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Headaches at work
Computer and Health
By Dr Trisha Macnair
Headaches are such a common health problem that its not surprising that they often occur while people are at work. But there may be very specific reasons, related to the job or the working environment, why some people particularly suffer from headaches while they are trying to do their job.
Headaches can be hugely disruptive to work. More than 18 million working days are lost each year because of migraines, for example. This particularly debilitating type of headache can cause intense symptoms lasting up to 3 days and which are often so severe that concentration and co-ordination becomes very difficult and it is simply impossible to carry on working. In severe cases headaches can interfere with promotion and career prospects. Employers may worry that the person simply isn't up to the stresses of the job while those people with frequent headaches fear that they are letting down their colleagues because they insist on regular breaks or other conditions to avoid triggering a headache.
What triggers headaches at work?
All types of headaches, especially tension or stress related headaches and migraine, are common in the workplace, probably because many similar trigger factors may be involved (see Box below). In some types of headache, especially migraine, a number of trigger factors may add up until a threshold is passed and a headache results.
Triggers of a headache at work
- Stress, worry, tension, anxiety etc about workload, deadlines, demands of job (or worrying about family at home)
- Disputes with colleagues or clients
- Uncomfortable working environment:
- Heat
- Noise
- Dry or smoky atmosphere
- Poor lighting
- Uncomfortable desk/seating putting tension on spine and neck
- Prolonged use of VDU or computer (headaches are a feature of Computer Vision Syndrome)
- Persisting at one task for hours or not taking a frequent break
- Not having had a proper breakfast, or missing lunch
- Not having had a good night's rest (this may be important in people doing shift work)
- Alcohol (a drink at lunchtime or a party the night before)
Preventing headaches
There is no miracle answer to preventing headaches but a lot of simple strategies can make them much less likely to occur. The main things to tackle are:
- Learn to recognise your headaches and what triggers them, so that you can avoid the triggers
- Complete a 'headache diary' to try to link events, foods or other factors to symptoms
- Find out more about migraines and work , especially if your headaches are severe or association with other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting
- Be sure you are fit and prepared for work each day, well rested and having eaten a good breakfast
- Get your eyes tested - headaches may be a sign of eye problems or needing a new prescription for your glasses
- Make your work environment as comfortable, and stress free, as possible
- Find ways to keep on top of the demands and stresses of the job - learn negotiating skills and stress management techniques
- Take swift and effective action when a headache starts (see box below): if you have regular headaches make sure that you keep with you a supply of the medication that usually helps
Making your work environment comfortable and stress-free
- Check noise levels and temperature, and discuss problems with your employer
- Make sure your workstation is ergonomically designed and arranged to suit you and your needs. More information on this at: spine-health.com (ergo03) . Check:
- height of desk and chair to match eye level with VDU or computer screen
- that there are adequate shelves or cupboards to reduce clutter on your desk ('desk-top' stress)
- that the font, contrast, brightness and glare on your screen are controlled, that there is no flickering and that your keyboard is comfortable
- Request a mobile telephone headset if you need to use the phone for several hours a day
- If there are strong chemicals in the environment (from industrial solvents to simply a colleagues strong perfume) make sure people are ware that it may be causing you problems, that levels are monitored and there is good ventilation
- Vary your position and posture frequently
- Take regular breaks from your work and use these to de-stress - learn simple techniques such as meditation or massage
- Spend some time on organising your job projects and paperwork, rather than just struggling to carry them out, to try to reduce stress
- Learn skills which will help you improve relationships at work
When you have a headache at work
- Take a short break, get out into the fresh air if possible, and sit quietly for 15 minutes
- Take simple pain killers (paracetamol, ibuprofen etc) as soon as possible
- Try massaging your temples, or other destressing activities
- Use the Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique to defuse the headache - see under 'help relieve headaches with this simple exercise' at: nhsplus.nhs.uk (headache)
- Make sure you are well hydrated - drink 1-2 cups of water. If hungry eat something which provides a ready source of energy
- Change what you are doing to a task which doesn't involve a computer screen or VDU
- If these don't work, tell your boss and then put your head down somewhere quiet, with a cool pack over your eyes, and try to get a short nap
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Health and safety
There are various health problems associated with the regular use of computers, and because of this employers must be aware of the regulations surrounding computer health and safety.
