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Headaches after longer sessions

Subwrx300

Subwrx300

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Minuteman
Jan 15, 2014
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Cedar Springs, MI
Curious if anyone else here gets headaches after shooter longer practice sessions. I shoot a lot (5-8k rifle rounds a year plus 223/556...) bit I've noticed I've gotten more headaches after shooting lately.

I think it may be my ear pro; I use three different kinds (safari, foam or over the ear) but I definitely have had it happen more when shooting with others on the line when using the Safaris (little black kind for impulse protection). I think they are just a bit too wimpy for being on the line for several hours with other guys shooting brakes.
 
cornhusker86 said:
Don't rule out eye strain.
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Didn't think about that. It's possible; I wear contacts/glasses but usually contacts for shooting and glasses for around the house/office. Might need to try getting in for eye check. Probably need new contacts anyways.

I'll give foam plugs a run this week and next at matches to see if things change. If not, will look into eye doctor appointment to check prescription.
 
Maybe try a session that would typically induce a headache with foam plugs and muffs to eliminate noise as the cause.

Pressure points from ear pro could also induce headaches, as could neck and shoulder muscle tension, and eye strain/fatigue is definitely a player. The optical nerves can induce a migraine in a split second. A stretch could be powder fumes? Heaven forbid!
 
I tend to spend a lot of time on glass during a match and I used to get eye strain headaches when I used a spotting scope for a good portion of the day. It largely stopped happening when I switched to binos instead of a spotter. I imagine if you are shooting with 1 eye closed you are probably having a similar issue.
Another thing that can sometimes give me a headache is when I wear muffs for a long period of time. I have a pretty big head and all I can figure is that they just put too much pressure on my head. I typically just run foamies and only put on muffs when I need to double up on ear pro or if I need the amplification to hear range commands/conversations etc. Not all that often and almost never in a match setting. They get a good amount of use in a training setting.
 
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It's the muffs squeezing your head, buy better earpro. Hasn't been an issue for me since buying Sordinns.
 
It could be one thing or several different things. The individual things that come to mind are pressure from your ear pro, concussion from braked rifles, eye strain from looking through the optic, eye strain from having to keep your eye looking up from a poor cheek weld, shoulder and neck strain by having to manipulate yourself to look through the scope, or muscle strain to keep yourself in position.

Start by closing your eyes and getting a good comfortable position on the rifle. Head, neck, shoulders, arms, and back are all comfortable. Then open your eye to look through the scope. If you have to shift to get the proper sight picture then your scope isn’t in alignment for you.

Try wearing your ear pro for an extended period of time without shooting. See how it feels. Cut the grass with your ear pro on. Or sit and read a book.

Check your eye pro. If you’re not looking directly out of it you’re probably looking through the upper corner nearest the nose bridge. It may cause distortion that your eye is having to correct for causing strain. Or he ear pieces are being pinched into your head by your eye pro (muffs).

Just a few of the possibilities I could think of or have encountered myself. Good luck narrowing it down and please update the thread. Often times newer shooters will search for answers and threads will die off without results getting posted.
 
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I'm one of those that does. I had a sound sensitivity since birth in my left ear. Muffs don't work well when I shoot a rifle,and inside ear irritates it, so I said screw it, I bought a suppressor. I can shoot my rifle with no problem now,and all my most frequently shot guns are wearing a suppressor now too.
 
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MJBmxz said:
I'm one of those that does. I had a sound sensitivity since birth in my left ear. Muffs don't work well when I shoot a rifle,and inside ear irritates it, so I said screw it, I bought a suppressor. I can shoot my rifle with no problem now,and all my most frequently shot guns are wearing a suppressor now too.
Click to expand...

That’s one way to do it.

Haha. I’ll go be poor somewhere else.
 
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I’ve got a 7mm rem mag with a brake that feels like getting punched in the face every time I pull the trigger. I always run plugs and muffs. I like foamies better than flanged plugs. The flanged plugs- no matter how expensive- shift around as I change my jaw position and lose their seal. The foam plugs don’t do that. Muffs can shift around with head position, but foamies don’t do that. Using both is great insurance. The proliferation of braked rifles and weak ear pro is my bet as to your headache issue.
 
