Is Caffeine a Cause or Treatment?
For those who suffer from headaches, especially frequent ones, it is important to understand just how caffeine can impact their headache frequency and intensity. There is a great deal of debate among experts about the benefits and negative effects of caffeine and this can be confusing to headache sufferers.
How Does Caffeine Affect Your Body?Caffeine has a range of effects on the body, one of which is the narrowing of blood vessels, which then restricts blood flow. Since blood vessels are thought to expand at the onset of headaches, it is thought that caffeine's vasoconstrictive property eases the pain of headaches and migraines. Caffeine is also believed to increase the effectiveness of many pain relievers, and is therefore added to various headache medications. It would then be logical to suggest that less pain reliever would be required to obtain the intended benefits of the medication. Since some medications can cause gastrointestinal distress, a lower dose that is still effective would be particularly beneficial, and more so for chronic headache sufferers who require long-term medication use. Studies have suggested that over-the-counter medications may be as much as forty percent more effective when caffeine is added. Generally, most individuals will find that they feel the effects of caffeine approximately half an hour after ingestion and these last for anywhere from three to five hours.
Caffeine can, however, also cause some unpleasant feelings such as restlessness, headaches, dizziness, shaking and insomnia. In addition, caffeine stimulates the heart and raises metabolic rate. It is at higher doses that the unpleasant effects of caffeine are more likely to occur.
Caffeine WithdrawalWithdrawal is commonly confused with addiction; it is rare for anyone to become addicted to caffeine, which involves a compulsive craving for the drug. Withdrawal, however, can occur from caffeine use and this involves physical symptoms that occur when caffeine use is halted or decreased. Generally, moderate consumption of caffeine is safe but since caffeine does slightly stimulate the nervous system, withdrawal effects can occur. Some of these include:
- Difficulty focusing
- Non-specific muscle aches and pains