Have you tried exercising through a migraine?

Lanna74
Lanna74 Posts: 203 Member
edited October 7 in Fitness and Exercise
Just wondering. These headaches are kind of new to me. Luckily they aren't debilitating, just ruining my day eating and exercise-wise.
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Replies

  • empresslove13
    empresslove13 Posts: 48 Member
    No, mine are so bad I have to chug water, medication and go into a dark room and sleep. If you are experiencing migraines all of a sudden, you should figure out what the cause is and stop them before they get worse... ?
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    yes. its nearly impossible if i'm in a gym. if im at home alone i can usually make it though.

    sometimes if its really bad i'll just do some yoga with the volume on as low as possible and zen out.
  • KimertRuns13_1
    KimertRuns13_1 Posts: 702 Member
    I ran the best 7 miler I ever ran through a horrible migraine. It wasn't fun to start and I probably should have rested but it was on my schedule and I had to do it.
    Migraines suck, I hope you feel better!
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    i've had migrains since i was 4 because of a medical condition. but most migraines are caused by back/neck issues. a chiropractor can usually help.
  • holli_walker
    holli_walker Posts: 109 Member
    i have severe migraines and work through them all time. but eating and sleeping(enough)all on a schedule has really helped control them. if i skip a day they usually get worst. although migraines suck personal i work through them seems to make things a lot better. since using myfitesspal has helped me track what kind of foods that give me a migraine. so then i stay away from them. hope this helps :)
  • taylorbrown1792
    taylorbrown1792 Posts: 129 Member
    No Way!!! When a migrane rears its ugly head, I isolate myself in a dark room and try to sleep it off with an alieve in my system.
  • Lanna74
    Lanna74 Posts: 203 Member
    Skywa - Really? Migraines are caused by neck and back issues? Because my neck hurts too. I've never heard that before. Thanks.

    Holli_Walker - That's good advice. I need to look back at my food diary.

    Taylor Fisher - I've been sleeping all day and I'm getting sick of sleeping. lol. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel better.
  • repoman150
    repoman150 Posts: 42 Member
    Definately NOT for me....when I get a headache, its advil and rest until it goes away!!! Nothing worse!!!!
  • TheBottomlessPit
    TheBottomlessPit Posts: 12 Member
    I get migraines a lot and it's horrible. Normally I try to take painkillers and go to bet. But the last time I got one was in the car on the way to walk up a hill - I took some painkillers and then went on the walk. It's the best cure yet!! With the painkillers and the exercise the migraine went and I felt fine after about an hour! I reckon gentle exercise is probably a good thing to try. Obviously if you don't feel up to it, just don't. Do whatever feels like it will work :-)
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    Yes, I did that just today, I went running. I was going to take an Imitrex but I thought I'd give running a shot first. Sometimes it gives temporary relief, sometimes permanent. Today it worked. :)

    I get migraines often and have had them for as long as I remember being alive, they are just part of me. Fortunately, they are not usually debilitating, just inconvenient.
  • trina910
    trina910 Posts: 1
    Sounds like a bad idea you cant focus on the exercise if you have a migrane!
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    and speaking of food and migraines, it took me a while to figure out, but bananas turned out to be my biggest problem.
  • rhce40
    rhce40 Posts: 201 Member
    yes and i do not recommend it at all. for me the increase of blood flow made the migraine even worse and it lasted way longer than normal
  • MaddameKat
    MaddameKat Posts: 200 Member
    I have found mine are better now my diet is better ( touch wood!) and i exercise and sleep although my Dr said they are hormone related.

    I normally end up in bed sitting up in the dark unable to sleep as i get dizzy and nauseous if i lay down. Also my digestive system shuts down so pills don't work and i normally am sick at some point.
  • karenwill2
    karenwill2 Posts: 604 Member
    yes. My doc puts me on promethazine (anti nausea) and other stuff so I can function with a migraine. I cannot take pain pills or anything else due to other issues so I gotta take care of my kids and etc. So I am really cranky but I still do it all. And working out does get rid of it sometimes or at least lessens it. Mine hang around for days to weeks so I do what I gotta. without that pill up above, I could never survive.
  • Painten
    Painten Posts: 499 Member
    I'd not try it, blimey even just walking from the living room to my bedroom feels like my eye's about to pop out. I almost always get my migraine with the worst pain just behind my right eye. Any movement feels like massive pressure on my eye. The generally have me feeling incredibly sick too. I'd never exercise with it.

    Like other's have said, painkillers and bed in a dark room, best thing for it.
  • jeni_Giedd
    jeni_Giedd Posts: 61
    Absolutely not! When I get them I can barely walk - very slowly. Mine are so bad, I can't even lay down or sit down. At best I can lean gently against a cool window with my forehead resting gently. I now wear mouth guards at night - like athletes get, and my migraines are basically gone!
  • ConnieSG
    ConnieSG Posts: 376
    When I have migraines, I take my meds Maxalt and go to sleep for an hour and it usually goes away but I get them so bad I cannot work out with one. Nothing else works for me! Hope you feel better.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    Yeah, I was hit by one out on a hike and unusually for me I had no meds on me. By the time I managed to get home, I was so ill that I was a wreck for a couple of days.

