Constipation Headaches

"I've got a headache," I told my husband, working at home this week. "Are you constipated?" he asked. "I did skip yesterday...probably am." I've always felt there's a "brain-gut connection" when the GI system sends a signal to the brain. A constipation headache could be a good example. Some women including my older daughter sometimes suffer headaches before their period, a time when they also may be bound up. Sound familiar, ladies? Not forgetting the guys here, if you ever have a headache, could you also be even a bit clogged up down below? Just wondering.

@Vicki_V there’s lots of evidence and studies about the mind-gut connection. Fortunately, I don’t have constipation issues. And I can’t remember the last time I had a headache that wasn’t the result of knocking my noggin or a hangover. So, hardly a conclusive data point, but maybe there is a correlation between constipation and headaches.

In my opinion also there is a brain gut connection also. A man can never experience what a woman feels before the onset of her period. I can get headaches when I feel like I am becoming constipated. It's a result of a few things happening together when it happens. I have always suffered from allergies and at time needed medical help to get through some episodes. Doctors would give me steroids to help desensitize me but would prescribe it at most twice a year due to it having an advertise effect on me, however it did really help. Some types of flowers, pollen, animals and odors can have a very detrimental effect on me. I does cause breathing problems, makes me feel weak, causes constipation, causes my sinuses to become so plugged up that I cannot breathe through my nose and which also causes headaches.

Over the years I have always used enemas and they have helped relieve constipation and seemed to reduce the effects of pollen on me. When I use my favorite mix of 1 ml of frankincense and 1 ml of myrrh CO2 oil directly into the nozzle and then use it in a two quart enema my congestion disappears , I can feel my sinuses open up, my headache disappears and I feel so much better afterwords. It feels the same as when I used to take the steroids, only the oils I believe are much safer. When I first started using the oils years ago my balls felt warm for a day or two. Then I got used to it and I don't notice it anymore. My PSA tests when I was much younger before I started using my oil mixture was in the 1.5 to 1.8 range. It's a safe range to be in. Now that I am much older my PSA test are around 0.5 to 0.7 after I started using my oils mixture. I have a limited medical knowledge however at least everything I have read is that as men age their PSA results tend to increase, not decrease. I don't know from a medical point of view if the oils changed the results or not, however I believe they have.

I think indeed I've had some slight headache when constipated as a child. It might be actually more related to gas than to constipation in itself.

"I've got a headache," I told my husband, working at home this week. "Are you constipated?" he asked. "I did skip yesterday...probably am." I've always felt there's a "brain-gut connection" when the GI system sends a signal to the brain.

Luckily it doesn't happen often to me. But when travelling for example or after eating things I shouldn't have, then I will indeed experience this.

In fact, upon waking up in the morning I can identity that sort of feeling in my head (not always a full-blown headache, but a heachachey discomfort) which means being stopped up. It doesn't happen often as I said, but I can identify the feeling easily. Not fun at all.

@agracier said,

Luckily it doesn't happen often to me. But when travelling for example or after eating things I shouldn't have, then I will indeed experience this.

Growing up, it didn’t take us long to realize, that a headache was one of grandmas many reasons for giving enemas. If she overheard someone say something about having a headache. It wasn’t long before they found themselves in the bathroom with an adult rectal or douche nozzle buried deep in their behind getting an enema. Afterwards, the headache was usually gone.

@ Vicki V I agree with you about the brain-gut connection you were wondering about. I have experienced headaches sometimes when I have been rushing around all day, and suddenly you realize you have been too busy to have a BM since maybe yesterday. It’s probably more common than you think. You know the feelings, you are tired, have brain fog, and starting to get a nasty headache. Then when I get that way, all I want to do is get home and have some much needed me time.

You need to just relax in a hot bath, try again on the toilet, and sometimes a good enema is needed too. It’s amazing what a little “me time” can do to change the way I feel. Thanks, Lol Jeanette

When I was constipated, while pregnant, my head would feel "off" as well as my gut feeling extra bloated. Getting cleaned out I remember feeling more normal. As normal as a pregnant woman can feel.

For me this relationship has a shared cause and doesn’t seem cause-effect. Immediately before my period when I assume my hormones have made their biggest drop, I tend to have a headache and be constipated. Disrupted sleep and being out of my usual time zone are other dual triggers, as is dehydration.

It does seem an enema can help with both things in a two birds, one stone way.

I usually never get headaches, the only instance is if my bathroom schedule is disrupted, then it is the signal that I need help. It usually happens when I have a long day traveling, which disrupts meal times, menus, proper hydration and so on. Both my mother in Italy or my wife here, knew and always had an enema ready for me. When my daughters were little, everyone at school knew too that, when daddy came home, he needed help pooping...they really felt very important explaining to their class mates what an enema was...then after the novelty passed, nobody really cared anymore....