Published December 19, 2008 07:18PM
What Caused My Headache While Hiking?
I thought it was dehydration, but ended up in an emergency room being treated for an exercise-induced migraine. Anything I can do to prevent this from happening again?
Question:
I recently did a tough 14-mile hike and woke up with a huge headache and nausea. I thought it was dehydration, but ended up in an emergency room being treated for an exercise-induced migraine. Anything I can do to prevent this from happening again?
Submitted by – Terri, Tucson, AZ
More: Get gear reviews straight from readers like you with Gear 360.
Answer:
Exercise-induced headaches, sometimes outrageous ones, are not uncommon. They seldom indicate anything serious is going on, but be sure your doc has checked for an underlying cause.
Staying well-hydrated and snacking to keep your blood sugar level up helps a lot of people who suffer this kind of headache. Many people also benefit from warming up a bit before hitting the trail, and a couple of ibuprofen tablets before shouldering the pack sometimes help as well.
If the headache comes back anyway, your doc may prescribe a medicine targeted to this kind of pain.