When oatmeal was the latest craze for lowering cholesterol levels and the buzz food for almost every ailment, I began eating it for breakfast. By 10:00 or 11:00 I’d have a headache. I finally pinpointed the problem as hypoglycemia, with the culprit being oatmeal. I have a fast metabolic rate, and oatmeal was digested so quickly that I was left with low blood sugar. A few years later I did a series of articles on diabetes and found that many people, including non-diabetics, who ate their evening meal before 7:00 PM and didn’t eat again until late the next morning, experienced headaches similar to what I had when eating oatmeal.
The headaches would start at the base of the neck and, increasing in intensity, would go up the neck and wrap around the head at temple height and cause eye discomfort as well as a throbbing head. Eating early and not again until the next day is similar to fasting. People with fast metabolic rates don’t generally do well on fasts of any kind, especially total food fasts. Some juice fasts may work but that depends on the individual, the juice, and whether it contains added sugars. A small snack just before bedtime may be the answer for you.
If I eat too much or too late, I feel like I didn’t sleep all night. A small handful of nuts works for me, or maybe a banana. It has to be something that’s not heavy but has enough substance that it isn’t digested in the first hour after bedtime. It can be tricky, and each has to experiment for themselves to find what combination works for them. Some people find a piece of cheese or small bowl of cottage cheese works well. I found that dairy of any kind causes excess mucus and isn’t an alternative for me.
Candy, candy bars, cake or pie will not be helpful. Sugar or sugary snacks will put your blood sugar levels on a roller coaster and can make the problem much worse.
Another major contributor to headaches in the morning was indoor pollution with “common ” household products being the major contributor. Many cleaning products leave residue on the surfaces that were cleaned and can off gas for days afterwards. Air fresheners, solid and aerosol, shouldn’t be used in enclosed spaces, such as a bedroom, baby’s room or other small and enclosed space. Read the label. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it or breathe it.
Educate yourself concerning what chemicals are hazardous and/or give off toxic or nontoxic vapors. The ingredients list may or may not have a warning. If you suspect different things may be contributing factors, eliminate them from your house or apartment and then, after the headaches have been eliminated, reintroduce them back into your life, one at a time until you find the cause. You may find the problem is a combination of several items and the only way to be sure is to keep a written log in a notebook or on your computer.
