Just wanting to inquire what y’all (those who do any kind of work in hot weather), do for when you get heat induced headaches. Well, what y’all do to fend them off?
I recently started working outside at my job pushing carts, and while I love being outside and pushing choo-choo train length lines of baskets…
I come home with gnarly headaches on those hot Houston days.
Today was… okay? But I still ended up with one on the drive home.
So far I’ve tried salt licks, Gatorade, copious amounts of water, sugar packets, Tylenol or two prior to clocking in, headband soaked in water, etc.
I eat pretty much anything I see just to keep up the energy throughout the day. My 5 hour shifts aren’t too bad, but those 8 hour shifts leave me wrecked.
Are you sure it’s a heat headache? In that case fluids would most likely help.
My thought is you are experiencing tension headaches. Why? Well, put simply 97% of all headaches are benign tension headaches. And - you do seem to have a physical job. Add lifting weights to the equation (and possibly mental stress, which we all experience to an extent everyday), and you have the foundation for tension.
Another thought is sunlight + tension which may give rise to a headache similar to migraine (mixed headache). This especially if you are prone to migraine in the first place - and also if similar work indoors doesn’t cause you any problems.
You do get better on off days and weekends, don’t you? Also, I would expect your headache to appear or worsen along the workday - right?
The first thing I would try - aside of sunglasses and plenty of fluids - is simple careful neck stretches 2-3 times during the workday. I recommend you talk to a physio if you need specific advice, if it gets worse or doesn’t resolve in 3 weeks.
Another question is whether you have a low hemoglobin level or iron deficiency. “Vulnerabilities” that may give rise to headache. Also, not forgetting any visual problems…
I’d better stop here. I hope this helps in any way. Adding @j4gga2 as a professional for any insight he may provide.
Appreciate the callout mate! Still not a professional though, I’m a final-year student
@planetcybertron the best I can say is that headache aetiology is incredibly complicated and varied. My best advice is to see a primary care doctor, if possible
Thanks @j4gga2 for sound input! Obviously I forgot to mention to seek a GP if it doesn’t resolve. Being a GP myself I was already lost in consultation.
Pretty sure. Doesn’t start until I get in the heat and start sweating. I’m thinking I just couldn’t hydrate faster than I was sweating.
I went through a lot of water, Gatorade, salt water, etc.
I get tension headaches from an injury behind my shoulder blade, but this feels much different than those. Usually if I get a tension headache it’s from life stuff stress. Which usually go away after a nap/decompression.
I’m not prone to migraines thankfully. It’s not until I start sweating. Sometimes I’ll get one from a heavy session indoors, but it’ll go away by the time I drive home usually.
Yeah I feel okay usually.
No I’m okay concerning those. I get two annual well women’s checkups. Blood work, and all that.
You sure know more than you think based on your previous responses! And, what does a GP know about cervicogenic headache? Minor, though I did my OMT I course based on personal interest.
I see a primary care one, and a sports medicine one (the latter I chose because I got tired of my primary one telling me, “You shouldn’t be lifting such heavy weights”.)
I don’t think it’s cause to schedule anything though. What I was wondering in my OP, was any ways others manage to get around that threshold of managing to keep up with a bunch of sweating. (Probably should’ve put that in there for more clarity).
I also live in a very hot climate. Personally, I find salt pills very beneficial to keep me feeling good following lots of sweating. It may also be worth consuming some amount of carbs/glucose alongside.
You could just go for a powerade mix, or you can do it the ghetto way like me and just mix:
No you’re fine. I see all the questions I’m just answering them in chunks.
If it’s anything involving my shoulder injury it’s always at the base of my neck. @pettersson suggested neck stretches which I’ve done in the past, but I have a little routine I do for all my injured parts. Shoulder injury is the newest injury so I carve out time during rehab stuff for that area.
Those heat headaches aren’t in one particular area it’s just my entire head all the way around.
I’m not dizzy, or feel lightheaded pertaining to my outside work though.
Thanks for putting me in the right direction. When everything is checked and under control - when in doubt, head for the most likely cause.
Dehydration then. Honestly, I would try something like highly branched cyclic dextrin in preparation and during your workday. This, and a regular higher dose multimineral daily should exclude the dehydration factor. You could also do something to keep cool, or keep the time working outdoors to a minimum - but I guess that is a tougher question.
Prepare as you were doing a really sweaty workout, that is. HBCD has the advantage that it keeps the fluid longer in your system, and thus hypothetically is a better prevention against dehydration than simpler carbs.
Btw, even a mild dehydration may give rise to a headache.
You’re fine. It’s all good. We all talk here and share stuff. I’m not one to make a fuss of it. Nice to see healthy conversations.
I haven’t gone out and bought those liter containers but I could give it a shot. I don’t really measure whatever it is I’m drinking, I just try to sit still for a bit and drink whatever fluids until I’ve at least stopped sweating for a bit.
This last concoction I made I used those Costco hydration packets with some watered down lemonade, and just went back and forth with that and licked those little salt squares.
Other times I’ll strain out pickle juice, stretch it with water, or mix sugar packets in luke warm water, and go back and forth between those.
I eat a lot more than I’m comfortable with most days, but I understand it’s for a reason. When I’m outside I up the salty foods, and rely heavily on carbs. So I do agree with you there.
Usually if more food is needed I start dragging, so I tend to go off that signal.
But I can give your mix a try. I’m all for mixing.
I’m thinking you’re right.
It’s probably just a…smaller instance of it? Like magnitude wise and all that.
If I could just time it right. Sometimes it’ll get to the point where I’m uncomfortably full of fluids, but I notice I feel okay, or the headaches come on a lot less tense.
I could go out and buy some of the dextrin. I took it some time ago just to try it, but I was a lot less active then.
I’m kinda “ehh” with multi vitamins just because I find they don’t do much for me. I always go with the food option, and am just mindful of getting in the necessary macro and micro stuffs I need.
Please try, and report your experience back here. I have actually privately used HBCD off-label, preventing the blood pressure from falling in suspected individuals (friends and family) - and found it to work wonders!
Do you think low blood pressure might also kinda correlate to all this?
Any kind of readings I usually get say “normal”, and my family practitioner says I’m in normal, but both I and my sport medicine doctor say it’s a bit on the low side.
On average I rarely get anything over 96-95/mid 50s. But it’s been like that since I was a little girl.
It doesn’t alarm me much since I’ve been carrying on fine for pretty much my whole life. However, I’ve struggled with an eating disorder for nearly two decades that I’ve been recovering from for some time, so I do think it’s caused some long term issues.
Ah, the one thing I didn’t ask about, since you already were under medical supervision.
Since you’re not having any symtoms of low blood pressure I would also state your blood pressure normal.
But, considering demands, again hypothetically, low blood pressure + relative dehydration can result in sensitivity to less circulation of fluids. More fluid = better circulation (=strength/performance).
If it does turn out to be a hydration/electrolyte issue, try a more high octane version of Gatorade - I often recommend Liquid IV and/or LMNT to my clients dealing with hydration issues and to those who are training/competing in hot climates. They are SUPER helpful!!!
