Post-Exercise headaches! Arrgh!
 

Hi friends,

I have been lurking here for a while but just joined. Only looking to lose 10-15 pounds, and so I am trying to exercise. I had been exercising sporadically, but not very regularly.

Yesterday I exercised in the late afternoon; today, in the late morning. Both days, around 6pm, I have gotten a HORRIBLE headache! Throbbing, awful, headache. I'm definitely well-hydrated so that's not it...

Just wanted to know if anyone else has dealt with this, or maybe this is just an unrelated headache? I'm going to keep working out this week and see what happens.

Are you exercising outdoors? I have had problems with bad headaches when I exercise outdoors in the sun. Any of the following solves the problem for me: 1) wear a hat, or 2) exercise in the early morning or late evening when the sun isn't as high in the sky, or 3) exercise indoors.

Have you recently quit or reduced caffeine?

I did exercise outdoors in the sun. Maybe that's it? I do live in an area with terrible air quality...

As for caffeine - nope, I still drink way too much of it :p

Yes, I always used to get exercise-induced migraines.

there are two things I used to do which helped:
1) Never run in the cold
2) ALWAYS warm up slowly for at least 10 minutes before strenuous exercise.

Then I cut out cow's milk completely out of my diet, and my migraines drastically reduced (from 1-2 times per week to once every 3-4 weeks), and I never get exercise-induced migraines any more.

~CGH~

That would absolutely do it. It's not the air quality so much as the sun beating down on you. It's really damaging. A hat will do wonders...

Hmm. I'll try wearing a hat, then. Because these headaches are just terrible! If I work out for, say, 2 more weeks, and this still happens, maybe I should see a doctor?

Last night when I got the bad headache, I took some Motrin, and it got better. Tonight I didn't take anything and it sort of got a little better, but now it's coming back. ARGH!!

you could also take a Motrin about an hour before you exercise. see if that helps.

I think I'd see a doctor a lot sooner than two weeks, but I think the hat will help. It definitely made a difference for me. And I've read about climbers on Everest experiencing the same problem and solving it by wearing hats--I think that's what made me think to try a hat in the first place.

I do find that when I get a headache from exercising, the only way to get rid of it is to take a painkiller of some sort. I don't wait anymore. As soon as I feel the slightest indication of a headache coming on after exercise, I pop a couple Ibuprofens.

Are you on a strict diet plan, too low in calories? Are you eating enough throughout the day to fuel workouts? Late mornings or late afternoon, did you have a snack mid-morning or mid-afternoon? Maybe you need one...

Just some thoughts...