You Have a Headache Hit the Gym: If your headache sets in before you’ve laced up your sneakers, there’s probably no reason to cancel your workout plans. According to Nabih Ramadan, MD, a neurologist at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, it’s a myth that exercise and headaches don’t mix.

When you exercise, or exert yourself physically, the muscles of the head, neck, and scalp need more blood to circulate. This causes the blood vessels to dilate, which can lead to a condition called exertional headaches.

In conclusion, you can prevent most exertional headaches by:

1. Warming up and cooling down.
2. Staying hydrated.
3. Keeping electrolytes in your body.
4. Preparing before exercising in intense conditions.
5. Eating foods with complex carbs, fiber and protein before and after exercising.

Avoid high-impact exercise during a headache. When you do have a headache, avoid jarring, high-impact exercise like running or kickboxing because it’s likely to aggravate the pain. Intense exercise will also cause you to sweat, leading to dehydration, which can worsen a headache as well, Ramadan says.

Primary exertional headaches are frustrating but usually harmless. However, they can sometimes be a sign of an underlying condition that needs treatment, so it’s important to follow up with your doctor about your symptoms.

Primary exercise headaches typically last between five minutes and 48 hours, while secondary exercise headaches usually last at least a day and sometimes linger for several days or longer.

Preventing exercise-induced migraines

1. Consider the weather. Exercising in hot, humid weather may make you more likely to develop an exercise-induced migraine.
2. Consider the altitude.
3. Warm up and cool down.
4. Stay hydrated.
5. Additional preventive methods.

Do not jump into sudden, vigorous exercise if that triggers a headache or migraine. This means walking for five minutes at a slow pace of two and a half to three miles per hour before walking at a faster pace or jogging or stretch or gently lift light weights before doing more intense resistance training.

Overview. Exercise headaches occur during or after sustained,strenuous exercise.

It’s never a good idea to try and push through pain . If you have a headache (whether triggered by exercise or something else), consider decreasing the intensity of your workout to something more comfortable. If you were planning to run, take a walk instead. If the headache is significant, consider taking a day of rest.

The nerves inside the head stretch, causing head pain. A headache that develops during exercise can also be caused by an underlying condition such as a sinus infection, a tumor, blood vessel abnormalities or bleeding in the brain or the membranes covering the brain.

Causes Exertional headache. A person with an exertional headache may experience a pulsating sensation. Dehydration headache. If people do not replace fluids during or after exercise, they may become dehydrated. Tension headache. A tension headache is the most common type of headache. Exercising in heat. Low blood sugar. Migraine.