Migraine

Hi everyone,
A quick question to those of you who have exercise on your list of triggers... do you get the migraine immediately following exercise, a few hours or the day after? I'm having difficulty trying to figure out if exercise is a trigger, I walk/jog the treadmill every night and every morning i begin my migraine, just wondering if it could be caused by the walk??
Thanks guys, I hope everyone has a migraine free day!!!!
Robin

I find if exercise is going to trigger me, it generally does so not long after I stop moving, as my heart rate starts to slow back to normal. I used to notice this a lot on cooler days I'd go walking. The cooler air around my head as things slowed back down accentuated the triggering, I think.

i find that when it triggers a headache, it triggers it right after/ not so long i'm done. but my doctor has recommended that i take an indomethacin before i exercise to try to prevent them.

Same for me, I run, and usually the migraine will come on while I'm running or soon after, not the morning after.

Valerie

I am actually kind of studying this exercise trigger myself. I started working out again maybe 2 months ago and most of it, I do cardio on an elliptical machine which has been fine. My problem starts when I couple that with some weight lifting. Not a lot and not long but bam! right after the first few times, I had a "mere headache" but still very painful. I cut down on the weight lifting, but last week, the day after I lifted I woke up with a very sore neck and I had a migraine in the afternoon.
I won't lift weight anymore. There is something about it that may strain my neck which in return, gives a migraine.
If I go for a long walk in the woods, I will have a headache right after, but headaches are manageable with some Tylenol.
The pain in my neck is still present, it's still kind of stiff. I tried hot bath and little massages but it doesn't go away... Any advices ?

Aside from a muscle relaxer from your doctor, I have a great home remedy-I bought a gel pack from Rite Aid and it can be frozen or put in the microwave depending on what you prefer. We usually keep it in the freezer because that's what we use it for the most. It was very inexpensive and works wonders.

I know others use rice bags and even frozen veggies...

I hope your neck gets better soon!

quote:

The pain in my neck is still present, it's still kind of stiff. I tried hot bath and little massages but it doesn't go away... Any advices

Certain exercise is a trigger for me, not others.

If I do too much jumping or aerobic type exercise - it feels like my brain is just jiggling around in there and I'll get a headache, not nec. a Migraine, and because I have not really wanted to test the theory, I am not sure. I remember my head hurting when I did aerobic jumping around type stuff, I don't remember if it was a Migraine.

Walking and things that are more low impact, I seem to be o.k. with.

Exercise wasn't a trigger for me until about a year ago. I find that anything that gets my heart rate up, even a really brisk walk, triggers one for me. I can feel it happening while I'm still exercising, but it really hit just afterwards, as my heart rate is returning to normal.

As a result, I've had to pull my exercise way back, which I feel is not just unhealthy but also bad for preventing the Migraines. Just have to stick with the gentle stretching and careful walking for now, though! I found that just reducing the intensity of things helped a lot. Hope you can beat those morning Migraines!

Hanako

Hi all,

Exercise may be a trigger for some folks with Migraines. In fact, Dr. Krusz talk abouts this in the Ask the Clinician feature here on our site. Some of those questions can be found below:

Preventing exercise triggered Migraines?

Heat induced Migraines, metabolism, exercise?

How can exercise help Migraies when exertion is a trigger?

I hope some of these questions help.

here is a bit of my experience:
i get them after, sometimes right after. sometimes the next morn or that night.

i am trying to figure out why....i am leaning to dehydration. if i drink all day and have aerobics at night i am fine. if i do not, then i get a migraine.

the thing i am wondering is why do people who dont dink during the day ok. i know plenty ofpeole that only drink during exercise and they are ok. do we have a broken something? if so, then why cant the broken something be treated?

Lorraine

I don't necessarily think we have a "broken" something or other apart from what the others have. It's just that some of us are more sensitive to dehydration and prone to trigger from dehydration than others. The best thing to do in the dehydration aspect is to listen to what our own systems tell us they need, and work to find the amount and timing of hydration that keeps us in balance and all systems go. That's going to vary from person to person.

quote:

Originally posted by Roastys Mom:

the thing i am wondering is why do people who dont dink during the day ok. i know plenty ofpeole that only drink during exercise and they are ok. do we have a broken something? if so, then why cant the broken something be treated?

Lorraine

This is an interesting discussion, since I just went running this morning and have been feeling a migraine comming on since.

I have noticed this before in yoga or martial arts, by the end of some classes, I start to feel the early signs of a migraine.

I have found that doing a restorative yoga pose ( http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/690 ) has helped this go away after yoga class, but I haven't tried it at other times because I wasn't connecting it to just working out in general - I thought it was more specific to yoga. Now I'm thinking I should try this all the time.

Take care,

Monica

I haven't been able to exercise beyond moderate walking since 2002 because my migraine never goes away and anything that gets the heart rate up makes me vomit. Are any of you in this boat? If so, do you guys have any suggestions for exercise aside from walking that does not increase your heart rate but still burn calories? I cannot do yoga/pilates either.

Jackie

Monica, do you think yoga is at all helpful in keeping migraines away? My latest neurologist thinks it might be worth considering.

Hi Amy,

I started an Iyengar yoga practice based on my old migraine specialist's recommendation, and I saw a very positive improvement. Right now I do a more active "power" yoga routine with lots of sun salutations for prevention and switch to restorative poses when I have an active migraine. I picked the Iyengar method for migraine managment because it allows me to modify my sequences and postures for my particular needs. Good Iyengar teachers are able to work around any injuries or physical weaknesses and really optimize your practice for migraine management. They are also very obsessed with correct body mechanics in the postures so that you don't hurt yourself. Classes can be expensive though, so I also augment my practice with DVD's from Rodney Yee. Truly awesome instructor! My "new" migraine specialist and my primary (who has migraines and sees the same specialist) both love it and encourage me to stick with it. I think they are right since I tend to notice a relapse in frequency and severity when I stop practicing for a period of time.

Good luck!
michelle