    If someone told me they'd "exercised through a migraine" that would make me think "What a drama queen, sure she's got a migraine, same as that cold I had last week was influenza" :bigsmile:
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Skywa - Really? Migraines are caused by neck and back issues? Because my neck hurts too. I've never heard that before. Thanks.

    Holli_Walker - That's good advice. I need to look back at my food diary.

    Taylor Fisher - I've been sleeping all day and I'm getting sick of sleeping. lol. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel better.

    Not all migraines are caused by neck and back issues, a lot are caused by insufficient magnesium intake, food sensitivities, and other things (some people get migraines when exercising). But if these are new to you and you are having neck issues, that may be your cause. Are you sure they're migraines or are you self-diagnosing?

    I do not exercise through a migraine. If mine is full blown, I can barely function. If it's low grade, or I can feel that one more trigger would bring it on, I definitely don't exercise because it would trigger it for me. But migraines can be very different not just between people, but even vary for the same individual. You should visit a doctor first for diagnosis, then personally I would suggest a chiropractor or acupuncturist for treatment if you can, as well as tracking food intake and exercise to see if you can identify triggers.
  • kimberly_grubbs
    kimberly_grubbs Posts: 70 Member
    Best quick fix for a migraine if you're okay with taking something for it - 1000mg acetaminophen, 800mg ibuprofen, and a caffeinated drink. My sister in law is a nurse and can't take actual medication on shift, so this is what a doctor on staff told her to take in the meantime. It actually works really well.

    But, if I have a migraine that I'm not able to take anything for, I definitely do not work out - that just makes my head literally feel like it's throbbing/pulsing.
  • Gemini_1980
    Gemini_1980 Posts: 349 Member
    Not me :sad: . MIgraines take me down for the count. Meds and dark, quiet room is what I need:grumble:
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    If someone told me they'd "exercised through a migraine" that would make me think "What a drama queen, sure she's got a migraine, same as that cold I had last week was influenza" :bigsmile:

    Thought the same thing.
  • floweringcurrant
    floweringcurrant Posts: 112 Member
    I couldn't possibly exercise during a migraine, I can't see anything when I get them.
    Getting through a migraine, for me, means lying in a dark room with no/minimal sound, and drinking water occasionally for 6-10 hrs. Unfortunately, when I get one I'm out for the day. By taking something like Excedrin, it reduces them to 2-6 hours for some people, though.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Best quick fix for a migraine if you're okay with taking something for it - 1000mg acetaminophen, 800mg ibuprofen, and a caffeinated drink. My sister in law is a nurse and can't take actual medication on shift, so this is what a doctor on staff told her to take in the meantime. It actually works really well.

    But, if I have a migraine that I'm not able to take anything for, I definitely do not work out - that just makes my head literally feel like it's throbbing/pulsing.

    Caffeine is actually a trigger for some. Sometimes, but not always, it helps prevent mine, but I've known others that caffeine is a trigger for. And a lot of medical professionals say avoid caffeine, as does some literature. Problem is, a lot about migraines is still not understood even in the medical field, so each person is kind of on their own in determining what works for them and what is a trigger for them because it is not the same for everyone.That said, taking Natural Calm can *sometimes* prevent mine, and I've known a couple of people who it always works for. You just have to experiment. And try reading The Migraine Brain. LOADS of great information.
  • xMissy6x
    xMissy6x Posts: 347 Member
    i wouldnt do it, for me it makies it worse. Id be more inclined to try work out where it has come from. If you dont normally get headaches or migranes its probably due to a change in diet.
  • BrooklynBeast
    BrooklynBeast Posts: 44
    I used to suffer from migraines very frequently. If I didn't exercise through them, I would have exercised a whole lot less. Sometimes the exercise helps me get rid of them.

    My former cure for my headaches used to be to take Excedrin. I would take it at the first tingling of a headache. However, I discovered that by taking Calcium and Magnesium supplements, the frequency of my headaches is drastically reduced. In fact, the only times I get headaches now is if I have alcohol the night before.

    In any event, if you are suddenly getting migraines, where you never had them before, you should definitely get them checked out asap. It is probably nothing, but you never know and it is better to be safe than sorry.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    The most I've ever done under those conditions was yoga. Otherwise, I am likely to get hurt if I am feeling dizzy and nauseated.

    When I have a migraine, that is a much more imminent health problem than any weight loss goals I may have.
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    Yeah, I was hit by one out on a hike and unusually for me I had no meds on me. By the time I managed to get home, I was so ill that I was a wreck for a couple of days.

    If someone told me they'd "exercised through a migraine" that would make me think "What a drama queen, sure she's got a migraine, same as that cold I had last week was influenza" :bigsmile:
    It is a common myth that all migraines are debilitating. Thank goodness for that because I get somewhere between 5 and 10 migraines a month. I would not be able to function were this the case.
  • holli_walker
    holli_walker Posts: 109 Member
    SueGremlin- i agree i normally get 3+ a week. but now when i get (about the same amount) they aren't as bad since started watching what i eat and when. crazy how the human body works during the day if i haven't eaten a snack/meal in last 4 hrs a migraine starts. but other things trigger mine too :( wish was only eating on a schedule. lol
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