Headaches after Karate class

[Kacey]

I've just started taking a One-A-Day two times a day.

I would suggest discussing this with a doctor as well. Some vitamins and minerals are toxic if too much is taken. Rather than doubling up on a multi-vitamin, you would be better off taking additional doses of just those vitamins and minerals in which you feel you are deficient. For example, I take Centrum's general multi-vitamin, but I also take additional vitamin C, folic acid (B-complex), vitamin E, and calcium with vitamin D - but before I added those I talked to my doctor about what would be beneficial, what would flush out of my system without effect, and what would be enough to cause negative side effects.

 

[TheOriginalName]

I think the best advice here is go see a medical professional.

Get yourself checked out properly. This could be a symptom of something more serious: diabeties, blood pressure etc.
Or could simply be as previously mention due to tension and dehydration.

In either case see a doctor and they should be able to help you manage whatever is the cause.

Also, speak to your instructor - make sure they are fully aware of the situation so that they can assist you in managing whatever ends up being the cause.

Best of luck

 

[loyalonehk]

I think the best advice here is go see a medical professional.

Get yourself checked out properly. This could be a symptom of something more serious: diabeties, blood pressure etc.
Or could simply be as previously mention due to tension and dehydration.

In either case see a doctor and they should be able to help you manage whatever is the cause.

Also, speak to your instructor - make sure they are fully aware of the situation so that they can assist you in managing whatever ends up being the cause.

Best of luck

SOUND ADVISE! take it q.d. prn... (daily as needed):wink1::caffeine:

 

[Logan]

Hi Logan,

I have had some migraines over the past few years because of fluctuations in female hormones. I'm now on a hormone that stopped them cold.

We do get pushed very hard in class but I assume that's the same for most martial arts? I have only gotten dizzy a few times though. But it could be the exertion, period. I think I will try more water before class and see how that works.

If the headaches persist, I will see a doctor though...if I can find a good one in my area.

Best check with a doctor. I have seen people trigger migraine attacks of various levels through exercise - sometimes through overexertion, sometimes through the time of day etc.

 

[searcher]

Unless someone on here happens to be your family physician then you need to go to your doctor.

 

[Lynne]

I want to have a lipid panel done anyway. I'll talk to my doctor before I make an apptmt. for blood tests so that she can order potassium tests or whatever.

I tell you, though, it took several years for my anemia to be diagnosed. I wonder if health insurance is the problem. It was like pulling teeth to get any iron tests. When they first tested me, they only tested hematocrit and hemoglobin - they were low-normal. A few weeks later after I couldn't take two lightweight garbage bags down the driveway without resting, I knew something was very, very wrong. My heart was racing and I was having a hard time breathing. I was so weak I wanted to cry. But I had to push to get any help. So, finally my iron level was checked, and my transferrin saturation rate and total iron binding capacity were checked. "Oh, you have anemia..." The doctor had messed around so long that my hemoglobin and hematocrit continued to fall and it looked like I was going to need a transfusion. (I was having flooding episodes, my hair had fallen out to the point I needed a wig, and I was extremely fatigued. If you guess iron deficiency anemia, I award you an honorary MD.) They had originally diagnosed the hair loss as female pattern baldness, androgenetic alopecia. After being on iron for 9 months, my hair came back in after suffering with hair loss for several years.

I'm tired of having to diagnose myself.

What I need is an internist - no nurse practitioners or general physicians. We live in a rural community. We are going to try to find an internist. In the meantime, I will see what can be done. (I'm still fatigued.)

P.S. - when I had anemia, they diagnosed me with clinical depression instead and put me on Lexapro which made me even more fatigued. I took myself off of that mess. I guess it's cheaper to prescribe an antidepressant than to run tests for anemia.

 

[Lynne]

Last evening, I talked with one of my classmates who is a registered nurse. She noted that I perspire a lot and recommended I drink a Gatorade two hours before class. She asked me about my caffeine intake. It's quite high during the day. She suggested I cut back on the caffeine or at least have a glass of water for every caffeinated coffee/diet soda. She said that headaches are the first sign of dehydration.

I drank an extra 16 oz. of water before class for a total of 36 oz. I will continue to do that. Any extra fluids are sweated out! At least in my case.

I had sparring class after regular class last night. I did not get a headache.

I'll start watching the caffeine intake and drink more water as well as trying a Gatorade a couple of hours before class.

When I was getting ready to shower, the senior instructor came in and was warning everyone to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. One reason is because my daughter has to excuse herself to get water during sparring class. We were told to hydrate during the day, 8 - 10 glasses of water. So, I guess if we hydrate enough during the day we shouldn't need water during class.

 

[Laurentkd]

When I was getting ready to shower, the senior instructor came in and was warning everyone to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. One reason is because my daughter has to excuse herself to get water during sparring class. We were told to hydrate during the day, 8 - 10 glasses of water. So, I guess if we hydrate enough during the day we shouldn't need water during class.