Employer regulations, General working environment, Possible dangers and solutions, Glossary.
Employer regulations. The law states that an employer must:
Provide tiltable screens, Provide anti-glare screen filters, Provide adjustable chairs, Provide foot supports, Make sure lighting is suitable, Make sure workstations are not cramped, Plan work at a computer so that there are frequent breaks, Pay for appropriate eye and eyesight tests by an optician.
Note:These regulations apply only to offices - not to students or pupils in schools or colleges.
In order to provide the satisfactory equipment for their employees, employers use ergonomics to assist the equipment design process. It is the science concerned with designing safe and comfortable machines for humans. This includes furniture design and the design of parts of the computer like keyboards.
Health at work - physical health
You don't have to work on a building site for your job to affect your health; even the more sedentary occupations can be a risk.
Back pain
Back pain is a fairly universal experience. Some see it as an inevitable legacy of our evolution, the result of turning a body designed to hang from a horizontal spine into a vertical spire, where a carefully balanced mechanism of muscles and joints must support organs and tissues pulling the column of vertebral bones downwards.
Back problems often start at work. Take an office worker who typically spends up to 40 hours a week hunched solid over their desk, nurses who need to frequently lift patients, a taxi driver bent into the driving seat for over 25,000 miles a year, a farmer constantly lifting sacks, seeds and machinery, or a checkout assistant sat on a poorly designed chair at her till all day (57% experience lower back pain each year). Our backs may be put under prolonged strain by our jobs and its hardly surprising that something within the delicate balance of bones and muscles so often fails.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
I'm seeing more and more people in my surgery suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, and one of the things it appears to be related to, is using computer keyboards.
In the wrist, there is a tunnel formed by the strong tissue through which the tendons of the hand and the median nerve pass. It's a tight squeeze, so anything that reduces the space in the tunnel, such as fluid or inflammation of the tendon coatings, exerts pressure on this nerve. It's believed that repetitive overuse of the hand tendons, as with any tendon or muscle, causes them to become inflamed. Hence why keyboard use or other repetitive activities can be responsible.
When the nerve is compressed, people suffer discomfort, numbness, pins and needles, and sometimes, pain in the thumb, index, middle, and side of the ring finger, next to the middle finger. This is where the median nerve endings are distributed. Tingling often wakes sufferers up at night; when vigorously shaking the hands and arms is what brings relief. Men will also describe dropping things, or being clumsy with simple, but fiddly tasks, such as fitting a plug, for example.
Eye problems :: regular eye checks, tips to reduce eye strain, first aid for eyes
Most people give hardly a thought to the amazing work our eyes do to enable us to see, until things start to go wrong. It's often at work (or school) that people begin to realise they have a problem. That doesn't mean that work is harmful to your eyes (although it can be) but that work or school is where we most need to see well.
We may be stressed, tired, trying to read tiny print or study tiny diagrams, and using our brains to think out problems fast, relying on all our senses. And so often these days, work also means sitting staring at a computer screen or VDU which puts extra demands on our eyes.
Regular Eye Checks.
So looking after your eyes at work is vital. But many people don't even have regular sight tests. It is estimated that as many as one in three working people have visual defects (like short or long sightedness) which have never even been diagnosed or have not been properly corrected. These problems may come to light when you do visually demanding work.
Make sure you have your eyes tested at least once a year or more often if you have symptoms. You may be able to demand that your employer provides regular eye tests especially if you work at a VDU - check Health & Safety regulations.
Symptoms suggesting eye problems are: Problems seeing or reading, Blurred vision, Headaches, Dizziness, Pain in the eyes, Watery eyes, Dry eyes
