Swimming induced headache

RedB

I'm a poor swimmer who's trying to do a bit more distance and yesterday seemed to get a swimming induced headache as I struggled to make a 1500mm straight swim. I'm not sure if my goggles were too tight, if I was breathing poorly, was under-hydrated or other reason. It was migraine-like at the end and I was zonked for hours afterwards.

Anyone got any advice on the cause / remedy?

Oryx

Jeez, does this come under medical advice??
Could be any of the things you say or something else entirely. I know I have to wear a nose clip or my sinuses give me gyp, but the allergy makes my nose run like a tap so its pretty obvious! I also lock my jaw sometimes during a hard swim, I dont realise till it aches later in the day.

Make note if you get headaches at other times or if it happens again when swimming. And the usual caveat applies: see a doc for medical issues!

padraig_f

I've never got a headache from swimming, so yeah would be inclined to talk to a GP if it recurs. A couple of times I've felt nauseous when I've overdone it, think it was due to hitting my VO2 max (which probably isn't very high), which can cause you to get sick. This is probably easier to do when your technique isn't great, because you can get into oxygen debt more easily.

On the swimming front, might not be a great idea to do 1500m straight. I used to do 1000m straight freestyle and after a while I started getting shoulder pains. I break it up now: warmup, 400m freestyle, short rest, kicking drill alternated with some backstroke (just to change the stroke), short rest, 400m freestyle, warm down (more kicking and backstroke). The shoulder pains went away after I changed to that.

Tinder

Some possible explanations are.

1 Your hat is too tight.
2 Your goggle straps are too tight
3. the nose bridge on your goggles are pressing on your sinus.
4. Are you doing tumble turns? If not then your head may be hitting the water too hard on re-entry after turning by holding on to the bank putting pressure on your ear, thus causing headache.

It’s hard to tell when we have not seen you swim though.
T

RedB

Tinder wrote: »

Some possible explanations are.

1 Your hat is too tight.
2 Your goggle straps are too tight
3. the nose bridge on your goggles are pressing on your sinus.
4. Are you doing tumble turns? If not then your head may be hitting the water too hard on re-entry after turning by holding on to the bank putting pressure on your ear, thus causing headache.

It’s hard to tell when we have not seen you swim though.
T

Thanks all - it could be any of the above so I'll adjust and retry.

ruanaidh

I used to get headaches like yours when I got back into swimming 4 years ago. I used to take 3 strokes then a breath and I used to get a headache by the end of my swimming session just like a migraine. Changed it to 2 stokes per breath and I've never had a headache from swimming since.

I used to smoke too when I got back into swimming so I believe that my tissues weren't get enough oxygen saturation hence the headaches.

RedB

ruanaidh wrote: »

I used to get headaches like yours when I got back into swimming 4 years ago. I used to take 3 strokes then a breath and I used to get a headache by the end of my swimming session just like a migraine. Changed it to 2 stokes per breath and I've never had a headache from swimming since.

I used to smoke too when I got back into swimming so I believe that my tissues weren't get enough oxygen saturation hence the headaches.

It happened again yesterday and I stopped after 900m. I had loosened my goggles and got a looser cap so I'll work on hydration next! I've swam further in races but not bilaterally whereas these swims were bilateral