Headaches

[Granny M]

I've been suffering with headaches when I ride. They come on about 2 miles into the ride and the harder I ride or when I climb a hill, the worse they get. I will also get the same headache when I achieve um, well, when I have sex. It's a real killer. I've had a CT scan to rule out anything serious and the dr has given me a migraine medicine to take before I ride which helps lessen the headaches but doesn't prevent them. Has anyone else had this problem?

[makbike]

By chance do you have asthma and are using inhalers before your rides? I ask because I recently started to develop headaches while riding and I think it has to do with the inhalers by asthma doctor has me using so that I can breath while I ride.

I also wonder if your core body temp is not increasing while you ride triggering the headaches, just a guess.

I hope you figure this out soon.

[Kano]

Okay, I know this isn't going to be a cure -- not likely to help in all :D instances, but are you wearing really good suglasses? Or are you squinting a lot in the sun? That squinting takes a lot of muscle tension, and yes, it can result in wicked headaches! I need to invest in some for biking -- the ones I have are great in the car, when I'm really in the shade looking into the sun, but they don't quite cut it when I'm out in the sun for real. Just not enough coverage!

Polarized is good, cuts glare, and then, there are varying degrees of gray. I wear the darkest one most of the time, even when it's rainy! Some of the cycling glasses I've seen are available with photochromic lenses. I haven't looked closely enough to know if they're similar or different to the Transitions lenses I wear on a daily basis: I don't think they get dark enough for being in the sun "for real" -- I do like them for the in/out type use they get most of the time.

By the way: sunglasses are worth spending a good chunk of change on. Quality lenses cause less distortion, quality frames hold up better. Make sure that your optical professional knows how you plan to use them and invest in their recommendations! (I'm betting there are blind bikers out there, but I am pretty sure that seeing where we're going is more than a little bit important!)

Karen in Boise

[Nanci]

Dehydrated? That always makes me get a headache!

Nanci

[Granny M]

I don't have asthma but the doc said it might be allergies and put me on allergy meds. Didn't seem to help. I have a pair of Oakley blades so I don't think it could be that and since it's at the beginning of the ride, I don't think it could be the hydration but they are all good suggestions. Thanks for the help!

[TsPoet]

1. hydration
2. stiff neck - relax the neck and/or move it around, see if that makes you feel better.

[Geonz]

I would suspect tension of some kind - the overflow that happens from exertion. YOu might try channeling the tension into some place else (which I suspect will be easier in riding than in sex, but who could speculate :rolleyes: ) - I do this grin thing (so people think I'm gleeful and happy riding in freezing rain when really I'm trying not to clench my teeth or curl my lip...) Carpenters try to "hold their mouth just right" - but then you could end up chomping on your tongue:(

I agree about the sunglasses. I spent the first 42 years of my life figuring "$5 from the drug store works fine" - and then somebody talked me into some on-sale-for $30 'cause they'd have different kinds of lenses, and oh, my! What a difference real lenses make! They really *do* cut the glare and make driving or riding in the sun much, much easier.

[Nokomis]

What is your caffeine intake like? It can constrict blood vessels - good if fighting an oncoming migraine, but bad if your body is under stress or pumping larger volumes of blood thru. I know I can feel my pulse in my head on climbs ~ would be worse if those blood vessels were constricted.

Hope you find a solution!

[Dianyla]

Ditto on the aforementioned ideas about hydration, proper eyewear, and neck/back alignment issues. Also, have you looked at your blood pressure? Since this problem happens under load, I'd look at getting referred to a cardiologist and doing a stress test on a treadmill so they can monitor your cardiovascular system.

BTW, caffeine is a vasodilator which lowers your blood pressure.

[Denise223]

Dianyla posted - Also, have you looked at your blood pressure?

That's exactly what I was thinking.....

[Granny M]

Thanks so much for all the input but actually they've run me through all the stress tests, etc. to make sure it's nothing serious. I'm healthy as can be - resting pulse around 68 and bp last week of 118 over 70. I hadn't thought about caffeine. I do have a cup or two of coffee in the mornings and the headaches are worse in the mornings than in the afternoon. They seem worse in the heat too. Of course, I rode 15 miles this morning before work and right after my coffee with no headache. Go figure! All I know is that when one hits me its sudden, severe and pounding and will dull after exertion and last for 2-3 days.

[Jones]

How about sinuses? Have you ever tried taking sudafed before a ride? It has helped me and of course lots of water all the time. Jones

[Lenusik]

Proper hydration is the key. You may find it helpful if you drink a good glass of water or sport drink before the ride. This will equip you for your first couple of miles.
I am not sure about coffee - I don't drink any caffein and really don't believe that it is good for you.

