Itchy Feet?
Coughs, sneezes, aches and pains can strike for many reasons, and the time of day they occur can be a clue to working out their cause and how to treat them.
Here, the experts reveal why timing could be the key to discovering why you are feeling unwell.
HEADACHE
MORNING: If you wake up with a headache, it could be due to sleep apnoea, where the walls of the throat collapse during sleep, interrupting breathing.
Sleep apnoea, characterised by snoring, can cause levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) to rise in the blood. Too much CO2 can create a build-up of acid, known as acidosis, leading to headaches.
‘Symptoms usually improve as the day progresses,’ says Dr Louise Selby, a GP based in Guildford.
Inflamed sinuses can also be a cause, as mucus builds up overnight and can’t drain if you’ve been lying horizontal. The pain lessens as people move, as this helps to clear blockages.
Migraines, debilitating headaches which can last for days, often start in the morning. ‘Many sufferers wake up with migraine,’ says Dr Fayyaz Ahmed, a consultant neurologist and trustee of the charity the Migraine Trust. ‘One theory is that oxygen levels drop due to slower respiration while sleeping, which might trigger migraine in those susceptible.’
DAYTIME: Chronic daytime headaches can be caused by too much coffee or other caffeinated drinks. The effects tend to be cumulative, so the headaches strike in the afternoon as your intake rises.
Caffeine is a diuretic, so causes dehydration, which in turn causes headaches. This could be due to the brain, which is 80 per cent water, shrinking and pulling away from the skull, triggering pain receptors.
Caffeine’s diuretic effect acts on the renal tubules (tiny tubes inside the kidneys that filter the blood). The kidneys reabsorb some water and nutrients from the blood, excreting the remainder as urine.
‘Caffeine inhibits the reabsorption process of fluid, so more is passed out through the bladder,’ explains Professor Chris Eden, a consultant urologist at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
Eating sugary snacks such as biscuits at tea-time can also lead to spikes of insulin, followed by a crash in blood sugar levels, leading to headache. This is due to arteries around the brain constricting when glucose levels drop.
The post Itchy Feet? appeared first on LewRockwell.
Leave a Reply