Overheat causing headaches

I have gotten heat headaches all my life. I have fewer as an adult, because I've found a few things that work for me. Several factors play a role in mine: Hydration, hormones, nutrition, and fitness level. I love my hobbies, so to me, I have no choice but to continue to find things to help get around the situation. I am a glass blower, and the first several times I spent long hours in the shop, I would get heat headaches and be debilitated for the rest of the night. I never get them from being in the shop anymore, ever. But I have to maintain hydration all day before I even set foot in the shop. Additionally, I cannot drink alcohol or eat fatty foods (or inflammatory foods) for at least 24 hours prior to being in the shop. If I've not been in the shop for a while, I am more prone to heat headaches when I return, therefore, I make sure to expose myself to it consistently. Another of my hobbies is kickboxing. I do still get heat headaches from this, but it is when I get cocky and don't prepare. I don't prepare for this the same way I do for the shop, since it only lasts an hour. But that's how I stumbled across this forum - I was a complete idiot tonight and went to kickboxing without first taking ibuprofen, after not having been there in 2 weeks and being barely over a cold. One would think such complete misery would be somewhat memorable. The biggest cause of my headaches after physical exercise is when I can't continue my regimen regularly, and I return after not having had the activity for a week or so. However, if one of the four factors aren't met, then I have to take ibuprofen preemptively. Hope this gives someone some ideas. I look forward to adding tomato juice to my diet.

how many of you are on birth control? specifically a timed release or nuvaring? anyone else get the migraines like 4-7 hours later like clock work?

Its good to see I'm not alone with this issue. No one else I know this problem, not even my fair skinned daughters, which I thought was a contributing factor. I'm going to try a warm shower idea today and pray it helps. Like the resist of you, once I feel the headache "lock in" after I'm cool and hydrated, I know it is not going away.

I too have constantly gotten headaches from getting hot when doing lots of physical activity. The headaches are HORRIBLE and NOT relieved by any kind of aspirin or ibuprofen. I used to get a bit of relief from putting ice on my forehead and a heating pad on the back of my neck. We went on a 10 mile hike (high elevation) yesterday with our son's Boy Scout Troop and i ended up with another horrific headache. It was the worst I have ever felt. I usually feel nauseous with them, but this one actually made me vomit. The pain was so bad,(the worst i have ever felt) i was almost ready to tell my husband to take me to the ER. I felt chills and got in the shower. The hot water actually made my head feel as if the headache was gone. I stepped away from the stream of water and still felt better. So i continued to take the hot shower, submersing my head in it. I couldn't believe how it made my head feel as it my headache was gone. I thought for sure that when i got out, my head would go right back to feeling like it had been, but no- My headache was GONE. I have never done that before- ( a hot shower) and if i hadn't have gotten the chills, i probably wouldn't have even tried it. It makes me wonder if the sweating from the exercise caused your blood vessels to constrict and then the heat expands them again. Something to keep in mind and try again. I know i certainly will. My headache has NEVER left that quickly. Usually turns into a migraine that i will have for days. Hope this can help someone else

I have been suffering from heat induced migraines for the past 2 years after receiving a concussion. Before my concussion I experienced milder symptoms and only after working out at a higher intensity than my body was used to. I had no problem being out in the heat and could enjoy being outside with my kids. Post concussion I have a difficult time doing anything exerting in warm weather (hot weather is out of the question) and this condition has really effected my quality of life. I live in Utah where 5 months out of the year it is very warm to extremely hot and I am unable to participate in most out door activities if the temperature is above 80 degrees. If I do want to exercise, I have to take ibuprofen before hand, have a fan blowing directly on me and keep the intensity low. When I do get overheated I don't notice it in my body as much as in my forehead where it feels like the front part of my head is ablaze. I have found that if I ice my head right away that it will shorten the length of my migraine but not eliminate them. Someone mentioned drinking tomato juice, so I'm going to give that a try. I know that in my case it isn't dehydration because I drink 12+ water bottles a day. The way I explain it to people is that my body isn't able to regulate it's temperature any more, which is a harder thing to live with then most people think.

I have the same exact problem. If I overheat, even for 15 minutes, I'm guaranteed a headache that turns into a migraine a few hours later. It happens every time. No aspirin, tylenol, motrin, or aleve works. Lately my prescription migraine meds haven't been working either. Wish I could find a solution!

I have gotten heat related migraines for my entire life. Although I still have to be careful, I've found a workable solution. Namely, take two Ibuprofen an hour before an exercise. Also, I've found that I absolutely have to listen to my body. Unlike other people, I can't just push my body harder and ignore the little twinge of a headache because if I do, the rest of the day/night will be lost to terrible migraines.

I have had the same symptoms for years now with the doctors not being able to find a solution. I have tried cutting out salt, adding more salt and I drink plenty of water. I can just be sitting in the heat and it happens. I am at the point of having a migraine headache every day, and wondering if I should move to Alaska. I also have a horrible concentration level and memory, to the point I didnt finish my student teaching. I have no ideas on this problem/s, so any suggestions would help.--heather

My son is having the same issue. He's had it for about 7 years (since he was 5 years old). He is a very active boy otherwise and we have had to encourage him in sports/activities in the cold weather. He now thrives in ice hockey and snow skiing. He wanted to play soccer again this spring (hasn't played in three years) and we allowed him, but since starting, whenever the weather is hot we notice he's having the overheating and headaches and vomiting (like a migraine) again. He just can't get cool enough. This is also a problem at school in gym class or recess on the hottest of days. The drs. have always said this is just dehydration, but we plan to look into it a bit more. He has never liked drinking Gatorade, but perhaps there is something he needs and we will push him to drink a replacement drink like that again going forward--I do think salt has something to do with it. Thank you for all of your suggestions above!