What It Means If You Got A Headache After The Solar Eclipse? How To Identify & Treat Eye Damage, Migraines & Nausea After Staring At The Sun
Carter Sullivan After months of hype, the solar eclipse came and went in pretty much the blink of an eye on August 21, 2017.
Well, in the blink of an eye and following the approximately 672,989,287 posts about it that came across all of our social media feeds...
But the weird thing is, so many people started talking about having headaches and nausea right after the eclipse. Is it realated?
According to PreventBlindness.org, those whose vision was harmed may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Sensitivity to light
- Eye pain
- Loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Loss of central vision
- Distorted vision
- Altered color vision.
It takes approximately 24 hours for these signs to develop sufficiently to determine whether damage has been sustained.
As reported in the Charlotte Observer, some sources state that "it could take days before symptoms show up, but early signs could include 'dim' sight and after images. (Oxford astronomer John Greaves was once quoted as saying the after images looked like a flock of crows in his vision, reported LiveScience.)"
So now would be the time to take note of the symptoms mentioned above and run, not walk, to your doctor if you suspect you are having trouble.
And even for those who managed to view this miraculous event without destroying their retinas or irises, there could be additional lingering effects you'll probably want to be aware of.
Here are 4 of the potential effects you may be feeling as a result of an "eclipse hangover" and what you can do about them:
1. Migraine or tension headaches.
According to the Miami Headache Institute, "One of the biggest factors when it comes to migraines is light sensitivity and contrast. Looking from very dark shadows to extremely bright light is called 'flickering' and it can have a traumatic effect on the brain. Similar to the strobe-light effect that can trigger seizures in epileptic patients, flickering can cause intense migraines."
So if you stepped out of your home or indoor work environment to check out the eclipse, that sudden shift in lighting could be enough to trigger to trigger a migraine in people who are prone to have them.
If you've never experienced a migraine in the past, you could be having what's known as a tension headache, which the Mayo Clinic describes as "generally a diffuse, mild to moderate pain in your head that's often described as feeling like a tight band around your head. A tension headache (tension-type headache) is the most common type of headache, and yet its causes aren't well-understood."
2. Feeling sick and/or nauseated.
If you find yourself with an upset stomach or overall feeling of dizziness, aches, and pains, these sensations are also associated with reactions to "flickering." Additionally, all are established to occur along with migraine headaches, so there's probably not much more than that to worry about.
3. Exhaustion.
As Transformation Coach and writer, Trina Harmon explains, "It’s the kind of ‘trance’ like tiredness we get when spirit is urging us to go into theta state so we can be rebalanced, or be downloaded a new ‘frequency operating system’ in order to adjust to the new energies."
The good news, she says, is that experiencing this "is perfectly normal, after a frequency shift this impactful. Some readjustment to the ‘new earth’ is necessary, and your body will respond accordingly sometimes with light headaches, upset stomach, elimination of toxins, vertigo, weakness, etc. The best thing to do is rest, drink lots of water, take a detox bath in sea salt and baking soda, use essential oils for balance, or put your bare feet in the grass, or any other grounding techniques that help you feel more connected to the earth."
4. General uneasiness.
It is entirely possible that you are experiencing a psychic reaction to this extraordinary astrological phenomenon.
Of course, you may just be feeling a little bit of the "post-eclipse blues," which LCSW F. Diane Barth explains as follows:
"When something special happens, we feel a natural sense of exhilaration in reaction to the flow of hormones and chemicals our bodies produce. Endorphins start to surge, and that “high” feeling colors our expectations of something truly awesome...
And then reality happens. The endorphins and other feel-good chemicals stop coursing through our bodies, the high wears off, and we start to feel a physiological comedown, as well as a psychological one. The body is not only releasing itself from an uptick of stress hormones, but also neurotransmitters and endorphins that put us in an improved mood and state of mind."
Regardless of why you are feeling the way you do, Curejoy.com offers these five basic tips to get yourself back in tip-top shape:
- Drink enough water
- Use hot and cold packs
- Use peppermint and eucalyptus oil
- Eat ginger every 4 hours
- Practice deep breathing and meditation
Of course, there's always a chance you've fallen victim to yet another nasty side effect of the eclipse...
News.com in Australia, for one, is having quite laugh at those of us in the U.S.:
"In what’s been dubbed 'eclipse hypochondria' plenty of people have taken to the search engine complaining of headaches or sore eyes at the time of the eclipse," and noting that, "there has been a spike in Google searches emanating from the US for things like 'eclipse headache', 'I looked at the sun' and 'My eyes hurt.'"
But please, don't just take our word for it.
If you have any reason at all to believe you are experiencing a serious health issue related to the eclipse, get yourself to a doctor.
Senior Editor and happily-former divorce coach/mediator Arianna Jeret is a recognized expert on love, sex, and relationships (except when it comes to her own life, of course) who has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Yahoo Style, Fox News, Bustle, Parents and more. Join her Sundays at 10:15 PM EST for answers to ALL of your questions on Facebook Live on YourTango and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
