Why does intense exercise cause headaches?

Many people have similar situations, that is, they feel severe pain in the back of the head after strenuous exercise, and even have stars in the eyes, nausea and retching. This is because the intensity of exercise is too high, which causes body dysfunction and leads to head discomfort. This type of headache is called exercise-induced headache. There are many causes of exercise-induced headaches. Below, I will explain the causes of exercise-induced headaches in detail.

There are roughly the following reasons for dizziness, lightheadedness or headache during exercise.

1. People who lack exercise engage in strenuous exercise. Usually, there are dizziness or headache, as well as pale face, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and other symptoms. This is the response required when the functional level of the body's respiratory organs cannot adapt to intense exercise. Poor breathing rhythm can lead to insufficient oxygen in the body and cause dizziness. Sometimes participating in strenuous exercise too early after an illness, exercising after being tired, or participating in sports or competitions without enough sleep can cause a series of symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, and headache.

2. Signs of insufficient calories in the body. When symptoms such as dizziness and lightheadedness begin after a period of exercise or near the end of exercise, especially when these symptoms occur when the outside temperature is too high or too cold, the cause may be related to insufficient heat in the body and low blood sugar levels. This is why it is easy to experience dizziness, weakness, sweating, etc. if you participate in long-term exercise when you are hungry.

3. Caused by some diseases. People with chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, inner ear diseases, anemia, and hypertension may experience dizziness, lightheadedness, or headaches during exercise. Among adolescents, especially female adolescents, when they experience symptoms such as dizziness, pale face, and palpitations during exercise, it is often related to low hemoglobin levels. For symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo caused by such reasons, the primary disease should be actively treated to fundamentally eliminate the cause.

Now that we know the causes of exercise-induced headaches, we should pay more attention during exercise in the future. Before exercising, you should do warm-up and cool-down exercises, strengthen your overall physical fitness, and avoid excessive intensity. This can help avoid dizziness, headaches and other symptoms caused by intense exercise. If you get a headache while exercising, be sure to stop and rest.