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My husband gets a pretty severe headache when in the sun for only 4-5 minutes, sometimes even with a baseball cap on but definitely when he is hatless. Today he was outside for about 4 minutes for a fire drill at work and his headache formed in 4 minutes of sun exposure.
20 or more minutes causes nausea and an hour, even with a baseball cap, can cause vomiting. Our summers are pretty hot and sunny (yay for me, nay for him!). I am wondering why this extreme reaction to sun happens? He did not grow up in a place with hot summers but I didn't either and I don't have this problem.
Anyone have any ideas?
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Did anyone else find out what is going on with them and the sun? I, too, have been having problems with the sun. It is not from exertion or exercise. It can't be heat exhaustion, although it sounds like it. I simply just go outside to my car and my heart rate goes up and I feel faint, headache. The sun coming in on me through a window causes symptoms. I have to keep the blinds closed. I am hydrated. I eat healthy. I thought out of the blue I was having anxiety last month until I noticed that I do not have symptoms on cloudy days. Even warm cloudy days are fine. I am 42 and this is the first summer I have to stay indoors. I love the outdoors. It is so depressing.
July 14, 2009 - 8:19amThis Comment
Hi,
September 29, 2009 - 8:46pmI have the same issue and I am 43. This has been happening to me for about 2 years now. This past week we were at Disneyland and it was HOT...I took all precautions, good hydration mixed with electrolite drinks throughout the day, resting throughout the days in cooled areas, sleeping in a cool room, but it still happened. This time I lost a whole day to vomiting then eventually sleeping and shivering and also some delirium about my dog that was at home! I have had hemiplegic migraine for many years and the symptoms are similar without the numbness. I also do not sweat, my skin gets hot and around my eyes and nose swells. I used to compete in triathlon so I know the importance of hydration and nutrition etc, and i have to wonder if there are underlying issues that causes this.
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Hope this helps! I also suffer from sun migrains and vomiting but recently my doctor found I was vitiamin D deficient. After less than a month on vitamin D I was able to go to the water park with my family with no ill effects. I take 800iu (200% daily value) daily. I go back to my doctor soon to have my blood levels rechecked. So far I feel like a new woman.
July 13, 2009 - 7:29pmThis Comment
It sounds like a "can't win for losing" sort of situation when, if you're in the sun you get sick, if you get no sun or other source of Vitamin D, you're deficient.
Did your doctor also determine that you have a heat-related illness?
July 13, 2009 - 7:52pmThis Comment
I have the same problem. I don't have headaches always but never too easy to go outdoors in bright sun shine even though I have gorwn up in very hot climate. However, a mix of sun and cloud is perfect for me. I'm not sure whats the cause and neither I found any from posts above.
My suggestion for fellows who get headaches sweating during activites in sun shine is when they get water to get hydrated, add some salt and lime(if available). Perspiration not only dehydrates but takes away body salts too.
July 1, 2009 - 4:35pmThis Comment
You're so right about the importance of hydration. Sports drinks contain electrolytes - the essential minerals needed to replace what we lose through exertion and sweat - and are also helpful in maintaining good hydration while working out in the heat. However, it's important to balance plain water intake with electrolytes.
July 1, 2009 - 4:42pmThis Comment
Seriously you have posted so many comments saying the same thing. Hydration, hydration, hydration, heat exhaustion, heat exhaustion, heat exhaustion. Quite obviously after being outside for about two minutes and feeling totally terrible isn't dehydration and heat exhaustion. Please stop saying the same things, you're not helping very much.
April 24, 2010 - 7:00pmThis Comment
It is not dehydration. It is sensitivity to the Sun. I know, because I suffer from the same thing. I get headaches within 10 minutes of driving my car without sunglasses, with the A/C on. I use triple protection: 1) Sunglasses, 2) a hat with a good brim, 3) 1 tablet of Motrin before going outside. Also, when walking, I look for shades to cover me from the sun. I also use 50 SPF sunscreen. I also get these migraines during the winter when it is sunny and 32 deg F.
May 29, 2012 - 8:06pmI found building my endurance, with excersizing helps extend the exposure time a bit. Good luck.
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Dear fellow migraine sufferers,
I experience the same sensitivities and have visited several different medical specialists. When I spend more than 30 mins in the sun - even if I'm skiing or surfing/swimming, so cold or hot - I get severe headaches in the front of my head and sometimes nausea. Here's what I've learned in the past few years.
1. Intense sun and dry weather. I grew up in the northeast and never experienced this problem until I moved to LA a few years ago. Even now when I visit the northeast in the middle of a hot and humid summer, I don't experience this problem. The sun in LA is much more intense (closer to the equator) and the weather is very dry. Dry weather increases your eye's sensitivity. Which makes sense because I see a remarkable difference between when I'm wearing contact lenses or glasses. With contact lenses, my eyes are already drier and I almost always get the headaches in the sun. With regular glasses, my eyes are more moist, and I sometimes get away with avoiding the headaches. So dry weather and intense sunlight are one cause of migraines. It's not the heat for me (I love saunas and never experiences headaches there).
2. Polarized sunglasses and hat. While these do help (I invested in $200 ray-ban polarized sunglasses), I still get headaches even when I'm out with sunglasses and a hat. I read above that someone suggested black plastic sunglasses, and I think he/she is right. I have a cheap, disposable pair that I got at some pool party and they are so dark and thick, I don't get headaches when I wear those. It may be because they are thicker, I don't know, but I need to buy a few more.
3. Pain relievers. If I take any kind of medication with IB profin in advance or going out in the sun or right when the pain starts, then I'm good. But if I wait until the pain has set in, it will take hours to heal. Because this pain is responsive to IB profin, it means that muscles are involved. For me, I feel it in my eye muscles and feel like the pain comes from squinting. I don't think, for example, that I will get these headaches if I have my eyes closed and am out in the sun. And just like other posts above, I can even get these headaches if I'm in a home that very bright. I often get it in the car.
4. Solutions. I'd love to hear more about what has worked for other people - besides wearing a hat and polarized sunglasses and staying hydrated. One doctor recently told me that Butter-bur (sold at health food stores) helps with migraines. I may try accupuncture soon.
Yours truly,
November 18, 2012 - 10:23amMigraines in LA
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Oh thank god! I thought I had some type of brain tumor. I am not able to go out in the sun without feeling like I need to throw up and I can't see straight the headache gets so bad. I had no idea anyone else was feeling this. It's not salt either I eat olives like they are their own meal. S
June 22, 2009 - 10:46amThis Comment