Are my headaches caused by cpap?

[hsbroker]

Every day I am having pretty bad headaches. This morning I woke uo with a bad one but usually they come during the day.

I can't think of anything that is causing this except the cpap usage. I don't believe my mask is too tight but it could be. I have it adjusted to prevent leaks and max pressure is only 11.5

An occasional headache is part of living but every day is wearing me down.
Any thoughts, please?

[LSAT]

How long have you been on CPAP? What mask are you using? What machine are you using? What is your pressure? All of this information will help diagnose your problem. Register and fill in your equipment profile if you want help.

[caffeinatedcfo]

We can help but please register properly with all of your equipment, as well as your pressure settings.

Also, posting some data (if your machine is capable) would help.

[DreamDiver]

Some of us get migraines. For some of us, it just starts happening one day. I found out some of the foods I was eating cause migraines - everything from blueberries to bananas - which sucks, because I really love these foods. I stopped eating everything that causes migraines and now I'm pretty much headache free. Foods that act as migraine triggers are different for everyone, so what works for me may be different for you. It's mainly trial and error, when it comes to figuring out what foods cause them. For many it's red wine and foods containing sulfites, like dried fruit. Organic raisins are fine for me, but dried figs aren't.

[Julie]

As someone who normally never had headaches, let alone migraines, and then who had them on waking up for 6-12 mos. prior to OSA diagnosis, I only know that as soon as I started Cpap, the headaches went away and never returned.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

I don't see how PAP therapy could be causing headaches, but maybe less than optimal PAP therapy/treatment could be allowing O2 de-saturations, which for me was certainly the cause of my morning headaches. I can still get an occasional headache from sudden low to high/high to low weather pressure changes (I call them sinus headaches) but I don't wake up with them and they are nowhere as severe as the O2 desat ones.

John

[ems]

I seriously doubt that headaches are the result of Cpap.

Have you been to a Neurologist? I went for a sleep study because of severe morning headaches. I do have SA but Cpap did nothing for the headaches which prompted me to see a Neuro. I found out I have Migraines which I'm being treated for.

You may not have Migraines, but it would be a good idea to find out why you are getting headaches.

[BlackSpinner]

Headaches can be caused by anything from allergies, low O2, brain tumors, kidney infections, drug reactions and pinched nerves. They cannot be diagnosed over the internet.

[Stormynights]

Tight headgear will give me a headache.

[sleeplessinaz]

Check your humidifier settings as too much or too little moisture will give me a morning headache. Try to,lower it or up it to see if that makes a difference,
Happy dreams,
Carrie

[avi123]

Yes, I get headaches and some dizziness during daytimes. I think that the cause is not the XPAP but the OSA. To stop the headache I take daily 0.5 mg Alprazolam ER (generic Xanax) and another 0.5 mg regular Alprazolam, if I need to. It always works for me.

I like DD's post and going to pay attention to it (and inquire at Consumer Reports on Health):

Some of us get migraines. For some of us, it just starts happening one day. I found out some of the foods I was eating cause migraines - everything from blueberries to bananas - which sucks, because I really love these foods. I stopped eating everything that causes migraines and now I'm pretty much headache free. Foods that act as migraine triggers are different for everyone, so what works for me may be different for you. It's mainly trial and error, when it comes to figuring out what foods cause them. For many it's red wine and foods containing sulfites, like dried fruit. Organic raisins are fine for me, but dried figs aren't.

[DreamDiver]

... I like DD's post and going to pay attention to it (and inquire at Consumer Reports on Health) ...

I really should qualify.
I still get headaches. Usually storm headaches, but they're not persistent. Sometimes I wake up with a headache too, but when I track my apneas, I'll find one way over 20 seconds. Rarely, I'll eat something I didn't know had a trigger food in it, like maybe a chocolate bar that I don't usually eat. (Dutch processed cocoa with alkalai is a migraine trigger, but natural cocoa is fine.) The nice thing is, I can usually track what causes headaches and just live with because I know it's something I can get through. I also know if I ate it without reading the ingredients closer, it's my own fault. No use whining about it. Some supplements cause headaches for me too: calcium citrate will fairly split my head open. Magnesium citrate doesn't.

There was a point when I didn't have a clue what was causing the headaches. At that point my neurologist prescribed an over the counter (OTC) supplement called butterbur. It takes a couple weeks for it to take effect. You might feel a migraine coming on, but it sort of dissipates before it can build up to full brew. I was using the vitacost brand. I'm not using it right now.

Incidentlally, migraines can be hereditary, according to the neurologist. My mom gets migraines, but they don't cause any pain. She gets visual 'auras'. They're like crescents of sparkly light in her side vision - more of an annoyance than painful. She hasn't had them in a while.

[Bobby269]

If my AHI's are over 2.0. I will wake up with a headache in the morning. A cup of coffee makes them go away.

[Kohkie]

Like Bobby 269, if my AHI goes to over 2.0 I too get morning headaches.

[chunkyfrog]

Years before cpap, I was diagnosed with glaucoma; --first symptom? Visual auras,
--like DreamDiver's mom, no pain, just shimmery triangles just below my central focus point.
My doc called them "ocular migraines".