Horrible headaches with workout

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  • RJSuperMan
    RJSuperMan Posts: 52 Member
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    Water or breathing would be my go-to's. "8 cups a day" is for sustaining life. I usually drink at least twice that.

    Breathing? Yup. One of my lifting buddies recently asked me the same question and after observing his workout for a few minutes I noticed his eyes almost exploded near the end of every set! He wasn't breathing properly, inadvertently making his blood pressure skyrocket.

    Hope this helps.
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
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    I'm tossing this out because it took me YEARS to find out one trigger for migraines for me was Monosodium Glutamate ( MSG)
    which you no doubt consumed in the Aldi's Ranch Dressing. It takes 24-48 hrs to manifest in me.
    I'm not a chemist, but I believe it alters not only the blood pressure, but also the blood sugar in the body.

    If you happen to have a blood pressure cuff @ home, check your b/p when you're having one of these headaches
    AND tell your doctor what's happening.

    In the meantime, READ your labels- and avoid it (MSG) IF it may be a contributing factor.
    Just my insight...
  • cazzincali
    cazzincali Posts: 337 Member
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    I find that I get them if I don't drink enough electrolytes. You sweat them out whilst working out. For me this is a huge issue I've had since I was a little kid and skinny. If you don't mind the artificial sweeteners or the sugar you can drink the sports drinks that have electrolytes. If not, try what I use. Smart Water. It's pricey, but it totally gets rid of the headache/keeps them from coming on. Case in point I did a 12 mile bikeride today and got overheated. I drank my Smart Water and poof away the heat headache went. Oh, and salt is not enough to help this issue you need more than that to fix it. Good luck!

    you can eat food with electrolytes, you don't have to drink them!! also - be VERY careful with sports drinks... most are very high in sodium.

    sodium
    potassium
    calcium
    magnesium
    chloride
    ... and i think phosphate and carbonate

    hoping i remember my chemistry correctly!! :smile:

    also - a migraine has nothing to do with WHERE the pain is.

    If I were you, I would do what others have advised... get your BP checked!!
  • cowboydan43
    cowboydan43 Posts: 306 Member
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    Hmm I will google MSG I think I've heard of it but never paid much attention.

    I'm going to ask my boyfriend to pay attention to my breathing when I work out tomorrow. I know when I lift heavy weights (which I did not do today) I don't breathe the best during a set.

    This is scaring me a little....to the poster who said a similar issue with a prediabetic! Ahh. :( I'm going to ask my doctor on Wednesday.
  • cowboydan43
    cowboydan43 Posts: 306 Member
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    Thank you very much for the help this has give me a lot of questions to bring up to my doctor on Wednesday.
  • shauna121211
    shauna121211 Posts: 575 Member
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    Yeah, ditto with the BP. I know 19 seems a bit young to have blood pressure issues, but I'm 24 and have been on a low dosage of blood pressure medication for about 4 years now. I can thank my dad's genes for that one...
  • cowboydan43
    cowboydan43 Posts: 306 Member
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    Yeah I guess I'm a bit naive to think BP doesn't affect me at 19. It is just something that never even came close to crossing my mind. I hope I can avoid medication! I don't even like taking aspirin
  • jeffrodgers1
    jeffrodgers1 Posts: 991 Member
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    Try this... before your workout, try drinking a chocolate milk and eating a banana.... Its a great source of carbs, proteins, sodium and potassium which may help get you thru your workout (also cheaper than sports drinks)
  • cowboydan43
    cowboydan43 Posts: 306 Member
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    I'll try that tomorrow. I have some chocolate Soymilk...no bananas right now but I need to go grocery shopping. That is probably one thing I do wrong- I don't always snack before I work out. Thanks for the suggestion.
  • shauna121211
    shauna121211 Posts: 575 Member
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    Yeah I guess I'm a bit naive to think BP doesn't affect me at 19. It is just something that never even came close to crossing my mind. I hope I can avoid medication! I don't even like taking aspirin

    Yeah, to be honest it is rare, new doctor's are always a bit surprised by my having high blood pressure at a young age, especially when I tell them I work out at least 4 times a week! But really, if it doesn't run in your family and you haven't had any concerns with it in the past, it shouldn't be the issue. You would get your BP checked during regular check ups and would probably know if you are at risk, but then again you're about the age I was when I found out. Definitely just make sure you get it checked while you're there Wednesday.

