Migraine while riding

dg74

Hey folks

Anyone shed some light on my problem please. I rode a lot last year right thru to the winter months where I took the time out to try running to keep ticking over.

Last few weeks been getting back on the bike and today was out for a really short ride (10 miles max just for base training) and about 5 miles in got a really bad migraine with no warning whatsoever.

Max pace on the ride was a low 12mph up to 15/16 when on a push - very small to nil hills and regular drink (PSP22 energy drink). Breakfast consisted of a bowl of muesli and a coffee at least an hour before.

Stumped on this and had to call in the wife to pick me up from Tynemouth due to the severity.

Thanks - Darren

Ben6899

Was it definitely a Migraine? Tunnel vision, nausea, flashing lights, disorientation and headache? Or was it just a headache?

If it was a migraine, then you could get one of those sat at work, laid in bed, doing the gardening, climbing a mountain... they're not caused by physical exertion in my experience (although they'll prevent you from attempting any and definitely cut short any you manage to start!)

If it was just a headache, then you might have a virus. Possibly hadn't eaten enough or the right stuff the day before?

skyd0g

It could be a headache caused by the cold if you weren't wearing a skull-cap under your helmet. Even though it's sunny, the ambient air temperature (especially further reduced by wind-chill) is still very low. :?

yakk

Embarassing, but I got a self-inflicted headache which came on half way through a 4 hr ride and got a lot worse as the ride went on. As soon as I got home and got the helmet off it started to ease. Then thinking back it seemed to come on mid ride and coincide with me taking off my skull cap and tensioning up the helmet. Won't be doing that again. But funny thing was it didn't obviouslly feel too tight.
Yak

rbleightonbuzzard

Migraines can come on, as a previous poster has said, anytime. It probably has nothing to do with levels of physical excursion but I've had migraines from the following.

- Sharp rise or fall in blood pressure. (Monday morning, Friday night typically)
- Sharp rise or fall in blood sugar levels. (Could be a influence in the case of riding)
- Dietary trigger. I.e. too much cheese, spicy food, etc.

STEFANOS4784

De-hydration? May have been sweating a lot if you had to masny clothes on :?

Try cutting down to 8 pints o' ruff a night, works for me

davelakers

I remember reading a report on the Tour of Pendle bike race a couple of years ago and there was an interview with the winner, Rob Hayles, and he wasn saying that half way round he suffered a migraine and lost all vision in one of his eyes...The fact he continued and won it is quite impressive. When I get migraines I lose vison in my eye and then the headache kicks in and Im completely incapacitated for a few hours, unless I Ive got my medication then its about 1/2 hour. I find cheese and strong trigger for my migraines so Ive cut it out altogether.

keef66

My first one was triggered by too much Chinese food and a stressful drive. Proper job with swirling, patterned peripheral vision and a 5 hour headache.

More recently I have identified that a combination of stress, beer and some spirits can do it. I now know that if I've had a couple of pints of Guinness, I should resist the offer of a whisky, and when I'm in Germany having a couple of wheat beers before dinner, I shouldn't join the lunatics trying schnapps and grappa afterwards.

None of which will help you at all with your mid-ride migraine.

starlet_gt

Migraines come on for me at any time, meds don't help either and I usually end up in bed for a few days... do you suffer from migraines often?

Mike67

Yakk wrote:

Embarassing, but I got a self-inflicted headache which came on half way through a 4 hr ride and got a lot worse as the ride went on. As soon as I got home and got the helmet off it started to ease. Then thinking back it seemed to come on mid ride and coincide with me taking off my skull cap and tensioning up the helmet. Won't be doing that again. But funny thing was it didn't obviouslly feel too tight.
Yak

Glad it's not just me.

I was doing a cross race with a skull cap and helmet with the arms of my eyshields pushed underneath them both.
About the second lap I started getting the most horrendous headache and felt like being sick (even more than a normal race )
Next lap I took the eyshields off and within a couple of minutes the headache disappeared.

I guess they had been pressing into my head in just the right place to restrict the bloodflow.

dg74

Had a nap and feel cracking now.

Can only put it down to not being prepared enough and enduring the same mistakes as last year (not eating properly, needing more rest, making sure I'm hydrated properly before the ride, etc).

Yes I got quite a few migraines last year but mainly from over doing it on long rides and not drinking enough during the rides.

kell

What time of day were you riding?
Were you in direct sunlight, or was there a strobe effect of the sunlight through the trees as you were cycling?
I've been having a few headaches recently after commuting to work in all the lovely sunshine, trying to squint too much!

dg74

kell wrote:

What time of day were you riding?
Were you in direct sunlight, or was there a strobe effect of the sunlight through the trees as you were cycling?
I've been having a few headaches recently after commuting to work in all the lovely sunshine, trying to squint too much!

Out at 10am or so. No sun but bloody cold by the coast.

nwallace

Accidentally put my skull cap seam under one of the pressure points on my lid. It's also right on a point that hurts when my sinuses are going nuts. That wasn't fun, but it took me nearly an hour to realise that it wasn't the cold air messing with my sinuses.