Headaches revisited

[indysteel]

Hi gang. I've read some past threads on this, but wanted to revisit the issue. Yesterday was the first sunny and warm day in a while, and I had a great 42-mile ride. However, I developed a headache several hours after the ride. To be precise, the ride ended around 2:30 and I got the headache around 9. The same thing frequently happened last year as well.

I tried to stay hydrated yesterday before, during and after the ride. By the look and frequency of my, well, pee, I did a good job with that. I drank both water and a sports drink. I had some Pepsi later, along with more water, too.

I've taken two rounds of sinus medicine and some Advil and Excedrin for good measure. Since none of that has worked, I plan to take my migraine medicine when I get home from work (it was prescribed to treat menstrual-related migraines). I suspect it will help, although it will also more or less put me to sleep. I hate taking it.

So, what gives? I don't typically get the headache until after the ride is over. I wear polarized, dark sunglasses, don't overtighten my helmet or clench my jaw. I don't get headaches from working out in general and I don't get them, if I remember correctly, when I ride in the cold. Obviously, I'm thinking it's a hydration/heat thing. If that's the case, then I guess I need to push even more water/fluids than I thought.

Does anyone else have any thoughts? Could it be some kind of vitamen/mineral deficiency that's made worse when I sweat a lot? I will admit that I've been lax on taking my multi-vitamen of late....

Thanks for your thoughts.

Kate

[GLC1968]

Very timely post.

I too get nasty headaches post-rides but now that you mention it, I haven't had a single one all winter. I was bed-ridden yesterday afternoon after my first hot and fairly long (64 mile) ride yesterday due to head pain. Excedrin did very little to help and that's quite unusual for me. I too am quite adept at remaining well hydrated and while my nutrition was off yesterday, there were no other unusual occurances outside of the exertion and the heat.

I did a little survey/research on a fitness site I belong to last summer and many felt that they were perhaps exertion headaches. These are typically triggered by an elevated HR for extended periods (and only for some people). If this were true, it would certainly explain why they are so prevalent in warmer months as I've noticed that my HR level remains naturally lower on colder rides. The only advice I got was to head them off with medication before they got out of hand. I found that for my longer rides last year, when I had about 1/3 to 1/4 of the distance/time left to ride, I'd take Excedrin. That seemed to keep the pain at bay (and I'd completely forgotten yesterday).

That said, I also have issues with heat rash that I cannot seem to prevent, so it may just be heat-related. I'm a northern girl living in a hot southern environment!

[Eden]

I get headaches from being under hydrated and over hydrated - crazy huh. If I do the 8, 8oz glasses of water a day thing I need to put electrolyte supplement in it. I usually put in 1/2 the dose as recommended for exercise in my regular water.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

For what it's worth, and this may not apply to anyone else but me:

On Sunday, I went for a 20 mile ride. The Spring sun is getting brighter, and my new helmet does not have a visor like my old helmet from last year did. I wear prescription eyeglasses. I don't have prescription sunglasses or contacts.
I can do stuff easily without my glasses sometimes, shopping, walking around, etc, no problem unless I have to read small stuff closeup or far away.

So, it was sunny Sunday and I decided I didn't want the bright sun in my eyes while riding. I left my presc.glasses at home and just put on some regular $25 sunglasses (polarized). They seemed comfortable and I wasn't squinting or anything, it felt nice! Halfway through the ride though I started getting a nasty pounding headache right behind my left eye. It got worse and worse, and I decided to take off the sunglasses to see if they were causing it. Within 5 minutes the headache was totally gone. Weird. Not wearing those sunglasses again on my bike.

[Chile Pepper]

I also get headaches when I ride. I've been working on relaxing more on the bike, changing positions more often. I suspect, however, that the real problem is my sunglasses. My eyes have always been very sensitive to light and to the curvature of sports glasses. My current glasses are kind of old, so I'm going to try a new pair to see if that helps.

[pooks]

Re: glasses/sunglasses

If you usually wear glasses, you may be straining w/o noticing it, so eyestrain could be part of it. If it's bright, and you don't have on sunglasses, that might influence it. My eyes are sensitive to the light.

Next time your riding, reach up to your neck and feel the tendons. Are they tight and painful? What about your jaw? Are you clenching your jaw shut w/o noticing? That could cause tension headaches.

I have more headaches when it's hot than when it's not, so I don't have any real answers. I'm a fifth-generation Texan and I still can't handle the heat, so while I do believe in evolution, I don't think it's moving very fast in my genes!

[Jones]

I get headaches from riding when it is hot too. This year (we have already had several days in the high 90's) I started taking sudafed before I ride and I think it has helped. In the past I when I have gotten a headache riding I take sudafed, advil and an elctrolite replacement drink and the combo seems to help more often then not.
Jones

[lacyliz]

I, too, have been getting headaches an hour or so after I ride. Personally, I think it's because of the spring - the roads are still dirty and have the salt (or whatever it really is) on them, I'm breathing it in through my nose and into my sinuses- not to mention the dampness in the air. I've chalked it up to that. What has been helping a lot is that I use a saline nasal spray right after I come in from the ride. It has made a difference and I recommend it. It couldn't hurt - and it might help. I don't get headaches like this in the winter or in the summer after, say, May. Those are my .02 .