Running and Headaches
Many runners find that running helps their headaches, although there are a few rare circumstances that can actually cause, rather than cure them!
If you are prone to stress or tension headaches then a short slow run can really help get the stress out of your system, you’ll often return home to find the headache disappeared somewhere en route! If you have trouble sleeping and that gives you headaches the next day, try running a very gentle slow run about two hours before bedtime – the endorphins released by the body in the couple of hours after a run are reckoned to assist sleep.
On the other hand, if you have migraine, be very careful about running. Many people find it helps, but others experience episodes of nausea which running can exacerbate and the regular pounding of your feet might make you feel worse, rather than better.
If you have hayfever and it gives you headaches, you might want to try running early in the morning or even indoors at a gym for the worst weeks of the summer. Some people find that getting out and running in the first hot week of the year improves their hayfever by getting their immune system confronted with all the symptoms at once, but others find it hard to stop sneezing when running and that’s both uncomfortable and inconvenient.
Running in high pollution can cause headaches, so avoid town centres in hot weather, and sudden changes in temperature can also cause headaches, so running when summer storms are predicted can give you a splitting headache too.
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