    You might also just be hungry! I did take a little peak at your food diary and it looks like on the days you exercise, you don't eat much or any of your exercise calories back (based on a few days, I'm not sure if that's an intentional part of your routine). Try to eat a good wholesome snack an hour to a half hour before your workout. A banana, a wholemeal English muffin with PB, etc. I've also heard the drinking chocolate milk after a workout is good to replace your protein.
  • cowboydan43
    cowboydan43 Posts: 306 Member
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    Yeah I guess I'm a bit naive to think BP doesn't affect me at 19. It is just something that never even came close to crossing my mind. I hope I can avoid medication! I don't even like taking aspirin

    Yeah, to be honest it is rare, new doctor's are always a bit surprised by my having high blood pressure at a young age, especially when I tell them I work out at least 4 times a week! But really, if it doesn't run in your family and you haven't had any concerns with it in the past, it shouldn't be the issue. You would get your BP checked during regular check ups and would probably know if you are at risk, but then again you're about the age I was when I found out. Definitely just make sure you get it checked while you're there Wednesday.

    You might also just be hungry! I did take a little peak at your food diary and it looks like on the days you exercise, you don't eat much or any of your exercise calories back (based on a few days, I'm not sure if that's an intentional part of your routine). Try to eat a good wholesome snack an hour to a half hour before your workout. A banana, a wholemeal English muffin with PB, etc. I've also heard the drinking chocolate milk after a workout is good to replace your protein.

    I don't intentionally not eat back my calories although it probably looks like it. I think my gym machines &MFP grossly overestimate my burn. I also don't have a food scale so I think I may accidentally underestimate may calorie intake. I may up my calories a little though. I'm willing to do anything to stop this!
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
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    Electrolytes- good point. Something I know absolutely nothing about. I'm a poor college kid so buying Vitamin water to drink 2x a day would get expensive but maybe there are cheaper alternatives?

    I buy the Smart Water at Walmart for around $1.50 for a 2 liter bottle. Pretty cheap in comparison to sports drinks. I know that Costco carries it too, so if you or your parents have a membership you could get it in bulk probably cheaper.
  • toniRAD
    toniRAD Posts: 196 Member
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    I was just looking up some headache remedies.. I get them almost everyday. See if any of these work!

    http://www.healyourheadachenow.com/
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
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    You can also just go into a pharmacy and check your BP on their machines near the back. They are pretty acurate
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I know it sounds slightly silly, but are you wearing the right size/a well fitting sports bra? I was getting headaches and even upper back pain for awhile and it was from an ill-fitting sports bra. Got a new bra that fit better and all the aches went away.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    how long are your workout sessions?
    Could be your Cortisol levels!

    Read this!

    http://www.headache-migraine-release.com/headaches-and-cortisol.html

    cortisol is released first thing in the AM to wake you up but is also a stressor!
    when you work out your body releases this as well.
    As soon as I saw your post my brain yelled "CORTISOL!!!!"
  • noface
    noface Posts: 15
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    gah i knew i didnt have to be the only person with this !
    i get headaches almost every time exercise or go outside (walking in town or whatever)
    it isnt allergies or sunlight sensitivity, im pretty sure its something to do with moving
    I want to know how i can get rid of it too
  • cowboydan43
    cowboydan43 Posts: 306 Member
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    Thanks for the links I'll check them out after class. I typically work out for 30-60 minutes, not super long.

    I do have a few good sports bras because I hate the jiggle lol so I don't think that's the issue.

    noface- Glad my post was relevant to you. Hopefully you find your fix because it is so bothersome!

    I don't really know what ideal BP is for me so I may just wait for the doctor.

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