Headaches revisited

[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 .

[Mr. Bloom]

Indy:

After yesterday's 52 mile ride, I had a severe headache (non-migraine) for 8 hours even after taking 3 Aleve. I fully attribute it to sinuses although my nose hardly ran at all on the ride (while Silver's did).

I agree with lacyliz...when I was in Indy last weekend, the roads were still nasty and salty. For me, I have the same symptons even driving in the car with all that stuff flying in the air.

So, IMHO I think it's sinus problems from poor air quality.

[spazzdog]

Indy - it seems like a lot of time passed between your ride ending and the onset of your headache... too much to be a hydration thing I'd think.

I get bad headaches if I'm protein deficient... so if I don't fuel up properly after a long ride (or run back in the day), I get bad headaches hours after.

just my 1/2 a cent...

spazz

[SheFly]

I get these type of headaches with the change in weather - any barometric pressure change will send me reeling. With the spring weather fluctuations (here we've been going from warm and sunny to snow in the span of a couple of days), and the fact that you are starting to ride outdoors more often, could that be the cause?

Could also be as others have said - allergies. Things here are just starting to bloom, and I KNOW that over the next few weeks not only will I have headaches, I will also be reaching for my inhaler.

SheFly