[KnottedYet]

Holding your breath? Not exhaling on exertion? (called the "Valsalva" maneuver) That can trigger migraines.

[arnaew]

[QUOTE=- resting pulse around 68 .[/QUOTE]

This seems high to me - my resting pulse is 51.
A

[emily_in_nc]

This seems high to me - my resting pulse is 51.
A

51 is off the charts low here (http://blue.utb.edu/jloff/1309/notes/Heartrate.htm). 68 is above average (still very good).

Emily

[energizer622]

YES!!!!!!!
I have suffered from the EXACT same symptoms, in umm all cases mentioned. Holding your breath under water also does it to me. They are exertion headaches and a type of migrane. Like you, they lasted 2-3 days and came on like a gunshot in the head. A very rythmic, pounding headache. I went to my regular physician who gave me migrane meds which turned me into a zombie. Ride??????? I couldn't find my way home in a car. I did a combination of things. I went to a neurological chiropractor who did some really funky things which may have worked, however I think even more importantly I was diagnosed with a Magnesium shortage. I would try taking Magnesium and see what happens. Do not take Mg combined with calcium. I take Magnesium glycinate by the manufacturer Pure. It is pharmaceutical grade and far superior to the stuff you might pick up at Walmart.....
This was one of the most painful things I have ever gone through.

Best wishes,
Marcia
WI
PS I was 41 at the time, and also on birth control pills. I was immediately taken off those as well. That may have had an effect too.

[traveller_62]

Granny M, I think energizer has hit on something. Could be exertion induced migraine. The magnesium supplement idea is a good one if this is the case. Slow release niacin (a B vitamin) is also worth pursuing. You'll have to check with your pharmacist for the slow-release kind.

I know it sounds goofy but you might try taking a couple of aspirin and drinking a Coke or Pepsi (regular, not diet) before you ride. I've suffered from migraine headaches for 25 years and sometimes the combo of aspirin, caffeine, and sugar will actually ward off a migraine.I think the caffeine and sugar just help to get the aspirin in your system faster.

I wish you luck because I feel your pain, literally!

-traveller

[RoadRaven]

Has anyone mentioned your helmet?

A friend I was racing with a few weeks ago arrived at the finish line a while after me... she had developed a headache during the course of the race... I think she was wondering if she would actually get to the finish line...

It turns out she had tightened the strap inside the helmet (not the chin straps, but the plastic-ky bit that sits under the helmet itself) so much that it was giving her driving pain

[wabisabi]

I also get these headaches, had one yesterday that was evil. Sometimes I get nausea and vomit with mine. In my case, after a number of years, I concluded that there is a way that I move my head sometimes that causes something to press on the nerve/blood vessel, and when that is happening, I get a terrible exertion headache. Biking and sex can do it. Dehydration can also bring it on, as can lack of sleep. I get cranial sacral work done, which seems to help, as it seems to me to be a "mechanical" problem, probably myofascial. I am also careful about how I move and my sleeping position. I haven't noticed that supplements make a difference, although I think I may try magnesium by itself.

[SadieKate]

51 is off the charts low here (http://blue.utb.edu/jloff/1309/notes/Heartrate.htm). 68 is above average (still very good).

EmilyThis chart seems awfully high. Conditioned athletes are frequently in the 30s and 40s in the morning, this old bod included.

I can hit 52 futzing away here in my office middle of the day.

[maillotpois]

Has anyone mentioned your helmet?

A friend I was racing with a few weeks ago arrived at the finish line a while after me... she had developed a headache during the course of the race... I think she was wondering if she would actually get to the finish line...

It turns out she had tightened the strap inside the helmet (not the chin straps, but the plastic-ky bit that sits under the helmet itself) so much that it was giving her driving pain


I've done this, too! Some days, depending on how big my hair is that day, my helmet can be tightened and other days it can't. That's always the first thing I check when I start feeling a headache coming on while riding.

[Eden]

I've done this, too! Some days, depending on how big my hair is that day, my helmet can be tightened and other days it can't. That's always the first thing I check when I start feeling a headache coming on while riding.

That might explain the bike riding, but the sex..........wow if you need a helmet:rolleyes:

[SadieKate]

Sunglassses pinching my temples.

My, we are a delicate lot.

[salsabike]

Thanks for that guffaw!




That might explain the bike riding, but the sex..........wow if you need a helmet:rolleyes: