Exertion Headaches

cheetah · **Exertion Headaches -** 04-24-2007, 01:55 PM

Question....anyone suffer from exertion headaches? If so how do you deal?

I'm already prone to migraines as it is, but it seems as if nowadays I can't get through a tournament/extended period of playing without ending up with a whopping migraine. It affects my playing sometimes and most of the time puts me out of commission for the rest of the day after VB is over...usually I take migrane medicine and just go to bed. At first when I started getting them I thought maybe it was a combo of being overheated/dehydrated, but then I played in a few indoor tournments this winter, and I would say 2 out of 3 times I ended up with one. I drink plenty of water/gatorade, so I know it's not that.

Anyone have any suggestions? I couldn't get a doctors appt. till May 7th, and I'm planning on playing in 2 doubles tourney between now and then.

mycena · 04-24-2007, 03:34 PM

From a personal standpoint, I only get headaches in relation to 'exertion'. I pretty much assume mine are related to hydration levels, that includes not only keeping hydrated but makng sure that the body can utilize those fluids as well. That's the whole premise of gatorade. For those who might not know, too much gatorade isn't a good thing. You have to drink lots of water too. etc. etc.

I think the big thing though isn't necessarily what you do the day of the tournament but rather what you do the day before. I think a huge key to being prepared for a tournament is spending the day before the tournament hydrating and eating foods with lots of good nutrients. This way your body is ahead of the game and not trying to play catch-up all day. Oh yeah rest is a good thing too.

Most people i know who get migraines, have them triggered by something specific (often unknown). So, maybe just changing something in your normal tournament routine may actually help. Get less sleep or more. Eat something different for breakfast. meditate mid tournament. whatever!

nmsvbteam · 04-24-2007, 05:38 PM

Dealing with sometimes exteme conditions here in the desert, we have to learn to be extra careful in taking care. I've found keeping your core temperature down, putting cool water on the head, neck and wrists can help with that. Of course we try and stay out of the sun as much as possible and stay well hydrated, gatorade, water, electrolytes, and eating. I found forcing myself to eat helps, not pigging out, but stuff that breaks down fairly quickly and eating often helped a lot with feeling woosy on the court. Do you stretch your neck before you play? May sound weird, but keeping the muscles leading up to your skull loose may help to alleviate some of the tension. Take your time on the court, in between plays, remember it is still a game and nothing worth risking a major problem. Best of luck!

cheetah · 04-25-2007, 10:56 AM

Thanks nmsvteam and mycena for your replys. Usually I drink at least 70 oz of water on a daily basis, and my diet is relatively clean (lean protein, fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc) and I try to drink more water then gatorade during a tourney because I'm trying to watch my weight, so I feel like I should be eating my calories instead of drinking them, even though I know it's important to rehydrate. Usually when I feel a headache coming on, that's when I'll reach for the gatorade I packed (I usually pack 100-150 oz of smart water, and 1 or 2 32 oz bottles of gatorade) Tournament food usually consists of almonds and other nuts, granola bars, apples and peanut butter, some sort of sandwich for lunch, more fruit, cut up raw veggies, etc.

I like the suggestion of trying to keep cool...even though I don't feel like I'm overheated, maybe I am and don't know it. And I will make a conscious effort to stretch out my neck...may the tension from competing is playing a part in the headaches.

volleyballstud · 11:54 AM

Did you try to use Emergen-C instead of Gatorade? They have a joint formula with Glucosamine and Chondroitin which I use. There are other formulas, too.
There's more electrolytes in a packet of Emergen-C than in Gatorade. Just throw a packet into a bottle of water and you're good to go.

Here's a link to the joint formula.

revjim27 · 04-25-2007, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mycena

I think the big thing though isn't necessarily what you do the day of the tournament but rather what you do the day before. I think a huge key to being prepared for a tournament is spending the day before the tournament hydrating and eating foods with lots of good nutrients. This way your body is ahead of the game and not trying to play catch-up all day. Oh yeah rest is a good thing too.

So what your saying is drinking all night and closing the bar with a shot of Jagermeister followed by only 3 hrs of sleep is not very condusive to competitive play the next day? I do believe I've learned my lesson on that one.

NewEnglandRT · 04-25-2007, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by revjim27

So what your saying is drinking all night and closing the bar with a shot of Jagermeister followed by only 3 hrs of sleep is not very condusive to competitive play the next day? I do believe I've learned my lesson on that one.

I think I learned that lesson too.... without even drinking

cheetah · 04-25-2007, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by revjim27

So what your saying is drinking all night and closing the bar with a shot of Jagermeister followed by only 3 hrs of sleep is not very condusive to competitive play the next day? I do believe I've learned my lesson on that one.

Wow you guys are crazy!!! I'm usually in bed by 11 pm the night before a tourney!!!

mycena · 04-26-2007, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheetah

Wow you guys are crazy!!! I'm usually in bed by 11 pm the night before a tourney!!!

Yeah 11pm is good. That night Rev was talking about was followed by some crappy volleyball the next day. Last weekend was much better!!

Not that this really relates to the whole headache thing but along similar lines. My usual tournie deal is an iced coffee and a BEC for breakfast. Usually I spend the entire day eating them because I don't want to get to full etc.. There's usually some gatorade thrown in their too. But in general I try to limit my food and beverage intake for fear of booting on the court. Well, twice now in the last coupla tournies, I have been like whatever and basically pigged out all day and drank as much as I wanted. Interesting correlation, those two tournaments are the ones that I have been put on the rerate sheet at. Hmmm guess I have a new tournie routine.

cheetah · 04-26-2007, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volleyballstud

Did you try to use Emergen-C instead of Gatorade? They have a joint formula with Glucosamine and Chondroitin which I use. There are other formulas, too.
There's more electrolytes in a packet of Emergen-C than in Gatorade. Just throw a packet into a bottle of water and you're good to go.

Here's a link to the joint formula.

Thanks for your input volleyballstud!
Question, what does Glucosamine and Condroitin have to do with headaches? Do you think these ingredients would help since they are anti-inflammatory agents?
I'll look into Emergen-C....I'll probably pick some up to try during the tourney this Sat.