It is true that hydrating yourself all day is very benificial (much more so than drinking a bunch of water right before class). But you should still try to replenish the water you are losing during class by taking a few swallows of water every 10 or so minutes. Sounds like you have some pretty hard core workouts (which is great). Try this... weigh yourself right before class and then again right after class, you may be suprised how much water weight you are losing! You should drink 2 cups of water for every pound lost. You also mentioned low blood sugar in an earlier post. I am hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and have to eat pretty much right before I start training. My classmates can't understand how I can eat and bow in and manage not to puke during class, but for me it feels much better than than not eating.

 

[Lynne]

It is true that hydrating yourself all day is very benificial (much more so than drinking a bunch of water right before class). But you should still try to replenish the water you are losing during class by taking a few swallows of water every 10 or so minutes. Sounds like you have some pretty hard core workouts (which is great). Try this... weigh yourself right before class and then again right after class, you may be suprised how much water weight you are losing! You should drink 2 cups of water for every pound lost. You also mentioned low blood sugar in an earlier post. I am hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and have to eat pretty much right before I start training. My classmates can't understand how I can eat and bow in and manage not to puke during class, but for me it feels much better than than not eating.

Hey Lauren,

We aren't allowed to drink water during class. If I have a sparring class after regular class, I sneak in a few sips and wait to be admitted to class.

I will tell you this. I've weighed every morning after the regular workout/sparring workout and I weigh two pounds less. That's the morning after and I've eaten and drank the night before. So, I might be losing more than two pounds of fluid. I do sweat like a piggy.

About the hypoglycemia - I'm worried about drinking a Gatorade because of the sugar. I am finding the closer I eat to class the better I feel. But I need to be hungry when I eat, otherwise I have an insulin response. The eating 5 - 6X day thing is crazy for me. Eating = insulin response.

 

[TheOriginalName]

Hey there....

In regards to hydration: I had a similar thing. I've been addicted to Coca-Cola for the past 4 years or so (i used it to assist me quitting smoking - so it was a step in the right direction). I've recently started to replace it with water (using a step down approach - slow but hopefully more successful than cold-turkey) and have noticed how much of a difference it makes to my training.

My suggestion to anyone who stuggles getting enough water during the day - whenever you get a coffee/soft-drink or other "unhealthy" drink also get a bottle of water (this is paricularly good for office workers). The deal is your not allowed another "unhealthy" drink till the water is gone.

Personally i've found that this has helped me a lot in just the 2 weeks i've been doing it (currently doing a "lifestyle" change to improve my ability to train).

Also, if to anyone worried about their blood-sugar levels: SEE A DOCTOR.
The only way to find out if you do have a blood-sugar problem is to have an blood-glucose blood test done (at least that is my understanding).
Basically you fast for 12 hours then they give you a extremely high sugar drink and take blood samples at the 0 time point, the 1 hour point and the 2 hour point. This shows how your body processes a fixed amount of sugar over the time period. If you have any problems this will identify it and allow you and your doctor to create a plan for dealing with it.

 

[Lynne]

Hey there....

In regards to hydration: I had a similar thing. I've been addicted to Coca-Cola for the past 4 years or so (i used it to assist me quitting smoking - so it was a step in the right direction). I've recently started to replace it with water (using a step down approach - slow but hopefully more successful than cold-turkey) and have noticed how much of a difference it makes to my training.

My suggestion to anyone who stuggles getting enough water during the day - whenever you get a coffee/soft-drink or other "unhealthy" drink also get a bottle of water (this is paricularly good for office workers). The deal is your not allowed another "unhealthy" drink till the water is gone.

Personally i've found that this has helped me a lot in just the 2 weeks i've been doing it (currently doing a "lifestyle" change to improve my ability to train).

Also, if to anyone worried about their blood-sugar levels: SEE A DOCTOR.
The only way to find out if you do have a blood-sugar problem is to have an blood-glucose blood test done (at least that is my understanding).
Basically you fast for 12 hours then they give you a extremely high sugar drink and take blood samples at the 0 time point, the 1 hour point and the 2 hour point. This shows how your body processes a fixed amount of sugar over the time period. If you have any problems this will identify it and allow you and your doctor to create a plan for dealing with it.

Good luck on quitting smoking! That's a real accomplishment. I've seen people struggle and struggle and I've seen others do it cold turkey. I can't imagine how hard it is to stop.

