Table of contents:
- How to deal with headaches after exercise
- 1. Drink lots of water
- 2. Do not be too long in the sun
- 3. Eat before and after exercise
- 4. Perform a cooling movement
- 5. Take medicine
- When should I see a doctor?
Many people claim to be more refreshed after exercising. However, why do you even feel dizzy and have headaches after exercise? This can actually be caused by various things, such as dehydration, prolonged exposure to the sun, or due to low sugar levels.
Usually headaches after exercise are not something to worry about, but indeed this condition can interfere with your next activities. So, in order to recover quickly, here's how to deal with headaches after exercise.
How to deal with headaches after exercise
If you get headaches after exercise, it could be something is wrong with your body. Even so, there are quick ways to get the headaches gone after exercise.
1. Drink lots of water
Usually, dizziness after exercise occurs due to dehydration. Dehydration occurs when your body loses more fluid than it needs. When you exercise you sweat a lot, this includes losing fluids. If you don't drink a lot of water before exercising, you are very likely to become dehydrated.
A study reported by webmd.com revealed that people who drank 4 glasses of water more than usual in a day, felt pain in the head less frequently for 2 weeks.
Therefore, always provide water when exercising. Make sure you are well hydrated by checking the color of your urine. If it is bright yellow, this means that you are drinking enough. Conversely, if it is dark yellow, it means you are not getting enough fluids.
Additionally, you can add an isotonic drink to help cover your fluid needs. This is because isotonic drinks contain mineral salts and glucose which can balance the fluids in your body.
2. Do not be too long in the sun
Exposure to the sun for too long can trigger headaches, even when you don't exercise. So, if you feel that you have been exercising too long in the hot sun, you should stop immediately or move to a more shady place.
If the weather is hot, bring a glass of water and a cool, damp towel. Place it over your eyes and forehead for a few minutes. After that, make an effort to take a warm shower to relax your muscles. If you don't have enough time, you can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen to reduce your headache pain.
3. Eat before and after exercise
Not eating before exercise can be the wrong decision. The reason is, during exercise, your blood sugar levels will be drained. If you don't have a reserve of blood sugar from the previous food, then you will experience headaches after exercise.
Ideally, don't eat too close to the exercise schedule, so that your stomach doesn't hurt when doing various movements. You can fill your stomach with highly nutritious foods about 1 hour before exercising. That way, your body can digest the food that comes in first before being used for energy during exercise.
Now, if you have finished exercising, then your blood sugar must be refilled. You can eat a variety of fruits as a stomach booster if you don't want to eat heavily after exercise.
4. Perform a cooling movement
Headaches after exercise can also be caused by tense muscles in the body. This usually occurs when you don't cool down after exercising.
Just imagine that during exercise, all your body muscles are active and contracted. If you go through a cool down session, the muscles will tend to tighten and continue to contract.
If allowed to cramp, these muscles can even trigger headaches. Especially if the muscles that were cramped at that time were the muscles of the neck and shoulders. Therefore, it is very important to do cooling movements, so that the muscles relax again.
5. Take medicine
Apart from ibuprofen, you can also take naproxen or indometachin 30-60 minutes before exercising. Both are believed to be effective for dealing with headaches after exercise. However, the use of this drug must be monitored because it can cause stomach irritation.
When should I see a doctor?
If you have done the methods above, but the headaches are occurring more frequently, consult your doctor. This also applies when you do an exercise routine and suddenly feel dizzy after exercise. By consulting a doctor, you can find out what causes it and how to deal with it.
Headaches that are experienced after exercising can actually be treated easily. However, it is possible if you have certain medical conditions. Therefore, if the symptoms are getting more frequent and severe, it never hurts to see a doctor.
