Quick Question: If I Have a Headache, Will Working Out Make Me Feel Better or Worse?

Picture this: It’s a gorgeous Saturday morning and in your calendar is a exercise you’ve been itching to knock out. However come your 7 a.m. wakeup name, you’ve a nagging headache that you simply simply can’t kick.

It begs the query: Is it secure to push via your exercise as deliberate, even with a headache, or must you skip it?

“Complications don’t have any one-size-fits-all method,” says Thomas Pontinen, MD, doctor and co-founder of Midwest Anesthesia and Ache Specialists. “Medical doctors and researchers don’t absolutely perceive complications, which is why it’s arduous to present particular recommendation. What works for one individual is not going to all the time work for one more.”

Nonetheless, you should use clues concerning the underlying causes of your headache and your individual private information of how nicely your physique responds to sure stimuli like train to find out for those who can transfer ahead along with your exercise. In some instances, it’s greatest to skip it, however getting transferring can truly assist your headache in different conditions.

“Having a headache doesn’t essentially imply it’s essential to skip your exercise,” Dr. Pontinen says. “For sure conditions, equivalent to when somebody is affected by a pressure headache and even sure migraines, deciding to rise up and transfer round may be useful.”

Normally, staying lively may also show you how to forestall complications within the first place—train helps your physique regulate lots of its core programs, Dr. Pontinen provides.

The various kinds of complications—and which of them you’ll be able to work out with

It’s not all the time simple to determine the kind of headache or its trigger, however sure signs might clue you in on whether or not or not you must work out.

“Some variables like the kind, location, and period of ache will help decide what’s happening,” Dr. Pontinen says.

In the event you expertise complications chronically, you would possibly discover it useful to trace sure components—say, dehydration, starvation, or fatigue —to determine which of them set off your complications.

Right here’s what to know concerning the various kinds of complications and whether or not you must do your scheduled exercise, cut back, or skip it altogether. When unsure, all the time converse to your physician for perception in your distinctive scenario.

“For sure conditions, equivalent to when somebody is affected by a pressure headache and even sure migraines, deciding to rise up and transfer round may be useful.” —Thomas Pontinen, MD

1. Stress headache

These complications really feel like a boring ache that spans throughout the brow and wraps across the head—assume a band tightening round your head. Generally, they will additionally contain the neck.

Train can truly assist soothe these complications, says MaryAnn Mays, MD, workers neurologist for the Headache and Facial Ache Heart within the Heart for Neurological Restoration on the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute.

Stress complications are brought on by your neck and scalp muscle tissue tensing up or contracting, per the Nationwide Library of Drugs. A typical wrongdoer is working at your pc or staying in every other stationary place for too lengthy.

“You would possibly wish to begin with some stretches of the neck and shoulder after which advance to yoga, Pilates, and a cardiovascular exercise,” Dr. Mays says. “Doing train constantly may also forestall tension-type complications.”

2. Migraine

This can be a tough one: Migraines usually include signs like nausea, sensitivity to gentle, and sound—however they’re not nicely understood and range when it comes to how they current in several folks.

“Some that suffer from continual migraines would by no means think about figuring out throughout an episode, whereas others would possibly discover that figuring out helps alleviate among the ache,” Dr. Pontinen says. ”I feel for those who’re having a migraine and nothing’s serving to, making an attempt a gentle exercise could be price a shot.”

On this case, beginning slowly and dealing as much as an appropriate depth is vital.

“I’ve heard a couple of sufferers state that if they begin sluggish and work their manner up in depth, it may well abort a migraine,” Dr. Mays says.

Gentle cardio train like yoga may forestall your migraine within the first place. A small 2014 examine within the Worldwide Journal of Yoga discovered that migraine frequency was decreased much more in a gaggle that practiced yoga and took typical drugs, in comparison with a gaggle that solely took the meds.

Related outcomes have been seen in a 2015 examine revealed in Superior Biomedical Analysis, by which feminine sufferers with migraines have been randomly divided into a drugs group and a yoga plus medicine group. Those that acquired 12 weeks of yoga coaching alone had a big discount within the affect of headache on their lives, headache severity, and headache frequency, whereas the modifications within the medication-only group weren’t vital.

