Headache Rut

I have fallen into another headache rut, or ditch as the case may be. After an up-and-down summer, my headaches seemed to stabilize for a while and be manageable. In other words, they didn't dominate my life. Lately, the monster has reared its head again, and I am partly to blame.

Last week, I was in training all week. The catered lunches consisted of sandwiches and soda pop. For 3 days, I gave into boredom and drank a Diet Coke. Bad move. Diet Coke, when I already have a headache, make it much worse. I know this runs counter to the "caffeine is good for headaches" thing. But as Kerrie mentions in a recent caffeine-related post, you really need to be your own caffeine coach, as the effects differ for everyone.

For me, caffeine means trouble, in either Diet Coke or coffee form. Except for when I drink it when I don't have a headache. Then, it only makes me pee. Funny, but chocolate has no effect. Maybe it's the aspartame? But what explains the coffee? Too confusing for me.

Anyway, to get back to the story. So I had a couple of Diet Cokes to top up my headache, and a few bad nights of sleep (too little). Over the weekend, David and I seemed to stay up far too late watching tv (or lying half-asleep on the floor as we are wont to do). So far this week, I've had poor sleeps due to laying awake thinking about everything under the sun. I've also woken up around 4am, wide awake despite the Elavil, and had a hard time falling back asleep. These two things have lead to some bad headaches this week.

It's time for a re-boot. I stayed home from work this morning and slept but the 4 extra hours didn't help. And I had to come into the office for an important meeting this afternoon. My head feels like it's in a vice. I also have positional head pain, meaning that when I make a sudden movement, like standing, or changing position (especially when I leaned over to put on my boots) my head pain seems to swell and throb. Ow! This isn't typical, but I have felt it before during bad headaches.

Time to get more sleep, lay off the colas, and stop thinking so hard at bedtime. But I guess this is the price I pay for being a closet Diet Coke lover, a night owl and a night time thinker. But I do some of my best thinking after 9pm! I have a very active - hyperactive - mind and it is often mired in endless details and plans. This sounds like a fantastic, celebrated Type A attribute, as I am also hyper-observant, a keen worker, and a slave for details. I would make an excellent wedding planner! Lately, I am distracted with the house buying details, but I enjoy it, especially learning the intricate details of the process and the fun bits like thinking about paint colours and furniture and coming home to David every night. But I need to slow down and stop thinking so darned much. I can't control everything. And all this thinking really does make my head hurt.

Sometimes I think they're right about that "ignorance is bliss" thing. If I could think and do and feel and live a little less fast and hard, I might be a whole lot happier. Now....how do I change my fundamental character? The over-thinking is definitely a contributing factor, for me at least, in the headache game. I am a sensitive sponge for everything - information, moods, body language, facts - and I just process too much information. Sometimes I wonder if I am vaguely autistic or have ADD? I do think my personality has consequential effects (not causitive). There has been heated debate over whether A-types have more headaches. It hasn't been proven to be true. But my personality does mean that I work-work-work and think-think-think to the point of brain fatigue, and that causes me to not relax, not rest, not delegate, and not take a breather when I should.

Hopefully, this weekend will slow me down. David and I are getting out of Dodge and travelling to visit his Mom for Thanksgiving (this coming weekend here in Canada). So with three days of rest and conversation, naps, reading, meal prep, and lots of turkey and carbs to make me sleepy, I just may feel a whole lot better Tuesday morning. I can dream...

Happy Thanksgiving!