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Off-Topic Headaches after sauna

ImMrAdam

ImMrAdam

Level 4 Valued Member
Since many of the forum members use the sauna, and some even have special insight due to being Finnish, I'm wondering whether anyone dealt or has any ideas on how to deal with headaches after sauna.

Recently more often then not, I get a headache after sauna. The headache feels like coming from the neck.

- My routine:
  • I am doing 3-4 rounds of about 10-15 mins followed by a cold immersion after each round (until the neck, not immersing the head). I'm pushing the stays a little bit but not too much - the goal is to be looking forward to the cooling part when I leave the sauna).
  • about 10-15 relax between rounds, once in a while I do a back-to-back round (when there is a ceremony starting that I want to go to)
- Hydration and food:
  • I always drink a 1,5 bottle of mineral water (has magnesium, sodium, calcium, hydrogen carbonate ions and sulfate) so I don't think it's dehydration or lack of minerals. Moreover, I don't eat for couple hours before. No alcohol either.
I'll appreciate your insights.
 
Are you sure you're comfortable when you do it, like you don't tense your neck or back in the sauna or in the water?

Is your blood pressure ok?
 
Antti said:
Are you sure you're comfortable when you do it, like you don't tense your neck or back in the sauna or in the water?
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I don't think so but I could be wrong. I'll try to pay special attention to relaxing the neck and back
Antti said:
Is your blood pressure ok?
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Never had any issues as a 28yo. My dad does have some so I'll check with my physician next time. Thanks for the pointer!
 
ImMrAdam said:
  • I always drink a 1,5 bottle of mineral water (has magnesium, sodium, calcium, hydrogen carbonate ions and sulfate) so I don't think it's dehydration or lack of minerals. Moreover, I don't eat for couple hours before. No alcohol either.
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Is that all you drink in a day?
 
ImMrAdam said:
Since many of the forum members use the sauna, and some even have special insight due to being Finnish, I'm wondering whether anyone dealt or has any ideas on how to deal with headaches after sauna.

Recently more often then not, I get a headache after sauna. The headache feels like coming from the neck.

- My routine:
  • I am doing 3-4 rounds of about 10-15 mins followed by a cold immersion after each round (until the neck, not immersing the head). I'm pushing the stays a little bit but not too much - the goal is to be looking forward to the cooling part when I leave the sauna).
  • about 10-15 relax between rounds, once in a while I do a back-to-back round (when there is a ceremony starting that I want to go to)
- Hydration and food:
  • I always drink a 1,5 bottle of mineral water (has magnesium, sodium, calcium, hydrogen carbonate ions and sulfate) so I don't think it's dehydration or lack of minerals. Moreover, I don't eat for couple hours before. No alcohol either.
I'll appreciate your insights.
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I'd be wanting to know more about you and your life, stress levels, diet, exercise and medical history and any medication you take as a start.

And then more about the headaches; where in the head are they, are they sudden or slow onset, how long do they last, any associated symptoms (visual issues, nausea, weakness, etc.), how bad are they, etc.

Plus I'd take a blood pressure reading.

But don't post that here as I'm not internet diagnosing you! See a doctor/other HCP for all the above would be my advice.
 
ImMrAdam said:
Oh no, I drink that specifically during the sauna session on top of everything else I drink during the day. I never measured my total intake but my pee is mostly clear.
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Regarding sauna and hydration - more important than what you drink during is what you drink before, during and after.

Most of the time, headaches from sauna are "simply" dehydration headaches, so you may want to try to make sure you are hydrating "extra well" for the 3-4 hours before/after your sauna, as well as drinking your special drink during. Keep in mind if you are just drinking tons of water and aren't eating enough salt, you aren't as effectively hydrating yourself despite urine being yellow.

Quick bread down on common causes of sauna headaches:

1. Dehydration
2. Sauna-ing too long - you may go "going too long" for what you are ready for
3. Heat headaches - you may be "doing too much" heat, or you may be "doing too much" with your contrasts

Less common - you can get headaches from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). I am not a doc, Finnish, or any kind of expert, so I am unsure how this could interact with your sauna regime.

Like @mfbunch said it might be a good idea to see a doc, especially if you feel like you know what you're doing, aren't going beyond your limits, and are well hydrated. There can be very benign causes for headaches (such as dehydration or stress), but it might be good to rule out "bad things."
 
It may be the mineral water itself causing the headache? Have you tried just the mineral water (without sauning)? Drinking that much mineral water, from some brands, will give me a headache all by itself. Gerolsteiner never does it, but San Pellegrino always does. I suspect that it's due to the high calcium in San Pellegrino.
I am a frequent sauna visitor (3-4 times a week) and have found that I avoid headaches or dizziness if I drink a liter of plain water to which I've added a tablespoon of sea-salt flakes (like kosher salt), so maybe 10 g of NaCl (with whatever other minerals are in sea salt). And then I find that in the evening, so maybe 8 or so hours later, I need to drink an extra half liter of plain water.
 
