Are Your Pounding Headaches Caused by Exercise?

Are Your Pounding Headaches Caused by Exercise?
by Niall Roche

Unfortunately, people who get frequent headaches are often afraid to exercise - in
case the exercise causes one. Still, most experts believe that twenty to thirty
minutes of exercise three times a week eliminates some headaches and decreases
the severity of many others, including migraines. Even if you don't finish a whole
session, completing a well-planned warm-up may produce the same results as a
decent exercise routine.

Most people don't drink nearly enough water when they're exercising. Did you know
that by the time you feel thirsty you're already dehydrated? Drink room temperature
water before, during and after exercise. How much depends on how hard you've
worked out but definitely try to slowly drink at least 1 liter of water when you're
done.

Exercise should combat headaches, but when headache and exercise are a team,
these red flags are signals of serious problems that your doctor should check as
soon as possible.

* Your headache is sudden.

* Each new headache is worse than the last one.

* New headaches differ in either intensity or symptoms from previous ones.

* A unilateral (one side of your head) headache is persistent.

* You wake up with a headache or headache wakes you up!

* Neck pain or stiffness accompanies headache.

* You experience nerve problems like paralysis or tingling.

If you haven't been exercising because you're afraid of headaches and exercise, here
are some tips for a low-impact start:

1. Stretching reduces muscle soreness that can result in a headache starting. Start
your exercise program with a few good stretches. Keep them in your warm-up when
you move on to exercise that is more strenuous and use them at the end of each
session to "cool-down" slowly.

2. Walking is an excellent form of exercise. Walk for ten or fifteen minutes one way,
then turn around and walk home. Increase the "briskness" of your step slowly. In
fact, you'll find that your speed increases on its own if you make walking a regular
form of exercise.

3. Keep a water bottle nearby. When your throat is dry, so are your muscles!

So there's no real need to worry about getting a headache from exercise. Make sure
you drink plenty of water and warm up properly. Warming down properly is just as
important. Last but not least build your exercise routine slowly - one step at a time.
Otherwise this is where the problems start.

About The Author

Niall Roche

Sick of those painful, pounding headaches? Are you sure it's not a migraine
headache? Get lots more here. Learn more about
migraine headaches here today ->

Headaches and exercise can go
hand-in-hand or fist-in-fist to be
more precise. Although doctors often
recommend regular exercise as
headache therapy, intense exercise
can actually cause headaches instead
of helping relieve them. Exercising too
much releases an excess of nitric
oxide, a chemical that dilates blood
vessels. The swollen blood vessels
put pressure on nerve endings,
resulting in a headache that you
weren't expecting. The work around
for this is simply to add a slow
warm-up to your workout.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The content on
this website is for educational purposes only. Please consult with your physician before using natural
remedies and before making any drastic changes to your diet or exercise program.