Personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a fact of life for anyone working in health care in Australia, even those without much patient contact.
I've been asked about whether wearing a simple surgical mask can cause headaches. The answer is yes it can! The first step is make sure you are wearing an appropriately sized mask for your body size and face shape. See your manager if none of the masks supplied works for you. You may just need help with correctly fitting the masks or perhaps an alternative option can be ordered.
Combining masks with protective eyewear or a shield puts further pressure on your head and can alter your posture and putting extra pressure on soft tissue.
Tips are to make sure to take adequate breaks. Headaches are associated with wearing PPE longer than four hours at a time. Breaks are essential to preventing headaches as the mask is a physical barrier to drinking. In previous times you might have had a drink bottle handy to take sips between patients, but with the inconvenience of glove, mask and perhaps eyewear removal you just soldier on. On the other hand if you normally drink coffee, tea or caffeinated fizzy drink throughout your day, you might be drinking less because you have a mask on, which could lead to painful withdrawal headaches.
Keep your drink bottle or coffee cup in your work area as a visual reminder that you need to take a break for a drink or set a timer on your smart watch if you have one. While on your break stretch your head and neck, maybe wash your face and apply moisturiser before resuming work.
Take care people!
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