I've been a lap swimmer for years but in the last couple of years have increased my distances substantially compared to past years.
Unfortunately one of the negative by products has been headaches after I finish my workouts.
This usually occurs when I swim longer then 90 minutes. During the swim I'll feel great. No problems after quitting. Then about 30 to 45 minutes after I finish I'll feel the headache coming. 90 minutes after the swim ended I'll have a nasty headache. I take ibprofene for it and it goes away after an hour or so.
I thought it might be dehydration, so I started swimming with a large water bottle at the end of the lane and I'd take a quick drink every 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile. That didn't seem to help. I added a 20 oz bottle of Gatorade, along with the water, doesn't seem to have made any difference.
I went to my family doctor about 8 months ago and had a bunch of blood tests done to see if something would show up there, nothing. No blood sugar problems or other "inbalances".
So I keep swimming and keep getting these damn headaches.
Anyone have any clues as to what could be causing them or possible remedies?
Thanks,
Parents
Former Member
When I read Ken's reply I actually thought "I already look at the bottom, but thanks anyway."
Oh man, I'm an idiot, make that an IDIOT.
I went swimming yesterday, started swimming and remembered Ken's comment, and noticed I wasn't looking straight down; I was looking about 5 meters ahead. I never noticed I did this.
I consciously did my swim thinking, look at the bottom, look at the bottom. It was kind of funny because I got to looking at the little tiles on the bottom and just about gave myself vertigo.
After a 90 minute swim I felt great, but I almost always feel good after swimming. The payoff came an hour later when I had NO HINT of a headache.
I’m not heralding this as the CURE, but I’ll be doing a long swim later tonight and you can bet I’ll be watching the bottom again.
I’ll keep you updated.
Thanks a ton for the comments. I would have never thought about neck strain as the possible problem since my neck and shoulders never feel tired or sore after swimming.
When I read Ken's reply I actually thought "I already look at the bottom, but thanks anyway."
Oh man, I'm an idiot, make that an IDIOT.
I went swimming yesterday, started swimming and remembered Ken's comment, and noticed I wasn't looking straight down; I was looking about 5 meters ahead. I never noticed I did this.
I consciously did my swim thinking, look at the bottom, look at the bottom. It was kind of funny because I got to looking at the little tiles on the bottom and just about gave myself vertigo.
After a 90 minute swim I felt great, but I almost always feel good after swimming. The payoff came an hour later when I had NO HINT of a headache.
I’m not heralding this as the CURE, but I’ll be doing a long swim later tonight and you can bet I’ll be watching the bottom again.
I’ll keep you updated.
Thanks a ton for the comments. I would have never thought about neck strain as the possible problem since my neck and shoulders never feel tired or sore after swimming.
