The Truth About Headaches And Caffeine

In last week's blog I discussed how stress and posture can cause headaches, but there's another important factor that will impact almost everyone. Most of us start our day with a cup of tea or coffee, but are you having the right amount of caffeine?

 

Caffeine is not a problem, in fact in small doses it can actually help improve mood states and reduce the risk of depression. The problem arises when it's used too much. Excessive doses of caffeine can lead to increased anxiety and psychosis. Too much caffeine can cause headaches, but so can too little. It’s important to figure out what your optimum caffeine level is, and try to stick to that. It is widely accepted that in otherwise healthy, non-pregnant adults, a dose of around 200-400 mg of caffeine a day is suitable, which equates to around 4-5 regular cups of coffee. But caffeine isn't just present in drinks, it's also present in chocolate, and even some chewing gums. 

 

Caffeine is also combined with certain types of medication. Paracetamol and ibuprofen and two readily available over the counter medications that you can buy with or without caffeine. Combined with medications like this caffeine has an analgesic effect, by inhibiting certain receptors in the body that contribute to pain signaling. If you regularly consume large amounts of caffeine, you may increase your risk of getting a withdrawal headache. 

 

Withdrawal headaches usually occur within 24 hours of your last caffeine intake, and the intensity often depends on how much caffeine you’re accustomed to having. Over one third of people who suffer from cluster headaches have been shown to over use caffeine, consuming too much regularly which may be a trigger for their headaches. Medication overuse headaches are a type of rebound headache that often occur when a person takes too much pain relief medication, and often the medication is being used to try and treat a headache in the first place! 

 

Studies have shown that over one third of people who suffer from migraines may actually be overusing caffeine containing pain relief in an attempt to treat their migraine. Did you know that over 90% of people suffering from medication overuse headaches take medication that contains caffeine!

If you like your caffeine, but also struggle with headaches, it may be worth reassessing how much you’re consuming to see if you can make some positive changes. If you want to find out even more about how you can help your headaches, get yourself booked into one of our free discovery days!