Exercise Headache: 9 Tips (Graphic)
- Warm up / Cool down
- Start slow / end slow (don’t suddenly start/stop intense exercise programs)
- Hydrate
- Posture
- Mild preventative medication (talk to your doctor)
- Take something salty (salt tablets are recommended only for very intense exercise in heat. Otherwise, try tomato juice or pretzels)
- Glucose tablets
- NSAIDs (ie Advil) (talk to your doctor)
- Stay steady (Exercise programs that constantly “change things up” and “surprise the body” may not be best for you)
Obviously the graphic doesn’t give a lot of extra information. But do check out End exercise induced headache and Get a Headache after Working Out? (don’t miss the comments!)
13 May 2013 @ 5:59 pm
This article and the study it profiled have made me very concerned regarding taking NASIDs in conjunction with exercise:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/for-athletes-risks-from-ibuprofen-use/
Which is too bad because I used to take them to help with exercise induced headache/migraine (at a Dr.’s suggestion).
14 May 2013 @ 3:10 am
Ilex – with migraine one of the best exercise’s is to walk and relax your shoulders and face muscles, upper body workouts will cause the problem. The muscles are involved in migraine – the thinking is that they are compressing the trigeminal nerve and an inappropriate response is happening which is migraine pain. Painkillers eventually exacerbate migraine as do triptans.