Travel News - Can flying really give you a headache?

aol.co.uk: Can flying really give you a headache? (http://travel.aol.co.uk/2012/06/09/can-flying-give-you-headache-airplane-travel-health/)

We know baggage, lines, security, etc. seems like a headache, but can flying really give you one?? I've always figured it was the altitude.

Researchers have found that the headaches that many people get when travelling by train, car or plane are more acute when flying.

'Airplane headache' is a form of pain that flares up during landing and takes place on one side of the head near the eye, which should be recognised in the medical world, Italian researchers have argued.

I've never heard of people getting headaches specifically from flying, but I do know that flying can really exacerbate a preexisting sinus condition.

This may be TMI, but the one time I've ever gotten really sick while traveling was when I flew from YYZ-DEN with a really bad head cold. As we started to land I developed an intensely painful sinus headache, and even after landing it didn't go away. Eventually it got so bad I threw up. After eating a greasy burger/fries combo and taking a nap, I felt fine by the evening. But I've never experienced anything like that before or since - I assume it was the sudden changes in sinus pressure during a particularly bad sinus moment. Must have been similar to what migraine sufferers feel - I almost never get headaches myself, so it was a pretty unpleasant surprise.