runner's headache

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kath711
kath711 Posts: 712 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I don't know if this has ever been brought up before but I get a lot of headaches after running. I have tried drinking lots of water beforehand and after, tried eating before and after to help with sugars, loosening my shoulders so I am not "tight", stretching before and after. I can't figure out what is causing them. I have had these off and on for years so I do not think it is an acute problem needing medical attention. And it doesn't matter if I am running outside or on the treadmill. Today, I had a great run on the treadmill and felt really good during and after but later today, another headache. Any suggestions?

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  • margaretthedevil
    margaretthedevil Posts: 215
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    I had a headache today too after running. However, I was running at 10 am (exercising in the morning for the first time ever) and it was almost 90 degrees outside and reallyyy sunny. I always get headaches when it's too sunny and humid. I also got headaches after swimming if I swam a lot of laps. Might be a lack of oxygen?
  • RunRideRay
    RunRideRay Posts: 1,536 Member
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    yep, it's likely oxygen deprivation. It takes some time to get efficient and keep enough blood flowing to prevent the headache. You may want to ensure you are running at a pace that keeps you from the "red zone". I use a simple rule of thumb, if you can talk while running without difficulty you aren't in oxygen deprivation. If you are short of breath and can't talk when running, you are likely in oxygen debt. Sometimes it is a sign of heat stress too, but likely not on the treadmill. I often resort to ibuprofen after hard running workouts because headache's stink :laugh: :laugh:

    Hope it helps, and great job on the running!
    Raymondn
  • ColinQ
    ColinQ Posts: 76
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    I agree probably the oxygen thing, but another one to consider is your running shoes. Have they got plenty of give to absorb shock from traveling through the body and jarring joints and your head?
    Just a thought.
  • kath711
    kath711 Posts: 712 Member
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    I ran this morning and slowed my pace down a bit. So far, no headache. How can you increase your pace without the headaches? I was really going slow but it was worth it for no headache later!! Thanks for the advice. I was hoping it wasn't the shoes since I just bought these a couple months ago. :smile:
  • beckyi88
    beckyi88 Posts: 604
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    Thanks for the advice. I was hoping it wasn't the shoes since I just bought these a couple months ago. :smile:

    Raymond is quite likely correct...Raymond is a running god! :bigsmile:

    But I wanted to add....hate to tell you, but depending on your mileage over the past few months, it could be getting close to time to replace your shoes! Most only last 300-400 miles and I've had some wear faster than that. :frown:
  • kath711
    kath711 Posts: 712 Member
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    If I figure right, I've only put on about 100 miles and they still look pretty good but thanks for the head's up. I'll watch for wear and tear.:happy:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Make sure you're performing a correct warm down, it should take you a minimum of 5 minutes of slowing down gradually when you exercise, better is 10 full minutes of warm down.

    Why? Well, when we exercise, blood rushes all over the place to parts of the body that don't normally get so much blood, because blood carries oxygen to muscles that need it (when we run, that means more blood to the legs). If you just stop running, the blood can pool up in the extremities, this causes imbalances in your blood pressure, lowering the volume of blood that can reach the brain. When most areas receive less blood than they normally require, it's not a huge deal if it's for a few minutes, but not so for the brain, it needs the correct amount of blood all the time. So this can cause lightheadedness, dizziness, and even headaches, it has been known to cause blackouts and paralysis in severe cases. So make sure you ramp down from all out run to stopping.

    Not saying this is the case, but it's one possibility.
  • kath711
    kath711 Posts: 712 Member
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    I tend to want to sprint the last leg of my run to my house so the cool down comes inside but I do strengthening exercises immediately after that so I am still moving but not jogging or walking. I guess that could also be the cause of the headaches. Al least I have a few things to try to stave off these annoying headaches:tongue:
    Thanks for the advice!

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