Headaches not related to helmet

[Cheryl3]

I get headaches whether on my Mt. bike or my hybrid. I originally thought it was from tilting my head up to look forward but I am now wondering if it could be my shoulders. I have a very good helmet that fits great but I got headaches even with my other helmet. Sometimes the headaches comes on before I am done biking and sometimes it comes on 5 hours after I am done. I have tried to take something before I ride to stave off the pain but it doesn't help. When I do get the pain only migraine meds help. Any suggestions?

[ny biker]

Do you suffer from migraines in general?

How many hours do your bike rides usually last?

What do you eat or drink before and during the rides?

[Cheryl3]

I usually ride for 2 hours when I ride. There are always at least one hill in the ride if not 2 or 3. I usually eat normally before and after riding, nothing special. I drink water while I ride and usually finish one water bottle on a 2 hr ride. The other day I thought I was doing fine but when I went up a hill I noticed my left shoulder tense up and ended up with a head ache before the ride was over. I do suffer from migraines but not as often as I do when I ride.

[ny biker]

I have had migraines triggered by neck and shoulder tension. But dehydration could also be an issue.

Does your shoulder only tense up when you're riding uphill, or during the whole ride?

[Catrin]

How is your sodium/electrolyte intake? It may be that you might need to add a little electrolytes to your water - I have found this really helps me.

When your shoulder tenses, do you feel that tension anywhere else? Any chance you are rounding your shoulders without realizing it? This can cause tension. Are you on a bike with road bars or a bike with flat or riser bars?

[ny biker]

How is your sodium/electrolyte intake? It may be that you might need to add a little electrolytes to your water - I have found this really helps me.

When your shoulder tenses, do you feel that tension anywhere else? Any chance you are rounding your shoulders without realizing it? This can cause tension. Are you on a bike with road bars or a bike with flat or riser bars?

She's got a mountain bike and a hybrid.

[Catrin]

She's got a mountain bike and a hybrid.

I didn't see that for some reason - guess I read it too quickly. I do wonder about the electrolytes though that might not be related.

[Cheryl3]

I am generally able to keep my shoulders in a neutral position for most of my ride if I pay attention to it. I noticed it most up the hill as I pulled on my handlebars more. I will try again this weekend and up my water intake. I don't understand the electrolytes so what would I do to add those to my water?

[Cheryl3]

Yes, my handlebars on both are flat and someone else mentioned they may be too wide for my shoulders. What do I do to add electrolytes to my water? I don't know about rounding my shoulders, I just know that as I went up hill I pulled more on my handlebars to get power. I have had more headaches this week and I wonder if it is tension in the shoulders.

[Catrin]

Yes, my handlebars on both are flat and someone else mentioned they may be too wide for my shoulders. What do I do to add electrolytes to my water? I don't know about rounding my shoulders, I just know that as I went up hill I pulled more on my handlebars to get power. I have had more headaches this week and I wonder if it is tension in the shoulders.

I have riser bars on my bike, these allow me to get into proper position without leaning over too far and putting too much pressure on my hands and shoulders. Have someone watch you, or better yet, take a video of you riding and see what your body is actually doing. I've learned the hard way that even if it FEELS like my spine/shoulders are in a neutral position it doesn't mean they actually are - we can't always go with how it feels. You may not have this problem, I do :) A video might give you more information, especially uphill.

I USED to pull on my bars going uphill until I realized what that was doing to my neck and shoulders. I now focus on being in the right gear, relaxing, and just getting up that hill. I DO, however, have neck/shoulder issues that makes this the best approach for me. This actually gets me up the hill faster than my old approach.

Electrolytes are different salts and chemicals your body needs that we lose in exercise - especially if it is hot/humid and if you aren't already getting enough of them in your diet this can cause a problem. Hot/humid riding makes this worse. NUUN tablets are popular. I happen to like Skratch myself, but that is an expensive experiment.