What are the Causes of Exercise Headaches?

Do you have to make a choice between a sever exercise head ache and the healthy results from running and lifting? For the majority of people these headaches are preventable and harmless. For others they can be quite serious. An exercise headache is a headache that comes after a hard workout or exercise as the name implies.

When to seek help

You should seek professional help the first time that you have a sever headache after exercise. This is one of those times that waiting to see may not be the best option. Some headaches may be caused from a sever underlying problem like bleeding or a tumor in the brain. Our bodies are always giving us warning signs. If we listen then we will live and enjoy life a lot longer.

What else could it be?

Over exertion! It could be as simple as a sinus infection or a lack of water. Two causes that seem to be hit the most are muscle strain and extreme increases in blood pressure. The heat and humidity is another reason.

In High School I began having sever migraines in English class. My mother thought that I just didn't like English. But as it turned out it was because of the extreme exercising in volleyball 45 minutes before and drinking Dr. Pepper instead of water. Crazy thing. Our bodies need more water than carbon dioxide. After seeing a specialist who took me off of everything from chocolate, yes, chocolate to tuna. I was willing to do anything to get rid of these torturous headaches. The Dr. said that they were not sure exactly what causes migraines or most headaches, but this list of things is usually part of the cause. He handed me a 10 page list of food that I could not eat and stuck a needle in my leg. For 2 weeks I suffered without cokes or chocolate. Then the 3^rd week I added the chocolate back and waited for a week. No headaches. Yes, chocolate! The next week I tried to drink a Dr. Pepper. Horribly I got an instant headache. My body was dehydrated. All I had been drinking was Dr. Pepper and my body rejected it after its 4 week relief.

For a long time I only drank water. It was years before I added tea and other drinks. But I really don't drink many sodas any longer. They don't affect me like they used to though. It was the exercise and the dehydration that caused those awful headaches.

Prevention is the best cure!

Muscle strain:

Your neck is pretty thin. It carries around an 8 to 11lb head. Leaning over of bouncing your head around can cause tension in the neck. To prevent this you can do a couple of things. First, stretch before exercising. Next, warm up. Don't just go out full blast. Start gradually. Then slow down before ending. Try not to stop and sit down. Did you ever notice how runners finish a 10k and then keep walking. Do the same for your body. Let your body cool down slowly. Lastly, exercise your neck. Strengthen the neck muscles slowly and prevent your neck from the shock of suddenly having to hold up your bowling ball of a head for an hour while you ride your bike or bounce it around on the volley ball court.

Dehydration:

Our bodies are 60-70% water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water

When you exercise you sweat a lot of that out. We do not need to live in the ocean but we do need to replace the water we use.

We were taught that everyone needs 8 glasses a day. But, resent studies show that it is closer to half you body wait in ounces. For instance if you weigh 100lbs and I do not expect you to. Then you should drink 50 ounces. But if you weigh 1000lbs are you really suppose to drink 500 ounces of water. If you did you would not be 1000lbs for long.

I aim for around 1 gallon. But, I drink more on hot days and when I'm sweating. I drink less when I stay in the air-conditioning and do nothing. Drink what you need. Please do not, however, drink soda for water. Our bodies are not made up of 60- 70% soda. Well, they shouldn't be.

How HOT?

Avoid getting too hot. When it's 103 outside please do not go out for a run. Find a nice treadmill and run inside if you must. Wait until sunset or skip today. High heat and humidity seem to bring on exercise headaches fast. They can also cause muscle fatigue. Check the temperature on the days that you get a headache and see if it may be heat related.

It's not for you.

You may also find that you get exercise headaches only when you run or when you ride a bike for a long while. If this is the case then take notice. Next time the urge hits you remember your last headache and find another activity or take it easy.

Use your Calendar

Start writing down when you get the headaches. What were you doing? What did you eat? What was the temperature? Did you stretch? Did you stop exercising fast? What made that day different? It may take a little bit of effort to write on your calendar, but, you may find that it is worth. After you find your headaches will be just a memory.