was too hard for me.
Interestingly, one of the side effects of trying to increase body temperature according to Matt Stone’s book is headaches and brain fog.
charles grashow
Mar 28, 2013 — 11:48 am
Have you seen a doctor to see if there is anything physically wrong?
MAS
Mar 28, 2013 — 11:50 am
@Charles – Nope and nor do I plan to until I’ve exhausted every path and given up. I loathe doctors.
charles grashow
Mar 28, 2013 — 1:12 pm
You may loathe doctors but if your headaches are a sign of some type of growth/tumor you will deeply regret not going.
JR
Mar 28, 2013 — 2:43 pm
Have you looked at Paul Jaminet’s (perfecthealthdiet) collection of posts about Ketogenic approach to migraines? People seem to have great success with that. I don’t know that you think of it as a migraine symptom but possibly this approach is still applicable
MAS
Mar 28, 2013 — 3:45 pm
@JR – My headaches are no migraine. I have done low-carb cyclical ketogenic dieting in the past. It made no difference. I have not tried staying in ketosis as a strategy. I’ll throw that on the idea list.
Becky
Mar 28, 2013 — 7:05 pm
I am not going to give you more suggestions, just a wish that you have a good break, good rest, and feel better. A break may be just what you need. I certainly hope so.
Joseph Thorpe
Mar 28, 2013 — 11:10 pm
I’m not absolutely positive there is a connection, but I have read that getting sufficient magnesium helps headaches. Around 80% of Americans are very deficient. Calcium deficiencies, on the other hand, are relatively rare. Excess calcium drives magnesium levels even lower.
If you decide to start taking magnesium (if you aren’t already) be sure to get a high absorption form, such as magnesium glycinate/lysinate or malate. The oxide form is basically a laxative and therefore worthless. If you are deficient you will be amazed how much better you will feel in general even if it doesn’t help with your headaches.
Another supplement worth a look is called “ConCentrace, by Trace Minerals Research. It is a liquid form of trace minerals which also has a decent amount of magnesium in a highly absorbable form.
Joseph Thorpe
Mar 28, 2013 — 11:12 pm
It is also critical to get sufficient vitamin D3 while you are taking magnesium supplements.
Joseph Thorpe
Mar 28, 2013 — 11:35 pm
Update: after searching around your blog I can now see you have already given my suggestions a try! The one thing I would like to say about vitamin and mineral supplements is that quality means everything! Most nutrients come in cheap forms as well as expensive ones and obviously the expensive ones are nearly always vastly superior. I fully agree that humans do not need megadoses of any nutrient, and especially don’t need megadoses of poorly absorbed and useless forms.
I honestly believe that much of the bad rap vitamin and mineral supplements get are from studies that use large doses of inferior forms.
I also read your comments on Vitamin D3 and I would like to suggest a simple way to determine if you are getting enough in your diet and from sunlight: get your D3 levels tested. If you score at least around 40-50 your methods are working. If not you might want to take a D3 supplement. No doubt the healthiest way to boost d3 is through adequate sun exposure, as long as you avoid excess UV rays. Some experts say around 20min of full body exposure daily is ideal.
Jillian Harrington
Mar 29, 2013 — 1:30 am
🙁 Feel better!!
Pauline
Mar 29, 2013 — 4:09 am
My local healthstore owner recommended Vit D3 as an oral spray, since her recommendation I have used it starting November last year every day. Everyone around me has had very bad flu including my partner who needed anti-biotics and had the worst bout of it I have ever seen this year. I have not been ill or had colds at all since taking Vit D3 sublingually. Here it is on amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BetterYou-DLux-3000-3000iu-Vitamin/dp/B005O8RCO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364554940&sr=8-1
I don’t think its just luck, because family and friends have been ill but not me. I decided to do this as winter approached after getting very sick with cold/chest infections mid last year and took weeks to recovers. I can only say good things about it and it works for me. I also take Green Pastures Butter Oil/Fermented Cod Liver Oil blend. It recommends 2 capsules a day but I only take one at night. Together with Magnesium 2 x 250 mg a day and Vitamin B12 (sublingual pill) and Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) that’s my regime and it has worked through one of the harshest winters in the UK. I also take Orange Juice since December (Dr Peat) for its potassium, Calcium and magnessium – a glass a day, Sometimes more.
Pauline
Mar 29, 2013 — 4:20 am
Just to add to this note I have tried Vitamin D3 oil capsules before and they never worked for me, I felt they made my skin a bit different almost rough especially on my arms. The oranges obviously also gave me natural Vitamin C. I have taken the Green Pastures butter/fermented cod liver oil for over a year or two and that never kept colds away but the added oral spray Vitamin D3 is the thing that has fixed my immune system. I have been very busy in London over the last 3 weeks, normally I would pick up colds from being around so many different people but nothing – still cold free and its the Vit D3 for sure. Plus having overseas visitors with me recently, still no transfer of colds. I find this amazing as I normally pick up colds very easily especially if I am busy or stressed.
MAS
Mar 29, 2013 — 7:32 am
I do take vitamin D3 and magnesium.
https://criticalmas.org/2012/07/thinking-about-supplements-2012-edition/
I strongly believe my headaches are not a result of some missing supplement. I tried so many ideas. None showed any benefit.
Only removing caffeine has shown to be any help.
Pauline
Mar 29, 2013 — 9:08 am
I wish you good luck on licking the caffeine habit, I struggled terribly trying to come off. In the end I couldn’t do it long term. My latest idea is just to keep caffeine intake until 1-2pm each day and then I seem to sleep better for it. So 2 cups is best for me – one on waking and another around lunchtime. My plan is to try and get down to one cup a day but then I am not promising myself when I will do it. Caffeine is such a social habit for me as well. I have also converted to white chocolate which has none of the caffeine and that keeps me sweet. I added the Vit D3 info as such for your commenters, as I learn so much from them too, as I found the oral spray worked better for me than the capsules.
thomas
Apr 6, 2013 — 7:33 pm
Have you considered taking recreational drugs. Studies have shown that they are sometimes better than pharmaceuticals.
Stan Michaels
Apr 7, 2013 — 6:27 am
I loathe MD’s, hospitals, modern medicine, and the like. However, I do work in the medical field as a Radiation Therapist because it pays the bills and more. This affords me the misfortune of seeing some very unfortunate circumstances. A very common theme is headaches that were ignored for years. Getting a scan won’t kill you. You spend a good portion of your waking hours fretting over your headaches. You’ve methodically tried supplements, eliminations, and other techniques. For someone in such discomfort and with your level of persistence and intelligence, you really should consider a scan of some sort. There’s a fine line between loathing modern medicine and denial.
MAS
Apr 7, 2013 — 9:26 am
@All – I’m closing comments on this post. Thank you all. Here is a quick summary of where I am at now.
1- I have repeatedly said that once I’ve given up on ideas to fix the headaches, I would seek medical assistance.
2- In October I showed that caffeine was a major factor in the headaches. At that time, I said once spring arrived I would do a more aggressive caffeine reduction. Recent increase in caffeine and headaches frequency only further confirm caffeine is the likely cause. Spring has arrived, so I am proceeding with a ramp down in caffeine. 3 days ago I sold my espresso machine. I’m serious about tackling my caffeine problem.
3- In the “Turn Up the Heat” experiment, I mentioned how Matt Stone’s book discussed the relationship between a lower body temperature and headaches. One of the first steps in this protocol is cutting out (or greatly reducing) tea and coffee. Note that sweetened coffee is OK, but to me that is gross. I’d rather give it up.