Hello. Been suffering with migraines for years. I find that when I exercise it makes them worse! I am trying to keep in shape and have had to try a variety of things. I did running, but that brought on migraines and dizzy spells. I enjoy yoga and pilates but all the downward poses set off migraines too. I have tried making sure I am fully hydrated when I do the exercise. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what they did to fix it or change it. Doctors have just told me to keep at it or that I am doing it wrong 😅
Thank you for your help 😊
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Sillysteph
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A lot of migraines involve low blood sugars and this might be the problem for you so you may want to think about eating a little often.Have a listen to series 3 episode 9 of the Heads up Podcasts
I do a lot of exercise and have chronic migraines, I find exercise can delay the onset of my migraine. Sometimes it can bring them on too but because they are chronic and I'm having them most days I wouldn't necessarily correlate the two. Do you exercise at the same time everyday?
I tend to exercise in the evening when I finish work but sometimes it is straight after work (3pm) and other days it is more after dinner before bed (5pm to 8pm)
I exercise every morning between 9 and 11 depending on class start times. I can be particularly migrainous in the mid morning if I don't get moving. I do kung fu in the evening but this isn't particularly aerobic. Maybe you could change the time of day you exercise and that might help, get up really early before work? Although post-exercise migraine is a thing, bit like post sex migraine is a thing too you would have thought doing it regularly would desensitize your brain to it long term.
Sorry I'm not being terribly helpful here but the fact that you can't even do yoga bc of the pain does suggest, in that instance at least, your migraine isn't being triggered by exercise but rather you already have a migraine while you are doing Yoga. Are you getting any treatment for chronic migraine specifically?
The other thing I do is combine exercise with coffee bc thats quite a powerful combination that improves exercise performance but also pushes my migraines away a bit more too but obviously if you are exercising in the evening you can't do that or it will infer with your sleep.
Hello, I have been a migraine sufferer for long time and tried lots of different treatments with varying success. Currently on amytriptyline (25mg but can take 50mg on bad day) and 80mg propanalol to try and ease Dizziness. I had a bad spell about Oct 2020 with constant migraines that woke me in the night, tingling in my hands and feet ect. saw nuero who told me it was side effect from my migraine. Eventually physical pain settled but I still get side effects and head pressure, but not painful ect? Still trying to get doctors to sort the dizzy spells but you know how doctors are at best of times without Covid! Sorry this has turned into a bit of a lifestory 😂 I will see about getting up earlier to exercise, I tend to opt for evening because if I do have bad turn afterwards, I have not got to be anywhere ect if that makes sense 😊
Yes that makes perfect sense! Dizzyness and exercise aren't a great combination. I have various other conditions too like fibromyalgia which causes widespread muscle pain, exercise can aggravate this, it's especially bad in the mornings as all my muscles tighten up. So what with the fibro and migraines I have to kind of drag myself to the gym because i'm generally feeling so awlful. Thats why I do the classes because the music and other classmates make it easier to ignore the pain, plus I have insomnia so exercising in the evening can make that worse. I'm on 95mg of Amitripyline, I've come down from 125mg but I only take this because it helps me sleep as it doesn't seem to help the migraines at all. I'm on a newish CGRP monoclonal anitbody injector now, before then I've tried about 13 different drugs and injectables so I understand your particular migraine journey!
Oh bless you, sounds like quite an ordeal! It still amazes me that so many things can be caused by migraines, like alot of the side effects that is not just a 'sore head'. I find that with the amytriptyline that it is great for sleep altho I am not a fan of the groggy feeling the next morning and I suppose at higher doses it is even worse!
I've been on it for years and I take it at 8.30 in the evening so I don't get groggy anymore. Plus my sleep is so poor without it I'm worse in the morning without it now. I was always a bit bothered by the fact that Amitrityline can degrade your cognitive functions but my neurologist always felt my lack of sleep was worse for me long term than being a bit "slower" in the meantime.
