drinking water gives me a headache

January 30, 2019 2:37 PM

I've recently been trying to drink more water, because hydration is good and stuff. The problem is, any time I drink more than a couple of sips, I get a splitting headache. Do you know why?

Most of my water consumption is at work. I've tried a number of different ways to drink water: bringing in my own reusable bottle, drinking from non-reusable bottles, drinking from cups, the water fountain (or bubbler, to you Wisconsonites), etc. I've tried various types of water: bottled, of course, but also through a water filtration system, a Brita pitcher, tap water. The only ways that don't give me a headache are water fountains and small Dixie cups. This seems to be a function of volume: they're not big enough to cause a headache. (Although, if I drink more than one or two Dixie cups in a day, I do still have a problem.)

Google results for terms like "drinking water headache" are either relating to overhydration, or suggesting drinking more water as a cure for dehydration. Overhydration seems unlikely. My only other fluid consumption is a glass of milk for breakfast and a can of pop with lunch and dinner. I'm fully willing to believe dehydration is part of the problem, but I don't show any other signs. I'm not fatigued, I urinate frequently (too frequently, some might say), and my urine is generally light yellow to clear. Besides, isn't drinking water supposed to relieve headaches caused by dehydration?

Some other factors:

I do consume a fair amount of caffeine, but I don't think that has any bearing. A lot of times, I'm drinking caffeine-free pop, so there will be some days where I don't consume any caffeine at all. Even on caffeine-heavy days, I'm still consuming less than what's in a single 8oz. cup of coffee. I've given up caffeine for weeks at times in the past, and not had any problems with headaches.

My diet is probably too high in sodium. This seems like it might be relevant, although I'm not sure how.

Drinking other beverages, such as Gatorade or juice, doesn't seem to cause a problem.

I'm a little overweight but reasonably active. I walk a lot, take the stairs at work, etc., and work out occasionally. I've always gotten clean bills of health at check-ups (most recently, last October), and I've never had any real medical conditions.

I've been aware of the problem for about six or seven years at this point, since I was in my early 30s. I'm not sure if it's been going on longer than that, because I only started going through health-conscious phases around that time. I've worked in three different offices since that time, and had the problem in all three. I also travel for work fairly regularly, and

Can anyone tell me what's going on, and how to either solve it or work around it? I hear so much about the health benefits of drinking water, but whenever I try to avail myself of them, I end up feeling worse.

posted by kevinbelt to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

Asking the obvious question about whether you've spoken to a doctor about this.

The only other thing I can think is: maybe it's the temperature? I notice that if water is super-cold then it's a bit of a shock to my system; not to the point I get a headache, I grant, but it's sometimes too....intense, for lack of a better word. I wonder if the temperature has something to do with it.

And if you do okay with Gatorade and juice, then it sounds like you're actually doing okay on the hydration front.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:42 PM on January 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

(note that I am NOT a doctor, of course.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:43 PM on January 30, 2019

Could it be related to water temperature? This study (and my experience) indicates that very cold water may cause headaches even in small amounts.

This (slightly random) website indicates you are not the only one with this problem.
posted by hepta at 2:45 PM on January 30, 2019

I'm also here to ask about temperature. I cannot drink more than a few sips of very cold water without feeling like shit. But give me some nice tepid room temp and I will guzzle it down by the liter all day long.
posted by phunniemee at 2:45 PM on January 30, 2019 [4 favorites]

Yeah, I also get a slight headache from cold water. If it touches the roof of my mouth is the worst. Try even warmer than room-temperature water. Not hot or even warm, just definitely not cold.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 2:49 PM on January 30, 2019

I was coming to say the same exact thing about water temperature. But, if that doesn't fix it, I also find that lightly flavored seems to help, like even warmish weak tea seems to prevent water headaches.
posted by dawg-proud at 3:11 PM on January 30, 2019

Chiming in as yet another person with headaches caused by cold drinks. I have legit ended up going to the bathroom to run a bottle of water under the hot tap to warm it up when the only potable water I could get was chilled.
posted by sailoreagle at 3:13 PM on January 30, 2019

I'm wondering about the water temp as well, but I'm guessing that the pop/juice you drink is also cold? But perhaps you drink it more slowly than you do water...

Can you drink carbonated (unflavoured) water without issues? Can you sip room-temp water slowly through a straw? Can you start diluting juice with water and gradually keep diluting until there's just a hint of flavour? If it is some mental block around drinking plain water (and IANAD, just spitballing...), maybe this will get your brain & body more used to drinking "almost-water", until it can drink actual water.
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 3:23 PM on January 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

Cold water = ice cream headache for me and also makes my throat close. I drink a lot of tea and warm water. What happens when you drink warm or hot water?
posted by bile and syntax at 3:26 PM on January 30, 2019

Response by poster: Interesting. No, the pop/juice I drink is generally not cold. I'm famous for ordering drinks without ice, and at home, I usually leave the case of pop out of the refrigerator. Sounds like tomorrow is time for a science experiment.
posted by kevinbelt at 3:28 PM on January 30, 2019 [8 favorites]

I have a real swallowing problem, in case it's not due to the temperature. I get terrible indigestion from drinking water too fast, so I generally drink from a Camelbak (water bladder for hiking) at home, and that makes things work much better for me.
posted by ambrosen at 3:32 PM on January 30, 2019

You say your diet is high in sodium so my guess is that you consuming just water is changing the electrolyte concentration in your body in a way that’s causing you headaches. And that would explain why Gatorade and juice doesn’t cause the same symptoms.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:36 PM on January 30, 2019

Hydration is dependent on all fluid intake, not just water. Not a doctor, but a nurse who counseled patients for many years taking medication that caused dry mouth and headaches if hydration was not maintained.

I was always taught that fluids all counted, and that anything that is liquid at body temp counts as a fluid. Thus popsicles, ice cream, pudding, water-loaded fruit such as melon, coffee and tea, whether caffeinated or not - they all counted as fluid, despite caffein's tendency to act as a diuretic. Oncology nurses have long counseled 30cc per kg/weight (or half a person's body weight in pounds in ounces of fluid, or 100 oz/ day for a 200 lb person. This is a very challenging amount of fluid for most people). Many patients said they found large quantities of water nauseating, but they could manage iced tea, gatorade or juice, so that's what they did. And if they did have a few days of higher fluid intake, they nearly always felt better.
posted by citygirl at 3:40 PM on January 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

I think it's the cold.

But just spit-balling, perhaps you have a sinus issue and what you're feeling is the pressure inside is greater than the pressure outside, or vice versa. The drinking/swallowing is closing or opening something in your head.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:55 PM on January 30, 2019 [2 favorites]

I think headaches from lack of coffee are typically due to one's system anticipating that one will have a vasoconstricting dose of caffeine by a specific time, and dilating the blood vessels in the brain to counteract that vasoconstriction.

It seems possible to me your body has learned to anticipate caffeine when you drink something unsweetened like water, for example, and sometimes guesses wrong, resulting in a headache.
posted by jamjam at 8:11 PM on January 30, 2019

I can get migraines from eating too many salty snacks. Have you experimented with cutting down on salt?
posted by kokaku at 1:10 AM on January 31, 2019

Response by poster: I think the cold is the answer. I had a bottle of water laying around in a box in my office from the summer when I captained the company volleyball team. I've drank about 3/4 of it so far today, with no other food or drink consumption, and I don't have any sign of a headache yet.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:16 AM on January 31, 2019 [9 favorites]