Long time lurker, first time caller. Question about saunas or heat training. Has anybody heard of heat training being a trigger for migraines?
I’m 42 years old and I’ve never had a migraine until yesterday. To be honest I was scared I was having a stroke. I was sitting on my couch doing nothing when my vision started getting a little fuzzy, like I was having trouble focusing on things. Then I started having flashing lights. Like a neon snake was squiggling across my vision. I told my wife and her immediate thought was a migraine. I went and laid down and in about 20 minutes the vision changes disappeared but I started getting nauseous and developed an incredible headache. It was so bad I couldn’t do anything all day. I felt like when I had Covid. Headache that was splitting and nausea like no other along with abdominal cramps. It lasted around 8-9 hours. Never experienced anything like it.
Here’s my question. About a week ago I started doing heat training in a sauna. About 20-30 minutes a day for the 6 days leading up to the migraine. I thought I was hydrating well and felt ok. The only other thing I noticed was that since I started the sauna sessions, I’ve been sleeping like crap. Like maybe 3-4 hours before I wake up and can’t get back to sleep. So in the past 6 days before the migraine, I did 6 sauna sessions and averaged maybe 3 hours a sleep a night. I wake up around midnight and can’t fall back asleep so I’m up for the rest of the day.
Has anybody else had issues with heat training or have it trigger a migraine? I’m scared to start it up again. And before anybody says it, I have an appointment with my GP next week. Just seeing if anybody else has experienced similar issues.
Can’t say I have had those issues with my heat training. Just general woozyness for the hour or two after when pushing it (duration or doing excercise in there or extra hot/steamy)
A few questions, answers or concerns…
Have you had migranes in the past for other things? After hard workouts or training blocks?
Yes Heat stress has to be a big contributor to migranes… its a big stress especially if new to it.
Although sounds like a bit of heat shock or heat stroke symptoms.
You did a massive block of 6 days in a row when new to it… I would NOT recommend that! Ease into it! 10-20min every other day or third day..!!! Slowly increase duration. Then evenutally add frequency with reduced duration on every other session maybe (hard day and easy day per say).
Do you monitor heart rate? Would recommend it - also of course monitor RPE and breathing. If your HR gets up to mid-zone2 (or you feel panicy w/weird HR/breathing)… take a breather outside of sauna for a minute or two… then return when panic breathing/heart feeling goes away. (or if past 20min just call it a day for now)
If you feel like butterfly’s are flapping on your skin everywhere… also take a breather… lol
Dehydration is a source of migraine. Is that possible considering the sauna time?
Let me start with I’m not a doctor, this is just my personal experience…
I have had exactly what you described, just not from heat. It’s called an ocular migraine. For me, it presents as blurriness and progresses to a wavy motion covering part of my vision in one eye. The first time it happened, I almost passed out, and literally thought I was having a stroke. I went to my doctor and had multiple tests and experts look at my head, but they never found anything. Their speculation was that the very first ocular migraine I’d ever had occurred, which caused me to panic, which led to feeling like I would pass out and heart palpitations. They taught me to fight off the fear, and now the anxiety/feeling like I will pass out goes away. I take ibuprofen at the first sign too. It helps me. Once I got over the fear, I learned to just sit (or lay) it out and let it pass. I even had one happen one time when I was driving in an HOV lane where I could not pull over or exit, and mentally telling myself it would pass and I could make it helped immensely. I only get maybe one a year now, but when I do, I know how to overcome it.
Again, not a doctor, just sharing similar experience and what I personally do now.
Never had a migraine ever. I was close to going to the ED because I thought I was having a stroke or something. Had to call a friend who works in healthcare and they said it sounded more like a migraine and to lay down for a bit.
I wouldn’t call it a massive block or new to it. I do heat training in one form or another every fall/winter. Either sauna at the gym or dedicated heat training on the bike. This was the first time this year I started though. So it was definitely a new stimulus for my recent training. But I have never done so many days in a row. In the past I’d do 3-4 days in a row in the sauna and then 2 or 3 times per week on the bike wearing the sweatsuit. I figured 6 days of passive heat training shouldn’t have shocked my system so much but I guess it did. Also, this is a new gym so maybe it’s hotter than my previous gym.
Not really. Every now and then I would check my pulse and if it hit 120bpm I’d call it. But I’m not sure my HR monitor will keep working that hot.
This is weird. I had my first migraine as an adult yesterday also and it presented very similar. The headache wasn’t too bad but the nausea was really bad. I didn’t know what was happening when the vision changes happened but luckily (or unluckily) my wife has them fairly often and knew exactly what it was. She made me take some Tylenol and Advil and go rest to try to abort it. The headache wasn’t too bad thankfully. I just felt kind of off all day and still feel a little off today. But it for sure ruined my whole day.
As far as triggers, there are so many things that can cause them. Foods, sleep, hormones, electrolyte imbalances, stress. You name it. So it sounds like it was a combination of a few maybe. Heat training is a lot of stress. And you weren’t sleeping well. Has your appetite changed at all? Did you drink more alcohol than usual? Have you been sick recently?
I think mine was stress related and lack of sleep. My job has been destroying me lately and the stress is messing with my sleep and normal training. Good that you’re seeing your doctor. They can run some blood work but this might just be something that happens now.
I originally when recording would just put a small towel from the gym over my Garmin watch, was pretty worried - but after seeing so many people regularly with their phones, watches, headphones etc in there… I’ve given up caring too much. Has been fine for the past couple years. lol
I guess my question should have been, can heat training mess with sleep? It was odd that the sleep problems also started like a day after I started sitting in the sauna. And it’s been 3 days since I’ve last done the sauna and last night I slept like a baby for a solid 10 hours. Maybe just a coincidence.
