Re: morning headaches and breathing

[Guest guest]

Hi Gretchen:

Morning headaches aren't good and breathing should be

checked out. I woke up in a fog this morning with a dandy headache

because I spent 9 hours yesterday going to and from Toronto and

driving around a huge art/craft show on my scooter - 450 vendors, all

juried, all with gorgeous stuff - for 5 of those 9 hours. I was

exhausted last night, I wasn't breathing well enough to expel the

carbon dioxide so it gives a major morning headache.

I usually wake up with mine around 5 a.m. and crank up the head of the bed to

almost sitting upright. When I do diaphragmatic breathing the headache goes

away. When I stop it comes back. I only get these headaches about twice a year

now and I'm always exhausted when I do. I used to get them almost every morning.

CoQ10 (200 mg), not exhausting myself, also sleeping on a slant with my body

slightly elevated from the waist has made the difference.

We use our diaphragm and chest and rib muscles to breathe. When we

exhaust these muscles, is it any wonder we don't expel enough of the

toxic gases and get a headache? We aren't breathing out deeply enough.

It may be part of CMT for those of us with weakened diaphragm, back

and chest muscles but it isn't a part we should just take as normal

with CMT and something we have to live with.

I'm thinking it can be

upsetting, it hurts, makes mornings miserable and thinking foggy and

it can likely slow down brain function. It can be helped. Besides what

I've suggested there are CPAP machines, concentrated room air machines

and other devices that will help you breathe at night when you're

exhausted that will take those headaches away. Have your breathing

checked out if you have morning headaches. Get your maximum

inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP)

checked put. Easy tests that'll tell you and your doctor if you're

having problems breathing out at night.

Most importantly, get them

done while you are lying down - it makes a difference because gravity

helps pull the diaphragm down when we're sitting and standing - when

we're lying down we don't have the benefit of gravity to help us

breathe.