Do you suffer from exertion headaches?

Do you have a tendency for having bad headaches after your workouts?

It happens to me from time to time, especially after heavy and long cardiovascular training.

The occasions I have suffered it were mostly after exhausting mountain bike training or running.

Sometimes I have had it after being in the water, swimming, or surfing for too long.  I presume it was caused because of the sun exposure too.

When you exert yourself, your body needs more blood and oxygen. Scientists believe an exertional headache occurs when an activity causes veins and arteries to expand to allow more blood flow. That expansion and increased blood pressure create pressure in the skull, which causes the pain.

How to treat the headache when it already occurs and how to prepare your body to suffer less frequently from it?

If you have already got your headache after the workout you should make sure you:

• Hydrate yourself immediately with liquids high in electrolytes such as water with natural salt, coconut water, melon or watermelon water, and fresh-pressed green juice.
• Make a cold compress and apply it to your head.
• Eat complex carbohydrate-based meals.
• Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate again before you take any painkillers.
• Calm yourself with essential oils like Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, and Rosemary Oil or you can get this fantastic, ready-to-use calming blend Peace Touch, which is great to use before sleep and in stressful situations too.

• In a very bad situation take a pain killer

How do prevent the headaches to occur?

• usually, the more regularly you do an activity that makes you suffer from an exertion headache, the more your body gets used to when your blood pressure rises.
• make sure you hydrate yourself very well before the activity and during the activity ( I always take 1.5 liters of water in my hydration pack)

What I usually do is before I go for a long MTB, road cycling, surfing or running is :

•  two hours before the activity, I drink at least 2 x 250 ml of water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice mixed with 1 g of powdered Vitamin c
•  two hours before the activity I drink 250 ml of fresh-pressed juice. My favorite one at the moment is made from chard, celery, and apples

• eat complex carbohydrate-based small meals up to 1 hour before the activity
• if you like to drink coffee before the training like me, make sure you hydrate yourself with liquids high in electrolytes on top of it all

The more you exercise the more your body gets used to the effort, which means your headaches will not reoccur if you train regularly and apply all of the above-mentioned tips before and after your training.

I have made a video from my last training in Derroura MTB trails.

If you are looking to see how the more flat and downhill parts of this trail are looking click on the link and watch away.

Enjoy

Eva