Exercise exertion headaches - anyone cope with them?

jonbey

Last night I started doing some kettlebell swings and developed a really bad headache very suddenly, just on the left temple. It was so bad I had to sit down and close my eyes. Eventually my wife came downstairs and got me some pills and water. It continued all night and still hurts a bit now.

Has anyone else experienced these? How did you cope? Did you still exercise?

It is not the first time for me. I have recently been running and do not get them (touch wood) when running, but seem to get them with weight training, especially kettlebells.

slimkitty

That would have been a scary experience for me. The only thing I can suggest is to check your blood pressure and also make sure you are not holding your breath. Good luck.

sarkris

Yep I get them -ugh they suck! I find that putting a warm compress on the back of my neck helps but it still takes a long time for them to go away. I still excercise but it does make it tough. I'll be watching this thread - hopefully we will get some good advice on this one

hchandler0823

I've learned to take medicine before doing any exercises or activities that I know will give me a headache.

hmiller8156

1. make sure you are hydrated, and are drinking 1/2 of your body weight in oz
2. Make sure you have a good pre work out meal or shake, something with a good amount of protein and carbs,
I take 1 scoop of Optimum nutrition protein 24g of protein and add 1/2 cups oats raw....but i cook them before adding them that gives you the 52g of carbs. blend it, this should be drank 30 min before workout.....you could also drink a gatorade... REGULAR during your workout. A meal if you were to eat dinner before your workout wait an hour

3. Make sure you are not sick, even a little cold while working out can bog you down and make your body act weird.

Hope this helps!

Strive2BLean

Occassionally I will get a sharp pain at the temple when doing cardio. I didn't know it was common and was afraid to continue exercising so I would stop when this happened. I have told my doctor about it but he seemed clueless. For me it's my body telling me it's had enough. Being 51 years old, anytime I feel something out of the ordinary I am fearful for my life. I've known 2 people who have died while exercising and it scares me sometimes.

Monica_has_a_goal

I got them after doing the bear walks.. so I decided after the third time.. that bear walks just arent worth the pain.. I stopped doing that particular exercise and I drank lots of water and had my blood pressure checked. All was fine and I was relieved I wasnt having an anuerism.. but I refuse to do any exercise that causes so much pain!! :brokenheart:

Switch to something else and dont torture yourself.

Monica_has_a_goal

I got them after doing the bear walks.. so I decided after the third time.. that bear walks just arent worth the pain.. I stopped doing that particular exercise and I drank lots of water and had my blood pressure checked. All was fine and I was relieved I wasnt having an anuerism.. but I refuse to do any exercise that causes so much pain!! :brokenheart:

Switch to something else and dont torture yourself.

Michelle_C_

I occasionally get them from pushing way too hard during a workout... Once I trigger them, they come a couple workouts in a row. I just dial it way back for a week and then slowly increase my intensity again. I found the headaches were the worst when I was quitting coffee. I was a 3 - 4 cup a day drinker, now it's only a social thing, a few times a month. Anywho, I hope the headaches get better for you. This can be very discouraging. Good luck and I wish you the best in health!

stevenleagle

Listen to your body. I would definitely go and get a medical check up done.

shaundam

I've always gotten them. It was one of my big excuses for not exercising. I take motrin before I start my work out. On days I forget the motrin I pay the price the whole day. I noticed that when I first start feeling that headache come on if I take my blood pressure there is a spike. I thought it odd, but still taking the motrin first has helped me. Doesn't seem to help as much if I wait til I get it. good luck to ya.

shydaisi

I got these the first couple of weeks after beginning my exercise program, but eventually as my body acclimated to the new stress on my body, they went away.

1. Make sure you are hydrated! I generally aim for half my body weight in ounces per day (I am 200 lbs, so I try to drink at least 100 oz.), but I drink more on exercise days. Beware of caffeine drinks as they will dehydrate you.
2. Try not to overexert yourself during you new exercise program. The more effort you put into your exercise, the higher the likelihood that you will get a headache.

I am not a "medicine" kind of person, but I did pop an Advil before my workout for those first couple of weeks... It was important to me to continue with my exercise program, so I wasn't interested in scaling back.

shydaisi

Just wanted to add that you can Google "exercise headaches" and get a lot of information on them. However, I do agree with the previous poster who advised you might want to get checked out by your doctor. If mine hadn't dissipated after a couple of weeks, I would have...

jonbey

Cheers guys. I have done a lot of weight training in the past without problem, as well as hour long kettlebell classes. This one started within 60 seconds I think.

Maybe water related. I had eaten well yesterday. Hopefully they will pass, I will make an appointment with the doc but I can pretty much imagine the conversation now, which will end in, "take some pills and come back in 50 years if you are still alive"

mleoni092708

YES! I even went and had a checkup at the dr to make sure my blood pressure was ok and i wasn't killing myself (i'm only 29). I would have that checked first just in case. Then if no problems, I've found taking advil before my workout helps, and also scaling back a little on my exertion. Sometimes we're just overdoing it and our bodies don't like it. For me though it has definitely decreased as my fitness level is increasing. I feel you though, it stinks! And it makes me nauseated too which is no fun.

jonbey

Yeah, last night I felt crap. Tired, dizzy. All I was thinking was, is this a stroke?

Mad isn't it. I am only 37. I have done a lot of exercise in the past, loads of very intensive martial arts classes, sparring, plus weight training with heavy weights, running etc. But then this! Gah!!!

jonbey

Just went for a gentle jog around the village. Head still a bit achey. Took 2 ibuprofen before I went. No hill sprints. Felt good. Feel OK.