In the meantime, a 2019 examine in The Journal of Headache and Ache discovered that cardio train can lower the variety of migraine days folks expertise.

Nonetheless, pay shut consideration to your signs. Some folks might discover that exercise worsens the migraine and the very best treatment is mendacity down in a darkish room. Go sluggish and see in case your migraine responds as you’re employed via your train.

3. Dehydration headache

This will likely present up as both a migraine or tension-type headache. Dehydration complications normally include signs like dry mouth, excessive thirst, dizziness, elevated coronary heart fee, decreased blood strain, fatigue, muscle cramps, darkish urine, and fewer lavatory journeys.

“Changing into dehydrated has been linked to scary migraine and worsening migraine signs,” Dr. Mays says. “You’ll be able to usually do a exercise, however it’s essential to hydrate earlier than, throughout, and after train.”

In different phrases, for those who suspect an absence of fluids is inflicting your ache, don’t dive proper right into a exercise and hope for the very best. Up your fluids first and take it simple if you do begin figuring out.

“For a dehydration headache, I might keep away from any exercise till you’ve rehydrated and given your physique time to recuperate,” Dr. Pontinen says. “Dehydration may be dangerously taxing on the physique, so I’d solely do very gentle train within the 24 hours following headache-inducing dehydration.”

4. Fatigue headache

Like a dehydration headache, a fatigue headache can current as a migraine or tension-type headache.

“This may happen resulting from lack of sleep or bodily exhaustion,” Dr. Mays says. “Chances are you’ll be significantly at-risk throughout instances of stress.”

Undiagnosed sleep apnea or continual insomnia might contribute to one of these headache, so addressing sleep hygiene may be an vital first step. In the event you’re having hassle sleeping at night time, exercising throughout the day might show you how to sleep higher by lowering stress and enhancing temper.

In different phrases, you could discover exercising commonly truly helps in case you are liable to fatigue complications.

“Being bodily inactive might put you at larger threat for day by day complications and elevated frequency of migraine, so even a small quantity of exercise every day will help with these fatigue complications,” Dr. Mays says. “However it’s essential to take heed to your physique.”

5. Low blood sugar headache

When you’ve got a headache that you simply suspect is brought on by low blood sugar, it could be greatest to skip your exercise. You might need a low blood sugar headache for those who additionally really feel dizzy, shaky, anxious, sweaty, or have problem concentrating.

“In the event you’re somebody who struggles with blood sugar and blood sugar complications, try to be additional cautious, as a result of figuring out with low blood sugar may be harmful,” Dr. Pontinen says. “The mind could be very delicate to fluctuations in blood sugar, for the reason that mind and physique use glucose for power.”

Normally, be sure to eat a small snack containing easy carbs (say, a banana with honey or apple slices with almond butter) earlier than figuring out to forestall a lot of these complications. And naturally, all the time attempt to match balanced meals into your food regimen.

“Typically talking, a wholesome human physique will inform you what it wants, so simply be aware and take note of how you are feeling.” —Thomas Pontinen, MD

Suggestions for exercising with a headache

In the event you suspect it’s okay to maneuver ahead along with your exercise based mostly on the kind of headache you’ve, listed here are vital tricks to observe as you train.

1. Go sluggish

It might be tough to inform if exercising will assist or exacerbate your headache till you’re truly figuring out, so ease into it and take heed to your physique.

“Begin your exercise at a slower tempo to see how your physique responds, and embrace warmups and cooldowns,” Dr. Mays says. In different phrases, this isn’t the time to attempt a brand new 60-minute path run or train at an altitude you’re not used to.

In fact, cease exercising in case your headache worsens or you’ve different signs like a faint feeling or a coronary heart fee that doesn’t recuperate if you decelerate.

“When unsure, hold it restricted to gentle cardio or one thing like yoga,” Dr. Pontinen says. “Typically talking, a wholesome human physique will inform you what it wants, so simply be aware and take note of how you are feeling.”

