Post ride headache

dieselengine

Since April'10 have cycled intermittently whilst physio has been sorting leg problem. Seems to be almost sorted now. Prior to that I have ridden regularly with my club for over 22 years.

As I have lost all previous fitness, and the leg recovery has coincided with autumn, I have decided to start from scratch, and embark on traditional base training as per the Nik Cook's article in C+ Nov 2009.

Having done a couple of 2 hour rides, with 1hr 30min spent within the 70-75% MaxHR range (pretty slow and boring, but necessary), all has been fine until about 2 or 3 hours after the ride, by which time I have a severe frontal headache, completely across my forehead. There is also an associated nausea (made me throw up last night), and severe tiredness - feels a bit like a hangover. It's not the Old Speckled Hen in my bottles I'm sure of it!!!

I always sterlise my drinks bottles with Milton or similar, so they should be bug free. The rides are no problem physically, although on both I have found I have been getting cold due to the modest effort involved - I will dress more warmly from now on.

Any ideas? Never had this in all my years of riding.

Many thanks.

Jon

mclarent

Only time I get this is dehydration, and I don't get nausea. If you're really worried, see your GP.

ut_och_cykla

Could be dehydration but more likely is pressure - on a neck nerve due to tight clothing and/or poor head position - or a scalp nerve from helmet strap or similar.
If its making you throw up it could be some kind of migraine brought onby soemthing you eat/lack of liquids/ strange position. If I were you I'd get checked by GP to rulle out otehr nasties and perhaps get some migraine tablets.

hugo15

Symptoms are very similar to those I get when I get a migraine. I think I have finally found that they are linked to dehydration.

How much are you drinking during the ride? Are you using a sports drink or just plain water?

dieselengine

Thanks all. I appreciate your help.

On the last ride I hadn't drank very much during the day (it was evening ride) so I may have been a bit dehydrated. I drank stacks once I was home, (perhaps a sign of dehydration). I take plain water with me for these easy rides upto about 2 hours, and will drink 1.25 litres whilst on the ride.

One thing which a bit of googling has suggested is that as well as a loss of physical fitness, my neck muscles may also have weakened during the enforced break from riding, so the muscles are tight, and restricting bloodflow whilst struggling to suport the weight of my (now fat) head during the ride. This is relieved when the ride ends, and the resumed blood flow could cause the headaches

I think I will reduce the length of the rides to gradually build up neck strength again, plus ensure I am fully hydrated. I will need to rein in my desire to rack up the miles lost this year, and build gradually.

Thanks again.

Jon

Sheptastic

dieselengine wrote:

Thanks all. I appreciate your help.

On the last ride I hadn't drank very much during the day (it was evening ride) so I may have been a bit dehydrated. I drank stacks once I was home, (perhaps a sign of dehydration). I take plain water with me for these easy rides upto about 2 hours, and will drink 1.25 litres whilst on the ride.

One thing which a bit of googling has suggested is that as well as a loss of physical fitness, my neck muscles may also have weakened during the enforced break from riding, so the muscles are tight, and restricting bloodflow whilst struggling to suport the weight of my (now fat) head during the ride. This is relieved when the ride ends, and the resumed blood flow could cause the headaches

I think I will reduce the length of the rides to gradually build up neck strength again, plus ensure I am fully hydrated. I will need to rein in my desire to rack up the miles lost this year, and build gradually.

Thanks again.

Jon

Could be a bit of hypoglycaemia, if i feel as you described a sugar hit fixes the problem.

mclarent

You can also do some neck strengthening exercises - like this.

fungus_the_muffin_man

You could have exercise induced migraines?

bexley5200

i have suffered from migranes for 20 years and i eat a low fat low garbage diet i have been told by the doctor to drink more fluids,bottled water and for the past 2 months i havent had a migraine before that i had pain in my head most days

Stick8267

While this may be about dehydration it would seem a bit odd for it to come on now.

Post-exertional headaches are either primary, when they basically result from raising blood pressure in the head due to effort of breathing (valsalva manouevre) plus other poorly understood mechanisms, or secondary, i.e. a symptom of other problems. It is unusual for them to be associated with vomiting.

You certainly need checking out and, given the vomiting, and if you are over 40 there's a lot to be said for asking for an MRI scan to make sure nothing is going on.

Sorry to sound a bit alarmist and hope, like most of these, everything is ok.

Chris James

Not quite as medical a response, but I sometimes get a headache at the front of my head, I narrowed it down to either cold air or helmet pressure (probably the former as it never seems to happen in full summer).

Anyway, wearing a cotton cap under my helmet seems to have cured it.

ON the other heand I have never felt like throwing up with it!