Is exercise giving you headaches?
June 5, 2025—Exercise can really make life better. It can boost the body's natural painkillers (endorphins), relieve stress, increase positive feelings, improve sleep and more. And for people with migraines, that can help reduce triggers—and symptoms.
Getting regular exercise can be a key part of controlling chronic migraines. According to the American Migraine Foundation (AMF), regular aerobic exercise can reduce the number of migraine days people experience.
But exercise can also lead to headaches. For some, exercise itself is a migraine trigger. And people with primary exercise headache, a rare condition, have non-migraine headaches triggered by exertion. If that sounds familiar, it's important to ask your doctor for advice. But it doesn't have to mean abandoning your favorite fitness activity.
In other cases, the cause is less direct. For example:
- Exercise can lead to dehydration, especially in hot weather. Dehydration can trigger migraines and tension headaches.
- Exercising outdoors could expose you to allergens or weather conditions that trigger headaches.
- Loud noises or flashing lights at an exercise class could trigger headaches for some people.
So what can you do?
If you notice that exercise is giving you a headache, check in with your doctor. They can rule out serious health issues and give you individual advice on exercising safely.
Next, try these headache-safe exercise recommendations from the AMF and other experts:
- Start slow and steady. Building up intensity and duration over time can help prevent exercise-triggered headaches.
- Warm up first. Stretch your muscles and take a slow-paced walk. These can help minimize headache symptoms.
- Watch the weather. Avoid exercising during hot or humid weather or at high altitudes. These can trigger attacks.
- Hydrate. Drink fluids before and after exercise—and for the rest of the day. Dehydration can cause headaches and migraines. A healthy diet also helps stave off attacks.
Need relief?
Your doctor can help you prevent and treat chronic headaches. But there's a lot you can do at home too.
Sources
- American Migraine Foundation. "5 Common Alternative Treatments for Migraine." https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/common-alternative-treatments-migraine.
- American Migraine Foundation. "Migraine and Exercise." https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/migraine-and-exercise-benefits.
- American Migraine Foundation. "Primary Exercise Headache." https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/primary-exercise-headache.
- National Headache Foundation. "Get Moving: Exercise Can Help Curb Migraine Attacks." https://headaches.org/get-moving-exercise-can-help-curb-attacks.
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Headache." https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/headache.