h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For the past 3 days I have got a fairly minor headache at about 2:30pm. I haven't significantly changed my diet or seat..probable cause?

Too much Liffey Water??????

I get the occasional mild pulsing headache in the area of my temples when I've either eaten (or drunk) something vaguely toxic, been in a room where fumes from gloss paint or other nasty organic vapours are present, or if I get seriously dehydrated (ie >5 hours hard caving without a drink)

If you haven't changed anything, has the company you work for changed anything? What about the local council (or whatever the equivalent is over there)? Is there any local industry that could be responsible? What's happening at 2.30pm that never used to?

I know these are just a lot of questions with no helpful suggestions, but if you can find the answer to some or all of these, you might find the cause of the headache.

Oh, and tablets aren't necessarily the answer. You should be safe enough with something like paracetamol, but some 'headache remedies' can actually have the side-effect of *causing* headaches!

It is unrelated to pints as I haven't had a drink since Monday night (and that wasn't the best - slight tase of cleaning fluid in the glass ) but it may be stress....if so, I'll have to put it in the "things I've never done before" thread.

As Potholer said earlier, make sure you're drinking plenty of water.
The other thing is make sure you're taking enough breaks from looking at your computer screen and looking at something in the distance to avoid keeping your eyes focused at the same distance all the time.
But I'm sure you know these already.
Another things is the air con in your office working correctly and not putting extra nasties in the air you breathe - and get some fresh air at regular intervals.

OK - a fellow worker has had this for a while and reckons (and I'm very sceptical) that its tidal!

Now - wait, see in the early afternoon the tide is out and the seaweed stuff collected on the beach is rotting away like a good thing giving off lots of nasty smells so people close all the windows and this means we're running on recycled air by about 2.pm.

I am going for a walk

I'd say a stuffy office is definitely a prime candidate. Airless rooms can get me the same way. Either that or they make me sleepy, which is just as detrimental to my productivity.

Are there any recently-arrived men who go for a deodorant/aftershave top-up at lunchtime, or any women who reapply scent in industrial quantities? B.O. can be unpleasant, but it's rarely as toxic as the 'polite' alternative.

Failing that, try looking for any photocopiers or laser printers with the scent of ozone about them, though I find ozone generally starts to dry my eyes out and/or make them start to close of their own accord as an early warning that ventilation is needed.

I cast my vote for the stuffy, ill-ventilated office. We got some official people in to measure noxious gases in our office building because so many people were complaining of afternoon headaches. Sure enough, the air-conditioning's not working properly and carbon di-oxide levels get too high by about 3pm. Also the humidity is far too low so we're all easily dehydrated.
So drink lots of water, open the windows and put up with the smells.

Maybe your vision is changing. You may need glasses. Has it been sunny during the day? Maybe your eyes were overexposed to the sun therefore you squint and later that eve your eyes are tired and slower all the muscles working overtime. You feel all the muscles in your eyes spasming ever so slightly, so you look at things harder and if you notice, most people who squint move their head forward in a small way and can crink your neck and it turns into a tension headache. I know that this isn't making any sense, just an idea. Hope your headaches stop. Cold wet cloth over your eyes, and take a deep breath and RELAX this will take away most tension headaches away!
Hoppa

I've got it...I haven't moved but the network printer has - to just behind me here. I'm going to surreptitiously turn it off before lunch and see if that helps.

If you're in a large office, why not get yourself a desk fan, point it at the printer and see if anyone downwind starts feeling a little rough?

Did it come back today (Thursday)? It could be that you just need a little downtime. Good luck with the network printer.

This was nearly a simulpost. How are you today?

I was a bit queer, but not as bad as the previous days. At about 3 we had an almighty thunderstorm and I got better almost immediately.
If only humans were as easy to debug as PCs

Sounds like it could well be the printer then.
Could be time to get the fan and open a window to keep the fresh air circulating (if the air con is anything as bad as the office I'm in, you'll need it).

It could be related to the weather? I've always been able to predict a storm coming on by getting headaches & electrical storms by my hair standing up even more than usual. It has been pretty oppressive in parts of the UK recently.

I'm trying an epxerimental therapy today - lots of Guinness Its a bit early to be sure, but it doesn't seem to have helped at all.

It's bl**dy early to be drinking. What are you celebrating?