Caffeine Headache during Pregnancy

Caffeine Headache during Pregnancy – Causes and Effective Medications

During pregnancy, headaches are common things that happen to every woman. Several reasons of causes are there behind headache problems and still all those causes have not been diagnosed properly. Generally three kinds of headaches are majorly found amongst several pregnant women and they are migraine headache, sinus headache and common headache or nausea (morning sickness). Apart from these three, another type of headache has been noted during pregnancy and that is caffeine headache. The former three kinds of headaches are widely known, but when it comes to caffeine headache, people seem to have lesser knowledge on this. To discuss this kind of headache, first we will try to know – what is Caffeine?

Caffeine – An Introduction

Caffeine is a natural supplement that has been found mainly in coffee and tea. High percentage of caffeine has been derived from different types of coffee beans. Caffeine is a drug that has been used in modern medical technology. With the influence of caffeine, mental or physical alertness increases, fatigue decreases and muscle coordination improves. From this perspective, caffeine is a good for health. Though, it has some clear side effects, especially when it has been consumed in high quantity. Sensitivity to caffeine varies from one person to another. Due to an overdose of caffeine too much stimulatory reactions have been noted. It can also cause anxiety, mental stress, muscle cramp or stiffness, lower belly pain, etc. Headache is also a common side-effect of caffeine that can happen to many people. Some people experience a mild headache while some others experience strong or severe headache. Over consumption of caffeine has been noted as a prominent cause behind headache during pregnancy.

Should Caffeine Consumption Be Stopped during Pregnancy?

Generally, it has been suggested that during pregnancy, a person should restrict her caffeine consumption as overdose of it will cause mild, as well as severe headache troubles. You do not need to stop caffeine consumption, instead of that, you must cut down the percentage of caffeine intake. If you are fond of coffee, tea and chocolates, you must eat or drink them lesser during your pregnancy as these kinds of foods or drinks contain a high percentage of caffeine. Hence, over-consumption of these always induces the risks of caffeine headache during pregnancy. Typically, it is suggested that one must not consume more than 200 mg caffeine during pregnancy.

Caffeine Headache – How Severe It Can Be?

Caffeine headache can be extremely severe, while in some cases it can be mild or ignorable. It is hard to say that what would be the intensity of caffeine headache in a person. It basically depends on immunity level and on other few factors. Here are a few factors due to which caffeine headache becomes severe for a person:

·         Migraine: Migraine is a common thing during pregnancy and if migraine headache strikes, then caffeine headache can also be triggered. Together, they take your headache to a high level of severity. If you are experiencing such kinds of headache during your pregnancy, it is always better to consult a specialist doctor.

·         Over consumption of tea and Coffee: Over consumption of tea or coffee is a prominent problem that brings in caffeine headache. Tea and coffee, both of them possess high quantity of caffeine, which increases the caffeine level in our body. During pregnancy, drinking too much tea or coffee has been prohibited for this reason.

·         Sinus or General Infections: A pregnant woman is always considered as vulnerable to sinus headache. Stay protected from sinus or general infections. These kinds of disorders will not only cause severe physical trouble, but will also enhance the chances of caffeine headache.

How to Surpass Caffeine Headache during Pregnancy?

As pregnant women are always considered to be highly vulnerable to caffeine headache, they are often advised a few things so that they do not become victims of caffeine headache. To surpass the malicious results of caffeine headache, here are a few things that you should try:

·         Decaffeinated Your Tea: These days different kinds of tea leaves are available in the marketplace, offering different percentages of caffeine. Instead of trying normal tea, you can try these caffeine free or caffeine less tea for drinking during pregnancy. Moreover, these kinds of teas are considered to be healthy as well.

·         Drink Lesser Coffee – Switch to Instant Coffee: Instead of drinking brewed coffee, you should opt for instant coffee. Instant coffee possesses lesser caffeine. However, it is even better if you can control the consumption of coffee.

·         If you like milk tea, then brew your tea for the shortest amount of time as that will restrict the percentage of caffeine in your tea.

·         Last but not the least, you have to get rid of your habit of eating chocolates, especially dark chocolates.

Caffeine headache cannot be managed with general painkillers during pregnancy as most of the painkillers are not safe to be consumed during pregnancy. Follow a strict diet, drink ample of water and take a good amount of rest to stay protected or immune from caffeine headache.