Dairy Connection to Headaches?

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jan 29, 2004

Milk is a possible allergy trigger. Instead of Soy (which can also trigger esp. in those wh are peanut sensitive ) try some Lactaid 100% reduced fat free.

Believe it our not I haven't had a h/a or IBS since I discovered it. It takes about a week to get used to the "thinner" consistancy.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 29, 2004

I'm lactose intolerant myself, and I know that since I haven't been drinking milk I rarely have IBS, gas problems.........or headaches anymore. I can't help thinking there might be a connection.

BTW, how's your blood pressure? Sorry, but at your age (a year younger than me?) you're at risk for HTN. Check it out, if you haven't already......sometimes HA is the only clue that one is developing a problem.

Hope this helps.:)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2004

Thanks Marla, I've been keeping an eye on my bp. It's borderline hypertension. Today it was 132/86. So you might be right. Sigh...sux getting old. :)

ava'smomRN · Jan 30, 2004

headaches are part of my daily life! I dont cosume much diary so i know that cant be my culprit. bu i would really like to know what i is. my doc said maybe stress, caf withdraw, or too much caf? i was confused because after he told me this he wrote a Rx for caffine tabs to relieve my headaches???? confused:confused:

GLDLPN · Jan 31, 2004

Hi Tweety,

I wondered about your blood pressure too. I used to have headaches a lot ~ I would go to bed feeling fine, then wake up with one. Now I am on blood pressure meds, and I hardly ever have headaches anymore. There were probably other things that affected me as well.

Anyway ~ keep a check on your B/P so you will be ok.

Gayle

adrienurse, LPN · Jan 31, 2004

Perhaps you grind your teeth or clench your jaw when you sleep. I do and this gives me incredible headaches

mattsmom81 · Jan 31, 2004

Originally posted by adrienurse
Perhaps you grind your teeth or clench your jaw when you sleep. I do and this gives me incredible headaches

I never thought of this as a possible cause for morning headaches...but I DO grind my teeth my DH tells me. What can be done for this???

SnowymtnRN · Jan 31, 2004

Originally posted by mattsmom81
I never thought of this as a possible cause for morning headaches...but I DO grind my teeth my DH tells me. What can be done for this???

Go buy a mouthguard in the sports section at walmart. I did this in highschool. lol My dentist told me to do it cuz i was waking myself up with terrible jaw pain, headaches, etc....so i bought the thinnest one i could find. Soak it in hot water, cut the strap off, and put it in your mouth at night. Its kinda weird feeling, but you get used to it. If you can't stomach the plastiky taste, spray some Binaca breath spray on it. Then go to sleep. Did WONDERS for me.

SnowymtnRN · Jan 31, 2004

Tweety, dairy could very well be the culprit. Also i know in the past you were doing the low carb thing, are you making sure you get enough protein? sometimes just adding an extra chicken breast or can of tuna during the day will make a HUGE difference.

But back to dairy, it could be just the casin that's in milk. Or the lactose. I know my son has a milk sensitivity. He gets headaches, pulls his hair, has weird tummy issues, etc...so we switched to Soy. he prefers Silk Soy. lol Anyway, he can still eat cheese, yogurt, etc....but i'd definitely experiment with the soy or lactaid stuff to see if that helps you.

and get your BP under control mr. man!!!!! :kiss

lucianne · Jan 31, 2004

Do you snore? Have any apneic episodes? As I recall from your threads on dieting, you aren't overweight, but apnea can occur in those who aren't overweight (especially if it's central and not obstructive) and can cause AM headaches. My morning headaches have pretty much disappeared since I've been on CPAP (which I hope to get off of someday since I've lost 40 pounds. When I've lost 50 I'm getting another sleep study done!). Mine were more migraine than sinus-y. If you're tired of taking Motrin and think you may be getting rebound headaches from it, there's a great product called Migrastick that's sold in health food stores. It's a little tube of peppermint and lavendar oil with a teeny tiny roller ball on the end and it works great on both migraines and sinus headaches.

good luck, it sux to wake up feeling bad...

luci

adrienurse, LPN · Jan 31, 2004

I never thought of this as a possible cause for morning headaches...but I DO grind my teeth my DH tells me. What can be done for this???

This has to do also with TMJ problems, I got a fitted mouthguard from my dentist. It helps some. So does stress management (but that's pretty hard to come by isn't it). I massage my jaw muscles below my ears. A physiotherapist once taught me how to massage the jaw muscles from inside my mouth. I stick my finger inside my cheek and find the sore muscles where my lower jaw meets my upper jaw. Works amazingly well to relax the muscles and get rid of the headache.