Exercise induced Headache

[V12man]

Not a new phrase,

 

just curious to know if there are any other sufferers out there.

 

and before anyone says anything:

 

i drink more than enough water on a ride

i eat well on rides

etc etc

 

have a family history of migraines.

short rides (2hr or less) no issue, anything above 2hrs, guaranteed headache for me.

 

i used to pop 2 panado after long rides when the headache kicked in.

have now swapped to disprine.

ideally i would like to not take anything. but as i have to take, does anyone know which is the least toxic pain killer for a headache? 

 

as for long rides. every sat and sunday.

Disprin is not great - given it's NSAID actions - probably swapping back to Panado is better - best still it to find the cause and sort that out:

 

1 - Bike fit

2 - Helmet (some helmets and visors force you to put your head back more than others - this definately leads to sore necks and other ailments)

3 - Sweetner sensitivity - you might find that some of the sweeteners in your ride food and drinks affect you - you can google Aspartame+headache if you are interested - plenty of drinks and bars have it added

4 - Vascular/neurological issues - these will be hard to pinpoint without specific studies (read expensive)

[So Is Es]

I used to get the same not just cycling but any sporting activity which past the 2 hour mark.

for many years I just wrote it off and lived on Panado.

Until one day could not take it any more went to doc took x-ray send me straight away to neuro surgeon. Problem discovered and fixed. Osteoarthritis, vertebra in neck where collapsing around nerves over the years so fusion 5,6 & 7. Only headache I get now is after a heavy night of booze.

[CdT85]

Disprin is not great - given it's NSAID actions - probably swapping back to Panado is better - best still it to find the cause and sort that out:

 

1 - Bike fit

2 - Helmet (some helmets and visors force you to put your head back more than others - this definately leads to sore necks and other ailments)

3 - Sweetner sensitivity - you might find that some of the sweeteners in your ride food and drinks affect you - you can google Aspartame+headache if you are interested - plenty of drinks and bars have it added

4 - Vascular/neurological issues - these will be hard to pinpoint without specific studies (read expensive)

 

+1 on the helmet. My headaches stopped when I got a new helmet

[Joe Low]

Doesn't sound like it applies to you but I got really bad headaches cycling whilst using statins a few years back.  Might be helpful to others reading the thread.

[Reg Lizard]

Use to suffer headaches as well, but then stopped using Energade and switched over to 32GI! Would appear as if the Energade had too much sugar which (I believe) caused the headaches!

[Ratty]

For me, taking a sachet of Rehydrate Sport on the day of the event has solved my headache issues. 

 

 

"Electrolytes especially sodium and potassium, reduce urine output, promote absorption from the small intestine, and encourage fluid retention".

[stratus5]

I think for us migraine sufferers there is not much you can do. Mine seems related to exertion level.

 

When I played squash I was almost guaranteed a good headache and vision problems after an intensive game.

 

On the bike I can do a DC with no issues, But a couple of maximum exertion efforts in even a short race and its headache time.

 

The next two or three days the head will feel bruised and uncomfortable.

 

I only get these headaches from cycling.

[BDF]

For me I found it was a combination of heat and lack of electrolytes during and after a ride. I now take Hammer's Endurolytes during a ride. Also on long rides I use their Perpetuem. No artificial anything in their products. Since I have done that, I'd say I am 99% headache free after rides now.

[popcorn_skollie]

I use to suffer from migraines after rides randomly (or any exercise for that matter). I'm talking about migraines though. Definitely not just a headache. Flickering aura vision that starts in the corner of my eye and slight nausea are the warning signs that I'll be on my ass soon. I usually have an hour or so to pop 2 anti-inflammatory painkillers (MYPAID) to take the sting out of it then I have to lay down and cope. I would not wish this on anyone. It’s excruciating.

 

At first I assumed the main contributing factor was genetic predisposition (family medical history) and was directly related to the intensity and/or duration of exercise.
But I soon learned that occurrences were far too random to accurately assess this.
I would get a throbbing migraine after just 5km in some instances and even on shuttle days (no climbing) So that theory was out the window.

 

Spoke to the doctor at length and even took suggested supplements for a while which I think helped but I don't take them anymore (CoenzymeQ10) The migraines have stopped for months now. I can't really attribute the issue being resolved to a single thing but there are a few things I do differently now.

 

I drink more water when I'm not active instead of trying to overcompensate when I do exercise.

 

I love my coffee but I don't use it as a tool to cope like I use to.
'I have to get this work done tonight, better brew a pot so I can stay up'
No more of that sort of thing. I picked up that it made me feel more stressed. I'll do what I need to without it. I have coffee when I'm in a more relaxed space. Mornings, socially, or just while watching a movie or browsing my favourite websites.

 

I'm in a far more positive head space than I use to be. I use to worry all the time. Often used my sense of humor as a coping mechanism to deal with stress. I just don't stress as much as I use to. This is easier said than done but I keep reminding myself that there's no point in losing sleep over that which I have no control over.

 

None of these changes were ever intended to alleviate my exercise induced migraines. They were just amongst a bunch of things I could feel I needed to change for myself. More casual than anything else. But the small changes that made me feel better overall and as a result I have no more migraines.

 

If they come back I’ll look at what I’m doing when I’m not active first. Trying to diagnose the problem by focussing on aspects surrounding my exercise habits only didn’t help me to begin with.

[dirtypot]

I also used to get really really bad headaches after riding, not during.  If I went for a long ride (3hrs+) then I'd be a right-off for the rest of the day.  My wife always used to moan about it...  "why do you go for long rides if it makes you useless for the rest of the day, blah blah blah..." 

 

I could never work out what the issue was - I tried rehydrat before, during and after rides, and most of the time it was still there.  I tried drinking excessive amounts of water before and after a ride.  I tried stretching before and after.  Nothing helped at all.

 

Then last year I went for a trip on the Orange River and suffered exactly the same headache for the first two days.  This was weird for me since almost nothing was the same as when I cycled.  Then I clicked!  The glasses.  They were the only similarity between the two activities.  The next day I swapped with someone else and had no headache!  

It really felt like I was witnessing something amazing!  The colours seemed brighter, the clouds all had silver linings and the birds were singing joyfully.

 

Who would have thought?!  They obviously were putting just a bit too much pressure on the sides of my head behind the ear (there was a noticeable lack of pressure with another pair - I had never noticed this pressure at all before, the glasses felt incredibly comfortable).  Switched the Oakleys for my old Adidas pair and I've been pain free since.  

[Robodog]

One way to diagnose whether muscle tension is causing your headache: let someone poke their thumbs into and even massage the muscles of your upper back while you are suffering. 

[peds]

I had this issue as well, had a post going as well. What I did was a proper fit on my bike at cycle fit. Richard tweaked my bike here and there and seemed to sort me out. Seems like the tension from my shoulders from the way I was sitting was causing the issue for me.

 

The other suggestions mentioned here are also not too be ignored, proper hydration, rehidrate before and after a ride and slow mag. All these are also part of my ride.

 

Safe riding!

[Furbz]

cheers for the advice guys!

i'm definitely going to try a few of these