If I leave my highly-effective muffs on continuously for more than a couple of hours, I get a pounding headache. The answer for me is a pair of very comfortable, superbly effective molded earplugs made for me by a guy who does a lot of work making them for military and law enforcement.
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For normal range sessions where I can remove ear pro every half hour or so, I use a huge pair of Howard Leight Impact Pro muffs. These are very effective - but they give me a nasty headache if I have to keep them on for more than an hour or two.

For matches or other situations where I need to keep ear protection in place for most of a day, nothing comes close to the comfort and effectiveness of custom earplugs molded by someone who knows what they are doing. Mine are solid - there is no passive or active control to allow me to hear speech or simply attenuate shot spikes.

Why don't I wear the molded plugs all the time? Because it's often handy to quickly pull off muffs or put them back on. The molded plugs are easy enough to insert/remove once you know how, but it's still way slower than muffs and I'm always leery of losing one and I usually don't want to mess with putting them into or pulling them out of their little case and it's Hard to lose a pair of muffs hung around your neck.

Kits can be bought with the materials to mold your own. I know a few people who tried to do that to save money, and they ended up having to buy multiple kits because early attempts failed completely or simply didn't fit correctly; they spent as much as they would have to have a professional make their plugs. The guy who did mine does a lot of work for military and law enforcement; the $65 price (a few years ago) was a bargain for the effectiveness and comfort they offer. Plugs with passive attenuation cost more; plugs with active electronic control cost quite a bit.
 
Last edited:
OutlawTen5 said:
and stay hydrated
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^^^This is just as important as anything else posted above. ^^^

Shooting around brakes, you should always have double protection on.
However, if it puts excessive pressure on your head, I'll guarantee it's a contributing factor to the headache.
Keep both eyes open whenever possible to reduce eye strain.
 
You also need to rest your eyes throughout a long day behind the rifle - take some time in position to be still on the rifle and close your eyes.
And like I said above - Stay HYDRATED.
 
I've always thought it was concussion. If you have good ear protection, your eyes are still vulnerable to changes in pressure.
 
DownhillFromHere said:
For normal range sessions where I can remove ear pro every half hour or so, I use a huge pair of Howard Leight Impact Pro muffs. These are very effective - but they give me a nasty headache if I have to keep them on for more than an hour or two
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Check out the replacement gel cushions from Valholl Gear. Super comfy and I can wear them all day. I run them in conjunction with foam plugs for maximum hearing and blast protection.
 
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If I shoot for very long in the prone position I get a hell of a headache never could figure it out, when I started going to the chiropractor he did X-rays and I have an extra vertebrae and it pinched my nerves causing a headache. I have to get a little bit of an angle or I am done in about 10 minutes.
 
308Gunner said:
If I shoot for very long in the prone position I get a hell of a headache never could figure it out, when I started going to the chiropractor he did X-rays and I have an extra vertebrae and it pinched my nerves causing a headache. I have to get a little bit of an angle or I am done in about 10 minutes.
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Try going up a few notches on your bipod, it might relive some of the discomfort
 
I have with the extra vertebrae it literally pinches the nerve and within 10 minutes I will have a migraine type headache
 
308Gunner said:
I have with the extra vertebrae it literally pinches the nerve and within 10 minutes I will have a migraine type headache
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I understand that, I'm just giving you an idea to try to see if it helps you, if your head is completely extended back when you are laying prone it will def put more stress on your neck and spine, if you get the bipod up higher your neck won't need to be as straight as before and it MIGHT help, I've heard of similar instances where it did help people
 
https://www.bosssafety.com/p-10273-...76717150743762&utm_content=Hearing Protection
I'd get away from electronic muffs when around others. Concussion does not bother me, but I shot a league at an indoor range last winter, my walkers did not cut it when turned on, no way to capture all the blasts.
For yrs I ran Howard Leights, borrowed those 4 pair out to never return, went to Walker Quads and am way happier with them. Bulkier, but I don't grind my face into my stock either.
 
308Gunner said:
If I shoot for very long in the prone position I get a hell of a headache never could figure it out, when I started going to the chiropractor he did X-rays and I have an extra vertebrae and it pinched my nerves causing a headache. I have to get a little bit of an angle or I am done in about 10 minutes.
Click to expand...
How much you want for that extra vertebrae? I’m short a few!
 
you use ear muffs or plugs ? i would start there is free
 
Op Yes, and on the same quest to resolve.

By any chance have you been shooting different calibers or rifles?
 
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