I’m currently suffering from exertion headaches. They started about a month after I started taking Hot Rox, which is loaded with caffeine. I’m not sure if it’s caffeine related, but, caffeine [can] cause high cranial blood pressure, sometimes.
I’ve cut out caffeine, and I hope it works. If it doesn’t, I’ll start cutting out [other supplements]. I have no idea what’s caused [the headaches], but it really affects workouts, since, under that stress, I get an instant, intense, migraine-like headache.
First off, this sounds like approximately no fun whatsoever. This is the sort of thing that should be brought up to your doctor, especially if it’s persistent or recurring frequently. As far as what’s causing it? That, we might be able to shed some light on for you.
There are two kinds of headaches that could be caused by a workout. The first are regular headaches brought on by exertion, which causes blood flow to the brain to change. It could be because of sending more, due to increased pulse and blood pressure, or less, because the blood is heading to the muscles. The second are migraines that are triggered by intense aerobic activity.
Dr. Marticia Heaner points to “a 1994 survey in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that 35 percent of student athletes suffered from workout headaches, and also that runners reported the highest incidence of head pain, with weight-lifters coming in at No. 2. Both of these activities can cause … headaches … especially in warm weather,” according to a 2003 review in Current Sports Medicine Reports.
Dr. Heaner also mentions that exertion headaches were the only symptom of a serious coronary artery condition in one patient, according to a publication dedicated to the study of headaches. (Truly, the internet is full of things).
It looks like our reader’s self-diagnosis of their headaches being caused by elevated blood pressure was fairly astute, but that last bit would certainly make me want to have a sit-down with my physician.
Since this reader is also doing some weight training, I also found some more info that’s tailored for the pick-up-heavy-stuff crowd by Nick Ryan, a strength and conditioning coach. He put together a very thorough list of possible contributing factors, the biggies being:
1. You’re Dehydrated: Dehydration thickens your blood.
2. Using the Valsalva Maneuver: This causes a spike in blood pressure. [Rafe adds: However, this is the recommended practice when lifting heavy, as holding a big lungful of air provides needed support for your chest and torso, and will help prevent injury and maintain good lifting posture.]
3. Poor Neck Position: Anything other than a neutral spine causes constrictions on the carotid arteries, the main arteries that deliver blood to the brain. [Rafe adds: It's probably not doing the nerves in your cervical spine any favors, either, and that may also be a contributing factor as well.]
If you combine a challenging workout with other contributing factors – especially caffeine and insufficient hydration – that certainly appears to be a precursor for reaching for the Excedrin.
What can you do about the headaches?
Pain can be managed, or hopefully avoided, by doing the following:
- Drink plenty of water, especially if it’s during those hot summer months, since dehydration can cause headaches.
- Make sure you’re warming up and cooling down adequately.
- If you’re lifting heavy, make sure to breathe. The Valsalva is great for what it is, but during a long set (anything over five reps), you’re going to need more oxygen.
- Apply a cold pack to the head or neck to help reduce the pain, and also cool you down if you’re overheating.
- Avoid things with diuretic effects, especially caffeine and alcohol, before or during your workout.
- If your headaches are chronic, long-term medication may be appropriate. This is definitely the sort of thing you want to discuss with your medical professional of choice.
Headaches are no fun, and not something to laugh at. You’re not Dizzy Dean, about whom it was said, after taking a line drive to the noggin, “X-Rays of his head found nothing.”
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I’m pretty sure taking hotrox and other crazy supps had a lot to do with mr headache man’s predicament…
Since nothing he’s taking (I redacted the list; it was just some amino acids) has given me the slightest bit of trouble, I didn’t want to be so quick to point the finger at those as the sole cause.
Could the caffeine have contributed? Sure. Is it enough by itself? Almost certainly not.
It’s fairly common practice for competition weightlifters to drink a cup of coffee before hitting the platform, or taking an Excedrin during the course of a competitive lifting day/weekend (for both the caffeine and alleviating soreness).
[...] irony, or merely annoying coincidence (fuck you, Alanis), shortly after doing a write-up on exertion-induced headaches over at ShrinkGeek, I started getting them myself. During the squat event of the last CWC, about [...]