Forums >Health and Nutrition>Exercise Induced Headaches
I strongly recommend everybody reads Waterlogged by Noakes. Dispells a lot of myths around electrolytes.
Back on topic: my headaches were stress-induced after working an office job I hated. Running only made them worse. Which was annoying as normally runs are stress-relieving.
Good luck.
so have you found a solution for the running induced headaches then?
nine mile run this morning, much less humid. refilled my water bottle once during the run, drank a whole bottle of Heed after the run. also made an effort to drink much more than usual during the course of the week. feel good right now, we'll see how the day develops. My running partner had a bad day so we had to take several breaks to walk today which is unusual for us...probably part of the reason i feel so good now
Hi. Sounds like the heat is doing it. In that case, the answer would be to acclimate to the warm weather or to avoid it. It's been hot here in the east and I've been running through it. Mostly, I like it but it's demanding and I get headaches sometimes (but not nearly as bad as yours). Hope you feel better. Ron
Thanks! the heat and humidity is definitely a problem for me, and I am having trouble acclimating because my hubby works out of town frequently right now, so i am having to run indoors a lot while he is away, then heading outdoors for my long runs. its definitely been a rough summer so far!
ultramarathon/triathlete
I get these headaches after long runs. But for me it's a blatant dehydration issue. I never drink enough during a workout (I do during races) and often get headaches after long runs. I always say I should change this, but never do.... so, on to more headaches!
HTFU? Why not!
USATF Coach
Empire Tri Club CoachGatorade Endurance Team
Dad on the run.
Hey Christirei I posted a thread about this a year or two ago. I would get headaches after any run that was usually over about 8miles. I'm talking really bad, put you in bed, kind of headaches. The thing that seemed to help me was carrying drink with me on my runs and some sort of Gu type gel. I got a log of feedback about how Gu isn't needed for 8-10 mile runs but If filled up a bottle with some Gatorade/powerade and take the Gu about half way through my run I found I no longer suffered from those severe headaches. I'm sure this falls under the electrolyte issue some people have mentioned but that's how I resolved my issue. I remember going on a 16 mile run and I think I ended up drinking about 20oz of fluid and took a gu at 4, 8 and 12 miles and felt fine the rest of the day. Try it out and let us know if it helps!
Chasing the sub 20 5K.
I started taking a recover amino acid powder that I mixed with water. I also hydrated continuously as much as I could for a few hours. It made my headache less extreme, so that should help with the dehydration, but I think just getting too much direct sun on me also contributes to the headaches.
Thanks so much for the feedback! definitely taking all of these different things into consideration. I have considered getting some gels to take during my run as well, so that is definitely an option. I am really trying and making an effort to drink more water during the week just to be better hydrated in general. But yes, I feel your pain. The headaches are frequently bad enough to put me in bed for several hours in the afternoons
Thanks!
I am a new member, and was thrilled to see this topic being discussed. I too, have these running induced migraines. Will try carrying a hydration mix on my runs and see how that makes a difference. Are there any that you recommend that has low sugar in the ingredients? Thanks!
Food, Folks, Fun, Beer
I try to drink a liter of water before every meal and then a liter after each meal, and some more after running. A headache is almost always water. People will tell me they are drinking enough water but they are really not
Saintsfan - I use Hammer Heed but i'm not sure it's the best one, I just like the mild flavor of it. I can't tolerate it during my long runs but i have been drinking a full bottle after i run while I stretch. I am still considering using something other than water during the long run itself, maybe a GU or something. Today was a rough run, really hot - 80 at six this morning - humid and just felt terrible. so we will see how the afternoon goes. I definitely didn't do well this week with getting extra water in during the day, I was so busy half the time i left the house without a water bottle
Hip Redux
Massive headache today after my run - it was warm, but nothing crazy and we were in the shade the whole time. But I forgot my Skratch afterwards and just now got home, so I'm hoping it kicks in I ate plenty of carbs during, so I really think it's an electrolyte thing just based on trial and error.
Thanks for the feedback. Went to the running store and bought some different drinks and things to try.
I made it through the day without a headache! Win!!
I drank water during my run and also ran through one set of sprinklers. Immediately after the run (only 8.5 miles today but in the 80's with high humidity) I drank about 16 oz of Hammer Heed. At home I had coffee and more water. Then a couple of hours later I had a smoothie made with coconut water. I ate salty food today too, although I don't know if that really made a difference or not
I am glad that I survived the day and it seems that drinking the Heed after the run really helps me. It has been several weeks in a row now that I have done the same thing and so far I have been headache free
Good luck to everyone else dealing with the same issue!
Hi there. I know exercising is very necessary to keep the body healthy. If you have a headcahe after exercises, then I suggest you to avoid high-impact exercises. Also take adequate sleep and a balanced diet. If you want, you can try adopting a programme fitness program. The programme fitness will help to achieve a healthy body. I have read about it in a health survey. Try adopting it and I am sure you will not have any such problem.