Published: March 7, 2023 14:23
Dear Doctor: I am 69 years old and I drink two cups of coffee every morning. Once or twice a week he wakes up with a dull pain on the left side of the back of his head. It always goes away with the first cup of coffee. Is this a caffeine withdrawal symptom? My doctor found no physical cause.
Dear Reader: Caffeine is a fascinating compound. For people who consume it on a regular basis, its absence can cause headaches. In your case, both of these things could be happening.
Unfortunately, headaches themselves are so complex that it is difficult to determine their cause. A CT scan, which you said the doctor did, also failed to pinpoint the cause of the intermittent headache upon waking. What we can offer here is a discussion of caffeine and its effects on the human body. It includes either
Caffeine is a mild stimulant that is easily absorbed by the body. Although there are individual differences, the effect lasts for up to 12 hours. Caffeine activates the central nervous system, so it increases alertness and alertness, boosts energy, helps focus and even mood.Caffeine also narrows the blood vessels that surround the brain. That’s the link to headaches.
In some types of headaches, blood vessels in the brain dilate or swell. They spread to surrounding tissue and cause pain. Consuming caffeine narrows blood vessels and may relieve or even reverse headache pain. Ironically, a sudden lack of daily caffeine can cause headaches.
Other factors that can lead to morning headaches include not getting enough or too much sleep, nighttime snoring, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, sinus congestion, and dehydration. For some people, a spike in sugar consumption, especially later in the day, can trigger nighttime headaches.
If you’re willing to risk the effects of caffeine withdrawal, you can do a little experiment. Start gradually reducing your caffeine intake over a week or two. To do this, either slightly reduce the amount of coffee you drink each day, or slowly switch your morning coffee from decaf to regular. You will be able to observe if there is a difference in frequency. If you see a change, it will help you identify how much coffee you can drink without adverse effects.
It’s no surprise that smaller doses prove to be more tolerable.As we age, our body’s ability to process caffeine changes. It is common for older people to have to adjust their daily intake as they get older. universal function syndication
