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Headache after a round of golf

kensisland

kensisland

Misplaced Texan
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I tend to get headaches here in the heat after a round of golf ... I feel like I am drinking enough water ... close to 80+ oz ...

I usually comes on about 1-2 hours after I play ...

I blame it on dehydration even though I believe I am drinking enough fluids, and I do not drink beer during the round. (sometimes have 1 after the round)

The only cure for them seems to be overnight sleep ... once it starts it just lingers.
 
Headache after a round of golf

Do you wear a hat? If so...are you sure it's the right size? I have a couple hats that give me headaches because they are the slightest bit too tight
 
Sun and dehydration.
Get a big bucket hat, a cool towel at the turn for your neck, and drink 2X more water than you currently drink.
If that does not work, then go to a doctor. I am not kidding.
 
It could certainly be dehydration. I get the same thing running.

Should not be ignored. Get some water and electrolytes in you.
 
If your eyes are super sensitive to the sun, maybe try wearing glasses.
 
I agree with above... you need more fluids...

I would make sure you have that 80 oz of water before you play, and hit the powerade/gatorade hard with water while you play. The hat and cool towel are also a must/great ideas if you don't do them now.

If the course has water, drink 3 of those little paper cups at each one period. Consider this just trying to keep up, and don't count it in your hydration schedule.

Are you using sunscreen? This could also be you baking too much - so hit the shade as much as possible etc...

And like others have said, do not ignore this. If you are getting 64oz of "ade" plus pre-loading 80oz of water, and drinking more water on course (and getting the shade etc...) and they still persist - see your doctor for sure!!!

I know when i would get mild cases of heat stroke in WI i would get the headaches as well. This is where i developed a huge hydration strategy, and I stay very hydrated normally now (64-128oz of Water as a daily minimum without activity)... It helped a TON... now that I have adjusted to the GA heat - so far so good.

My rule of thumb i use is this... if I am not urinating every 1-2 hours (not prostate dribble but a solid 16-64oz out)... then I am in need of more water.
 
I will echo what others have said about dehydration. You are probably already at a deficit when you start. I had a trainer teach me a life changing habit a couple years ago that you (and others) might try. If you go to bed around 10 or so and get up after 6-7am...you have gone 8-12 hours without any hydration. After waking up, most people head straight for the coffee, soda, juice, or milk. He told me the first thing he does before even standing up out of bed is to guzzle as much water as he can stand, to the point of fullness. It has changed my day so much. I don't hit a wall between 10am and lunch anymore, my digestion is almost flawless, my blood pressure which was 120/80 dropped to 110/76, and I dropped 5-10 lbs in 2-3 weeks. All I do is keep a 1 liter bottle of water on my dresser, and it's the first thing I do every morning.
Good luck with your headaches.
 
Thanks everyone ... I do wear sunglasses ... and sunscreen ... on hotter days I will have a "cool" towel thingy around my neck (a must here in Phx) ...

I do not try to hydrate prior to the round ... will add that, and try to 2x the fluid intake ...

edit: Will finally get my Tilly hat on order ...
 
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^dub^ said:
I will echo what others have said about dehydration. You are probably already at a deficit when you start. I had a trainer teach me a life changing habit a couple years ago that you (and others) might try. If you go to bed around 10 or so and get up after 6-7am...you have gone 8-12 hours without any hydration. After waking up, most people head straight for the coffee, soda, juice, or milk. He told me the first thing he does before even standing up out of bed is to guzzle as much water as he can stand, to the point of fullness. It has changed my day so much. I don't hit a wall between 10am and lunch anymore, my digestion is almost flawless, my blood pressure which was 120/80 dropped to 110/76, and I dropped 5-10 lbs in 2-3 weeks. All I do is keep a 1 liter bottle of water on my dresser, and it's the first thing I do every morning.
Good luck with your headaches.
Click to expand...

