Morning headaches; sick building syndrome – Health Clinic

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: November 7, 2002

Q: On occasion, my morning is greeted with a mild headache. What is the

cause and what may I do to prevent it? The response from my last blood

pressure test was that I am like a teenager but that was many years ago.

A: We were taught in medical school that if you hear the sound of

hoofbeats, they are generally due to horses, not zebras. In other

words, common things are the most common. Your headache is more likely

Read Also

View of a set of dumbbells in a shared fitness pod of the smart shared-fitness provider Shanghai ParkBox Technology Co. at the Caohejing Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai, China, 25 October 2017.

Smart shared-fitness provider Shanghai ParkBox Technology Co. has released a new version of its mobile app and three new sizes of its fitness pod, the company said in a press briefing yesterday (25 October 2017). The update brings a social network feature to the app, making it easier for users to find work-out partners at its fitness pods. The firm has also introduced three new sizes of its fitness boxes which are installed in local communities. The new two-, four- and five-person boxes cover eight, 18 and 28 square meters, respectively. ParkBox's pods are fitted with Internet of Things (IoT) equipment, mobile self-help appointment services, QR-code locks and a smart instructor system employing artificial intelligence. 



No Use China. No Use France.

Well-being improvement can pay off for farms

Investing in wellness programs in a tight labour market can help farms recruit and retain employees

to be a simple tension type, rather than that caused by a brain tumour.

The reason that you wake up with the headache is that between the hours

of about 4 a.m. and 8 a.m., the body tends to produce less of the

natural painkillers known as encephalins than at any other time of day.

Adrenalin is also released in larger quantities during the morning

hours, especially if you are worried or stressed about something.

Adrenalin affects the dilatation or contraction of the blood vessels,

so it may also play a role in triggering migraine attacks.

There are a couple of questions that I would like to ask you to clarify

the situation. Do you drink a lot of coffee? If the headache goes away

shortly after your first cup of coffee, you may be suffering caffeine

withdrawal. The same applies to cola drinks. Do you have sleep apnea or

a stuffed up nose? Lack of oxygen can contribute to a headache. Check

that your furnace is in good condition and not leaking harmful gases

into the house.

Be particularly careful if you have a wood burning stove or fireplace

that there is sufficient ventilation. You can get carbon monoxide

detectors that will let you know if there are dangerous levels of these

gases in the house.

Sick from building?

Q: What is sick building syndrome?

A: Sick building syndrome is a condition associated with working in

certain buildings. Symptoms include itchy eyes and dry throat,

coughing, wheezing, headaches, nausea and general fatigue.

This was thought to be due to poor ventilation of the building,

chemical contamination from indoors, such as newly installed carpet or

paint, or from outdoors via external air ducts and plumbing fixtures.

It also includes illness due to bacterial contaminants of air

conditioning systems, such as Legionnaires’ disease, or problems

associated with fungi and moulds.

In most cases, symptoms improve when the person has been away from the

office for a few hours. I had this type of problem when I rented

office space adjacent to a gas station. Every time they filled up the

gas tanks, I got a headache. The only solution was to move.

A recent study by Rob Niven, a chest physician in Manchester, England,

suggests that if buildings with an artificially controlled environment

are well designed and properly maintained, there may be a healthier

internal environment than buildings ventilated with outside air. Mind

you, years ago Manchester was a polluted industrial city. Perhaps it is

cleaner now.

Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont.

Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are

encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding

medical questions and treatments.

explore

Stories from our other publications