2. Keep hydrated

It’s not nearly consuming H20 earlier than your exercise to forestall a headache. You additionally want to remain hydrated all through and after your exercise.

“Take smaller sips all through your exercise and keep away from consuming an excessive amount of water too rapidly to keep away from an upset abdomen,” Dr. Mays says. “In the event you’re overheated, discover a cool place to relaxation or put a chilly compress in your head or wrist.”

In the event you assume you’ve a dehydration headache, drink 16 ounces of water about two hours earlier than intense train. Sports activities drinks aren’t mandatory for many non-athletes, provides Dr. Mays, as a result of water and meals can present the identical electrolytes and vitamins.

Nonetheless, you could discover sports activities drinks useful for those who’re exercising for greater than an hour, performing intense bodily exercise, exercising outdoor on a scorching and humid day, sweating lots, or nonetheless experiencing signs of dehydration regardless of replenishing with water.

Many sports activities drinks include electrolytes, which you are likely to lose if you sweat lots or are dehydrated. These are electronically charged minerals that play an vital position in lots of your physique’s processes, together with your coronary heart and muscle operate, per the Cleveland Clinic. You may also get them naturally from meals like fruits, leafy greens, dairy merchandise, nuts and seeds, beans, or pickle juice.

“In the event you’re experiencing a headache resulting from dehydration, your first step ought to be to hydrate with electrolytes and wait some time earlier than doing any type of train,” Dr. Pontinen says. “Whenever you’re dehydrated, you’ll be able to’t simply drink one thing and get going. The physique will want time to compensate for the shortage of hydration, as a result of it takes time to soak up water and hydrate tissues.”

In the event you’re an older grownup, it’s essential to be particularly cautious since you’re at larger threat for dehydration and should not obtain as many clues out of your physique that you simply’re dehydrated. It doesn’t matter what your age, take precautions like avoiding train throughout the hottest a part of the day.

3. Go for mild workouts

Sure sorts of exercises might set off or worsen a headache, whereas others can soothe it.

“Overhead presses generally set off complications, as these particular person neck muscle tissue are sometimes weak,” Dr. Mays says. “If this occurs, give attention to core strengthening first. Yoga, Pilates, qigong, and tai chi could also be useful in managing complications in these with neck ache and decreased neck mobility.”

Gentle cardio additionally affords the advantages of endorphin launch, pressure launch, and elevated circulation (with out as a lot threat of over-exertion as extra intense bodily workouts like resistance coaching), Dr. Pontinen provides. That boosted circulation and endorphins launch can instantly assist relieve pressure complications and a few migraines.

“When you’ve got a headache and wish to attempt figuring out, begin with some gentle cardio and see how you are feeling,” Dr. Pontinen says. “In the event you really feel higher, attempt some gentle resistance coaching and see how issues go. In the event you really feel good, think about a traditional exercise, however keep away from pushing your self too arduous.”

In the event you discover that train all the time triggers a headache, speak to a doctor to discover potential underlying causes. Your physician might conduct checks like imaging of the mind or backbone to rule out structural causes. If no underlying situation is discovered, you could be referred to a bodily therapist to be taught correct strategies for exercising.

“A bodily therapist might determine muscle tissue you did not know have been weak and prescribe particular workouts to handle weak muscle tissue,” Dr. Mays says, who recommends incorporating strategies like deep respiratory or mild stretching to assist alleviate the beginning of a headache throughout or after a exercise. Massaging your neck or temples and utilizing a topical cooling spray or gel with menthol may also assist.

The underside line

It might be secure and even useful to exercise when you’ve a headache, significantly if it’s a tension-type headache or a migraine (in sure instances). When you’ve got a dehydration or low blood sugar headache, maintain off on the exercise till you’ve had the possibility to handle the underlying difficulty. And if you end up liable to fatigue complications, see if gentle, common train helps to enhance the problem over time.

Complications may be tough to decipher and are distinctive based mostly on the person, so it’s vital to take it sluggish and take heed to your physique in each case. If one thing doesn’t really feel proper or your headache will get worse with exercise, cease immediately and speak to your physician.