I did have a glucose tolerance test a few years ago as I'd seen an endocrinologist (my regular physician, actually a nurse practitioner prescribed an antidepressant for my fatigue, thinking it was clinical depression.) They never called me with results so I started pestering them. Finally a nurse called me and said everything was fine (it took two months), that my fasting blood glucose was 84 (it had been 110 and I had started running and changed my diet). It was over a year later, when I visited my general physician that I found that my blood sugar had dropped to 45 at the three-hour mark. That's definitely hypoglycemia as normal levels stay about 65 or so. He was astounded that the nurse had overstepped her bounds like that.

So, I never did return to the endocrinologist's office. I'm rather aggravated with my doctor's office as well. I can diagnose myself when I have classical symptoms but they cannot.

I will say that the hypoglycemia is getting much better with intense exercise (martial arts). Much,much better. So, I am becoming more insulin sensitive - a very good thing. Type II Diabetes runs on both my maternal and paternal sides. On the maternal side, they have all been slim people, on my father's side, they generally ate a lot of sugar, lard, drank heavily and smoked heavily (bad lifestyle habits). But just being 5 pounds overweight can turn on the diabetes gene .

I am checking into finding a new doctor, an internist.

I will drink more water, less caffeinated beverages.

 

[Lynne]

For whatever reason(s), the headaches have stopped.

I'm drinking more water right before class.

I'm also following a semi-low-carb diet. I eat high-fat/low-carb during the day but have fruit and cottage cheese (about 300 - 400 calories) 1-1/2 hours before a workout. I'm eating closer to the workout which I believe is really helping.

My energy is higher during the day with no afternoon slumps, no carbohydrate drag at anytime (unless I eat too much fruit at dinner).

 

[ewhip]

Best check with a doctor. I have seen people trigger migraine attacks of various levels through exercise - sometimes through overexertion, sometimes through the time of day etc.

I've had trouble with migraines for the past couple of years and have found that getting overheated will really trigger them. Hydrating helps, but sometimes there's just no avoiding it if it's just too hot. That and changes in weather really can put me down. Oh and alcohol, but that's why I quit drinking.....

 

[tellner]

For whatever reason(s), the headaches have stopped.

I'm drinking more water right before class.

I'm also following a semi-low-carb diet..

I'm glad you're feeling better. And congratulations on finding a diet that works for you. But if the headaches come back you should see a doctor. Really. It could be a sign of some more serious underlying condition.

 

[kaizasosei]

i now try to breath as normally as possible.
basically i am sure it is a type of overexertion. maybe also blocks or uncontrolled areas of body also? also i have speculated that maybe the brain is getting an unnatural amount of air that it is not used to..particulary if you are leading a bad lifestyle. i still don't know exactly what it could be. but i now try to keep my breathing a little more constant.

also, one should know ones limits..- this can change over time without you noticing it. - another theory i have, is there are some kind of impurities in the system.. strange chemicals, preservatives, etc..

also, as a kid it didnt matter to me, but if i take a long hot bath and then train like really hard, it's almost a garanteed headache..
keeping in mind i smoke,- occasionaly drink and generally have become too lazy and lethargic.
so it's no wonder really to get a headache when suddenly busting out intense breathing accompanied with all kinds of tension and tension release.





j

 

[HelloKitty]

I wonder if it's dehydration. I drink 20 oz. of water before class. Class is an hour unless followed by sparring class (another 45 minutes). I've been noticing headaches after class. Once, I coughed and I felt like someone had driven an ice pick through my temple, then the pounding began.

I don't have headaches all of the time, but they occur often enough that I'm correlating class and the headaches.

I drink another 20 oz. of water after class. Maybe I need electrolytes? Perhaps a Gatorade after class would be a good choice?

Anyone experience the headaches or have any ideas?

I'm been doing TKD from April again, and I had strong headaches when the class was too intense. Or if we have long hard classes the only way I can finish them is relaxing and lowing my speed, the power on kicks, etc.

It's possibly related to the intensity and variety of aerobic and anaerobic exercises a martial artist usually does, and related to the oxygen levels recieved (That's why the instructors are always remembering the students to breath and/or yelling when they are pushing up, kicking, etc). I think the headaches will dissapear when you get used to the rythm of your school.

 

[Yari]

See a doctor...

There are alot of good suggestions. One thing you might look into is your bodies way of using insulin- diabeties. Not saying that you have it. But some poeple will experience that the body has problems regulating there body sugar. And when under physical stress, the body may have problems distributing insulin/sugar.

But I'm no doctor

/yari

 

[Lynne]

My headaches went away a few months ago.

I think the problem may have been several-fold:

1) too much caffeine might have been dehydrating me
2) overexertion as some suggested
3) not eating enough before class (dieting mentality)
4) not eating enough after class (dieting mentality)

I've cut back on the caffeine some. I seem to be more conditioned now or else the classes have gotten easier (umm...doubt that). I also eat 400 - 500 calories (usually a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread) an hour and a half before class.

I've actually switched back over to more carbs and have more energy. I just have to make sure I don't eat much sugar.