I work Mon, Weds Thurs Fri and Sat with Tuesday and Sunday free, I go home earlier during the week but make that up by working 10 hours every Saturday.
Every Sunday I have a recurring headache which lasts most of the day, but during the week, I’m fine, why is this? Is it my shift?
Is it caffeine related? If you drink caffeinated beverages at work but not on Sunday you may be getting a caffeine withdrawal headache.
[BOSS]You’re having work withdrawals. You need to work on Sunday, too, in order to prevent these headaches.[/BOSS]
The shift patterns that cause harm are the 24 hour rotating shifts, and this partly depends on if the rotation is forwards or backwards.
Daywork patterns should be reasonably ok, just so long as you don’t have long periods of work, such as 10 days on, few days off then another 10 days on.
It could be a migraine. Some migraines are triggered by the end of a stressful period, which can show up repetitively (every weekend, for example), or by changes in wake sleep patterns, which this could also be.
Do you have any other symptoms? Ringing ears? Sensitivity to light or sound? Nausea?
I worked night shifts and graveyard shifts for many years. During that entire time I had constant health problems… some of which had permanent effects.
No just basically a headache which is usually triggered on a Sunday, but on my other day off I don’t get them, so I wonder if it’s the shift. It’s not a night shift and it’s not on a rotating pattern.
The fact that it’s showing up so consistently makes me think that it could be tied to the shift. It might be worth talking to your doctor.
It could be something as simple as not drinking enough water while you’re at work, and your shorter shifts aren’t long enough for you to get dehydrated enough to get a headache, but the Saturday shifts are.
This seems like the most likely option to me - are you drinking coffee, tea, or soda at work? Try drinking them at home, at the same time of day (not hours later if you sleep in).