Exercise Induced Headaches

Have you tried having a sugary snack right afterwards? I get post workout hypoglycemia which gives me terrible headaches and nausea. Literally an ounce of OJ or a glucose tablet will prevent it from happening if taken immediately after my workout.

I agree with quiksylver - sounds like a blood pressure related issue. Same thing was happening/happened to a friend of mine.

See a doctor. This isn't normal, and you aren't going to get good advice in a forum like this.

If your blood pressure's not an issue, try eating some carbs before or after exercising. Doesn't have to be a lot, a banana or granola bar should do it. I get exercise headaches if I don't refuel properly.

Make sure you're not holding your breath when you exercise. I used to get headaches whenever I did strength training because I held my breath when it got hard. Other than that, all I know of is blood pressure/sugar issues like the others mentioned. I would also say go see a doctor if all of that has been ruled out.

Check your electrolytes, too! Maybe replace one of those bottles of water with a sports drink like Gatorade.

My first thought also was blood pressure.
1. Have you told your doctor about this? Did he or she have any feedback?
2. Do you have any way to take your blood pressure before and after working out?
3. How much cardio are you doing, anyway?

ai071408 wrote: »

sheermomentum wrote: »

My first thought also was blood pressure.
1. Have you told your doctor about this? Did he or she have any feedback?
2. Do you have any way to take your blood pressure before and after working out?
3. How much cardio are you doing, anyway?

1. I brought it up to my doctor and her only suggestions were to make sure I am drinking and eating enough, which I am
2. I don't know of a way
3. I used to do like an hour on the elliptical 3 times a week and thought I was just overdoing it to the point of a headache. So a while ago I switched to 30 mins on the elliptical 5ish times a week and it didn't improve anything except that my feet weren't so sore after lol

hmm. I thought you might know someone who has an automatic machine at home. Maybe somebody older than you. I have one. But anyway, I'd also say if it doesn't clear up, bring it up again with your doctor, and ask her if she could recommend a specialist if she has no other suggestions. It definitely isn't normal, but sometimes you have to push doctors when the answer isn't easy for them.

Do you suffer from migraines? I do, and sometimes exercises triggers them. If I feel any pressure in my head at all, strength training is a no go. Light, steady state cardio like the elliptical helps them, but if I over do it...migraine city.

I had this until recently - usually resulting in migraines!Im still very careful and make sure i eat/drink before a work out and if i know its going to be a tough one i take nurofen before i start but non of these actually stopped the mugraines. However two things have occurred recently and i put it down to either one of these...
Firstly i had my daith point pierced in my ear, i swear i felt a pressure release when it was done and while i still get headaches they are better. Secondly i had an incident while swimming where i had the worst most intense headache, it was short lived but left me shaky and neasous (?!) for a couple of days. Had it checked out and i am due a brain scan but wondering if worth it as i now dont get the exercise induced migraines any more!
While you cant do the intense headache thingy i would definately recommend the piercing!

are you on meds? if so could they be causing the blood pressure issues when exercising? I was on an acid reflux medicine and was getting those headaches when I did any kind of intense cardio/hiit. it was only then and not when I weight lifted. I have been off the meds for a few days(it was causing me many issues and it says blood pressure could be affected and my blood pressure is normal any other time) and since then I have not had the headaches from the exercise. I guess my blood pressure was getting too high from the exercise causing me headaches(my face would look sunburnt too and I could feel my pulse in my head). look up side effects of any meds you are on if any. if it can cause high blood pressure than talk to your dr and see what they say.

I had the exact same issue for about 2 years. After trying everything my doctors could think of, one of them finally sent me to a physiatrist, who figured out that I have hypermobility. I then went to a physical therapist and learned what to do for it. The headaches have not entirely stopped, but they are more rare, and less intense, and I am continuing to make progress. Any chance this could be the problem? Are you super flexible? Just thought I would bring it up, since it's not something that most people think of.

I know but you have probably considered this, but I had this problem, and it turns out that I simply cannot wear a workout headband or a sweat band of any kind when I work out. The tightness around my head give me a screaming shrieking migraine within about an hour. Again, I'm sure you've looked at this as a possibility but it never hurts to double check :-)

I'm trained as an NP (but no longer practice) and I've suddenly been getting these headaches much more frequently so I talked with some of my colleagues and basically it's related to dilated blood vessels in the brain. If you never had them before, you should have an MRI or other imaging to make sure you don't have any structural abnormalities. I had a CAT scan not too long ago during an unrelated ER visit so they were comfortable just starting meds. I was prescribed indomethicin to take 30-60 min before my workouts but there are other drugs that can work as well. (I had already tried the 2 most common, ibuprofen and propranolol, when I finally gave in and sought treatment) I just picked up my rx so we'll see how it works. Next step is a neurologist.