My permanent daily chronic migraine or 15 months, gets worse when i walk briskly yet i still do it! And it eases a little when i stop. It dosnt increase when I swim. I feel , rightly or wrongly, I read some where that high levels of stress hormones can cause plaque in veins and arteries, and i feel when i raise my heart rate the blood must be struggling to get throu?! Both my neuro and my go have refused me an endocrinologist referral. Been tempted to pay privately, but am waiting to see what is next suggested for me when i see neuro later this month. Heard on here from a lady whose pain has been eradicated by progesterone tablets- so im hopeful as im 59. Tried ajovy, cefaly, botox, magnesium etc etc . Good Luck
I too cannot do yoga as I get dizzy and a bit faint. Cycling and swimming seem to be ok, just have to be careful not to bend down when getting changed as again can get dizzy.
That is where I find it is worse with all the bending and downwards dogs ect which seem to be main bulk of alot of them! Brilliant suggestions, I will give them a go, thank you 😊
Same here. Instead I changed my exercises and tried other things. Going for a walk for an hour a day, swimming, cycling, zumba (created a playlist on youtube), Tai chi etc. Hope you find something that doesn't aggravate your migraines.
I suffer from Exercise related Migraines, so i have t change things round.. talked to Professor Goadsby team about it..so its making sure plenty of water to drink, find ways of exercising that keeps you active but not push it, it took me a while to learn to be more kind to myself an just do 20mins to 30mins of exercise i could cope with (the important bit) and relax afterwards, drinking water and resting before i did anything else like trying to go home.
Hi, I've had migraines for over 40 years. I walk, 20,000 steps a day on average. I change my walking speed when I don't feel well. If you can find a place to walk indoors, that would be helpful. I also do yoga. I told my instructor that I have migraines and I have to be careful with head placement. If I move slowly and focus on what my body is doing I usually feel better. Then there are the days when nothing works! I walk slowly because sitting intensifies the throbbing in my head. Any type of running or intense workout brings on a migraine for me. Good luck!
I had this issue with extreme exercise (running, spinning, rowing) and find that having a few drops of electrolytes in my water or coconut water mixed with water helps! I started rowing a few years ago and it definitely triggered some migraines at first but as I got more used to it, it really started to help me prevent them and feel overall better
Thank you, I will give that a try too. Sorts out the low bloods and vits as well. Plus hydrating 😊 glad things have eased up for you! Nice to hear so many positive stories from others
This might be a long shot, but have you tried breathing execises so you make the most of your lungs? If your breathing is too shallow, your head will ache. It is something about getting oxygen to the brain, I think. My lungs are rubbish and I cannot blow a balloon up as that can give me a migraine.
I have tried meditation but I am far to fidgety 😂 I should give it another go and incorporate some breathing exercises. I do notice that when I am doing exercise like yoga and running, I tend to hold my breath so could contribute to it! Thank you 😊
Vigorous exercise is unfortunately (the only) reliable trigger for me (although I frequently get them without vigorous exercise so there are likely other triggers). I've tried pretty much all of the recommendations here, e.g. hydration, electrolyte supplements, etc. Only neurologist suggestion has been to take a pre-emptive asprin prior to exercise. One thing I have found, in the past year or so, is that it is only vigorous exercise that triggers them, i.e. when I'm pushing myself and can feel my heart pumping, and that if I take it a little more gently I can avoid them. I describe it as going for a jog rather than a run if you know what I mean. So at least in my case I suspect they may be connected to blood pressure or stress hormones or something like that (maybe more likely to be blood pressure because propranolol was mildly effective and less likely to be stress hormones because magnesium hasn't helped). Hope you find something that works.
I suffer very similarly to you but I just gave up physical exercise and settle for walking, keep hydrated and listen to your body just as you would if you had a broken leg. Good luck
oooh yes. I never got migraine attacks at all. Always exercised, I was fit & healthy. Then at age 51 (I’m 57 now) i started getting awful migraines post-exercise. They didn’t know what it was at first so had to stop exercising. Scans & neurologist tests diagnosed migraine which by then had turned into chronic daily migraine. I have literally tried every exercise under the sun - treadmill running is my passion but nothing made any difference. Six years later, a stone heavier and having tried many different meds, my exercise regime is sporadic. I’ve agreed with my neurologist that I will “exercise & be damned!” Knowing I will get a migraine & have to take a triptan. Luckily triptans work for me. I’m currently on Ajovy which so far has been a mixed bag but it’s only been 2 weeks & there’s been a definite improvement so I’m hopeful. Good luck, keep on keeping on and you are definitely not alone. 😊
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