[MrTango]

Hi Guys, not a nice subject but I’m desperate for a solution to my health problem. I’m 53 and a little overweight. I used to play in a heavy metal band, I would only drink pints of water as I would sweat profusely yet still get these migraines, it was one one of the reasons I stopped playing. I took up walking football, again I would sweat a lot so would drink plenty of water, I would end up with migraines. I have got back into cycling and was going great until once again I’m getting these severe migraines and then end up vomiting.

So far I have checked the following:- Eyesight – all is good with the glasses I wear. Electrolights – I used supplements to make sure I was not sweating these out, no change. Hydration – Well I dring plenty so much so that I end up with a clear stream. Heart – My blood pressure has been a little high agreed but my last “attack” was Monday when my blood pressure showed as normal straight after my 18 mile ride. I was laid up for 8 hours until it passed. I’m under the doctor but I’m not convinced that they will find a solution.

Can anyone suggest what I can do to sort this? All I want to do is ride my bike but the after-effects make this not very appealing.

Thanks in advance.

David

Topic

[Anonymous]

Great to hear David, happy
Great to hear David, happy cycling!

[MrTango]

Thanks everyone, some very

Thanks everyone, some very useful information and ideas listed. I have now been to see the Doctor, they confirmed that I do have high blood pressure and very high cholesterol. With these issues plus being overweight and realising that I was once again cycling permanently in peak heart rate zone, I have had to make some changes. 

Cut out the goodies from my diet and replaced with nuts and fruit, I’m now on Statins to get my cholesterol down and to lose at least two stone (12.7KG) in weight, Oh, and to keep my heart rate below 140bpm. Sorting these issues I’m hoping that my blood pressure will come down. So far I have lost 1.1 Stone (6.9KG) in two weeks doing lots of walking and rides out keeping my bpm down and so far no problems 🙂

Safe riding everyone, David

[FatAndFurious]

Sriracha wrote:

Sriracha wrote:

Google “hyponatremia”

I’ll echo this. Sweat is more than just water.

My experience was wracking headaches appearing a few hours after the exercise. I was drinking Gatorade-type drinks which claim to have electrolytes, so I assumed I must be either “not drinking enough”.

Drinking more didn’t help. More research led me to consider sodium deficiency, so I tried adding a High5 Zero tablet to every water bottle, and got an immediate resolution of the problem. 

YMMV.

I use one tab per litre of  “energy” drink and since then I’ve been without issue – several years now. They have flavoured and neutral variants, though I find you can pretty much mix any flavour combination together and it tastes alright.  Zero tabs have a groove to split them in half if you want to try lower concentrations. Be aware that the “Xtreme” variant has caffeine added.

// Internet-based medical “advice” caveat goes here //

Good luck….

[jn46]

What did you play in the
What did you play in the metal band, drums or guitar? I’ve suffered from a few migraines previously, not cycling but when I was doing strenuous digging with a folding shovel on a military type thing overnight. I would suggest a likely cause is muscle tension in neck and shoulders caused by your position on the bike, and probably caused by your neck position playing in the band? As well as your doctor i would suggest seeing a bike fit specialist, preferably one who is also a qualified physiotherapist, or has good connections with one. Neck tension can be hideous. I’ve nearly fainted before walking to work with a crap backpack that was way too heavy pulling down on my shoulders. Ironically my wife is a physio and did a hospital rotation in hand therapy, which involved being hunched over other peoples hands all day. Suffered chronic headaches and migraines all the time which funnily enough went when she moved to something else! All caused by muscle tension.

[jh2727]

Grahamd wrote:

Thanks for sharing and glad you are under the car of a doctor

Sounds painful…

[Spokesperson]

Migraines are the absolute

Migraines are the absolute devil. I take it you have had them for some years and have the classic migraines rather than just headaches. Take a look at the Migraine Trust and the NHS websites re migraine triggers if you don’t know them already. Such things as cheese, chocolate, red wine, not eating regularly, aspartame (in Diet Coke etc), looking at the sunrise, late nights, early nights… you can’t win! As someone else mentioned it might be linked to neck/shoulder tension, and a cranial or ordinary osteopath might be able to put you right. Road bikes are not the most sensible things to ride for your posture, though wonderful of course. 

[Welsh boy]

Very similar thoughts to

Very similar thoughts to Sriracha, i used to get severe headaches after a ride until i stopped using isotonic drinks and went on to plain water.  I never drink excessively, a 500ml bottle will see me through 3 1/2 hours of typical British weather apart from a couple of months if we get a very hot spell.

[Sriracha]

Quote:

Hydration – Well I dring plenty so much so that I end up with a clear stream

Very possible then that you are drinking too much water. Drink according to your thirst, don’t try to drink ahead. I’ve seen it on a cycling holiday during “la canicule” in the South of France. It was very hot. The advice was to drink plenty. So one person drank, like, constantly. Ended up looking very pale and unwell, felt nauseous etc, so kept on drinking more water… Not good.

Google “hyponatremia”. From the Wikipedia page:
“Mild symptoms include a decreased ability to think, headaches, nausea, and poor balance”.

And as ever – I’m not qualified, speak to your doctor.

[Nick T]

The doctor is the most

The doctor is the most important port of call, but I’ll point out one area you haven’t mentioned and is often missed which is diet – I had some quite nasty mental and physical health problems that weren’t able to be diagnosed until I stopped consuming dairy, that changed things overnight for me. Doesn’t hurt to try cutting things out for a while and see if anything changes

[Anonymous]

You are best to talk to a
You are best to talk to a physician, but if your symptoms were happening to me, I would ride at a slower pace, and potentially a lower distance if that didn’t help.

It does sound like being linked to your sweating and some kind of imbalance, but we aren’t doctors…. how much are you drinking on your ride?

I sweat and drink more than the average cyclist, and can easily drink 1.5 litres of electrolyte drink in 50 miles, but I get muscle cramps if I over-exert myself including in random places like my stomach and jaw, usually starting in my feet arches. The key for me isn’t the water consumption but the level at which I ride – even if I drink plenty but push a bit hard, I’ll start cramping regardless of how good I’m feeling generally.

[Grahamd]

Thanks for sharing and glad

Thanks for sharing and glad you are under the car of a doctor, who will undoubtedly be the best person to advise you. 

Members of my family have suffered with migraines over the years and other than strong medication there has never been a solution. Nausea with migraines is common and the whilst exact causes of migraines seem unknown, certain triggers are recognised which may correlate with cycling:

• Strenuos exercise.
• Neck and shoulder tension.

Given you do not say how long you have been back cycling or how hard you push yourself, these may not be appropariate for yourself, but perhaps backing off a little and / or getting bike fit would help.

Either way utilise your doctor and best of luck.

 

[Author]

Replies