There is a benefit here that you mention, and I wasn't sure if you knew the correlation. By drinking that much water first thing in the morning (this is a European practice from ages ago), you wash down all the good bacteria in your mouth. This greatly improves digestion etc. It's a combo deal really... good hydration keeping things flowing as well as increasing your good bacteria levels in your GI system. :)
 
Pre-hydration is important. Sounds like a mild case of heat exhaustion. As a paramedic, we see a lot of this in the beginning of summer. If you are properly hydrated, you should pee once, maybe twice in a 4-5 hr round. If it is more than a very light yellow and/or you can smell it, you aren't hydrated.
 
I get wicked, snap-at-people-over-the-dumbest-sh!t headaches. it's because of really bad allergies. I overdose on Zyrtec which helps, but shots would be best.


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My son runs marathons and Spartan races. He recommended Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes- Electrolyte Replacement Supplement for me when I play golf. I take about six pills before and six after golfing. It helps me with the effects of dehydration and leg cramps. I also drink a lot of water/gatorade before, during, and after playing. They really do help!
 
kensisland said:
I tend to get headaches here in the heat after a round of golf ... I feel like I am drinking enough water ... close to 80+ oz ...

I usually comes on about 1-2 hours after I play ...

I blame it on dehydration even though I believe I am drinking enough fluids, and I do not drink beer during the round. (sometimes have 1 after the round)

The only cure for them seems to be overnight sleep ... once it starts it just lingers.
Click to expand...

Do u wear prescription glasses or contacts? If not u may have vision issues causing u to have headaches after squinting all day
 
mcrobertsjmac32 said:
Do u wear prescription glasses or contacts? If not u may have vision issues causing u to have headaches after squinting all day
Click to expand...

No I do not have corrected vision, and I wear Maui Jim sunglasses.

I did not think of the electrolyte replacement ... I have a few packs ... was running a lot, but "runners knee" has me sidelined now.
 
Whats your nutrition like? Processed meats like a hotdog at the turn have nitrates in it that causes headaches in some people.
 
I stay as close as I can to a paleo based diet ...
 
Drinking 80 oz during the round is probably enough. My guess would be that it's the lack of hydration the day before and not wearing a hat. Good luck!
 
I'm new to golfing, but no stranger to being a very fair skinned person in the direct sun, having worked in construction for decades... So, my tactic is what others mentioned, to hydrate before, not during... As far as sun screen goes, no way... As soon as I put that stuff on, and I've tried many kinds, I feel like I have another layer of skin on, and I start to cook immediately, which leads to the headache, etc... So, I've learned to use a long sleeve UV resistant shirt, a UV resistant hat with the flap that covers the neck, and I hide in the shade whenever possible... Also, my eyes are so damn light blue that I have to wear good shades, or I start to get a headache from the bright light... Needless to say, I always surfed right at dawn, and I prefer the golf course early in the morning...
 
Don't forget to keep your sodium levels up when you're out in the sun sweating. It's not just water that you need.
 
I use Succeed S caps when running and NUUN tabs in my water for golfing, great electrolyte replacements.
 
the heat is enough to give you headaches no matter how cool and hydrated you stay... if you start feeling drowsy or light headed i would get inside in a cool place cause you can pass out at any given time until the next group finds you Lol. Lets play sometime!

p.s. drinking lots of water 1-2 hours before you play is a must!!!
 
Glad this same up, I've been getting headaches that would kill a lesser man.
Drinking water, Nuun tablets, Powerade during the round but rarely do I eat or have much in the gut before a round.
I need to change that.


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Maybe you have alergies. Maybe take some.meds before you play
 
Jeff Spicoli said:
If your eyes are super sensitive to the sun, maybe try wearing glasses.
Click to expand...

Go one better and get them checked by an ophthalmologist. The headaches could be a symptom of eye problems.

And hydrating first is the only way to do it. I have a Nuun an hour before I get to the course then lots of water on hot days.
 
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