I wonder if the headaches could be from the vasoconstriction induced by the cold immersion you are doing after the sauna. That contrast is going to lead to a spike in blood pressure that you might not capture with a traditional blood pressure reading which could be causing blood pressure headaches. That being said, I am not at all qualified to be giving advice on the matter. You could try just doing the sauna without cold immersion and see if you still get the headaches.
 
I didn't touch on the hydration earlier on but since many did I will give my two cents.

I'm not an expert but I've been to the sauna thousands of times, who knows how many times exactly. And I know plenty alike.

I know Huberman and the like say hydration is very important when it comes to the sauna. However, I've never heard anyone I know be that concerned about it, and i have not been either. Even more, alcohol is often associated with the sauna over here. For example, a beer or some are customary in the sauna. If you have friends over for a night of cards, you will go to the sauna with beer and liqueur. Of course, in that case a headache may be unavoidable, at least in the morning.

I know, I'm not saying our way is the way to do it, but I wouldn't worry too much either.
 
Sanjoy Mahajan said:
It may be the mineral water itself causing the headache? Have you tried just the mineral water (without sauning)? Drinking that much mineral water, from some brands, will give me a headache all by itself.
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I think that's very unlikely, I drink it very often. The water sounds kind of funky when broken down into all the ions but it's one of the most common waters to drink in my country (besides tap).

John K said:
1. Dehydration
2. Sauna-ing too long - you may go "going too long" for what you are ready for
3. Heat headaches - you may be "doing too much" heat, or you may be "doing too much" with your contrasts
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That could be an issue. I'll try to take it easier and see what it does, as well as hydrating better couple hours before.
John K said:
Less common - you can get headaches from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). I am not a doc, Finnish, or any kind of expert, so I am unsure how this could interact with your sauna regime.
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I'm pretty used to fasting, my max is 3 days and had no issues there. I am assuming blood sugar drops during fasts.

Wouldn't sauna have the opposite effect on blood sugar though? When you sweat out water, the concentration of glucose rises even though you're not takin in any. I think that can happen during exercise. Heard it on Huberman but might have gotten it wrong.

Ben Strong said:
I wonder if the headaches could be from the vasoconstriction induced by the cold immersion you are doing after the sauna
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That's possible. I'm accustomed to cold showers and cold in general, but the truth is that the cold immersion pool is really cold for my tolerance. I don't do more than 30-40 seconds.
Antti said:
I know, I'm not saying our way is the way to do it, but I wouldn't worry too much either.
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Agreed. It's just that the headaches take most of the pleasure away from sauna so I want to deal with them to the extent that I can :)


Thank you everyone for your thought!
 
ImMrAdam said:
I think that's very unlikely, I drink it very often. The water sounds kind of funky when broken down into all the ions but it's one of the most common waters to drink in my country (besides tap).


That could be an issue. I'll try to take it easier and see what it does, as well as hydrating better couple hours before.

I'm pretty used to fasting, my max is 3 days and had no issues there. I am assuming blood sugar drops during fasts.

Wouldn't sauna have the opposite effect on blood sugar though? When you sweat out water, the concentration of glucose rises even though you're not takin in any. I think that can happen during exercise. Heard it on Huberman but might have gotten it wrong.


That's possible. I'm accustomed to cold showers and cold in general, but the truth is that the cold immersion pool is really cold for my tolerance. I don't do more than 30-40 seconds.

Agreed. It's just that the headaches take most of the pleasure away from sauna so I want to deal with them to the extent that I can :)


Thank you everyone for your thought!
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I don't mean to not worry about the headaches, I meant for everyone to not worry that much about the hydration. By all means, get to the bottom of the headache issue.

Speaking of it, is it always there or are there differences between times at all?
 
ImMrAdam said:
Wouldn't sauna have the opposite effect on blood sugar though? When you sweat out water, the concentration of glucose rises even though you're not takin in any. I think that can happen during exercise. Heard it on Huberman but might have gotten it wrong.
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Like I said, I'm not a doc nor Finnish nor a sauna expert. I included low blood sugar as it can cause headaches, but like I said, I do not know how sauna-ing would interact with that. The idea that dehydrating decreasing blood volume makes sense, and I understand that if the solvent decrease the solute concentration goes up; the idea that that prevents hypoglycemia does not follow. See first sentence caveat. But if you're fasting (low blood sugar), dehydrating, and having all these hot-cold contrasts and are experiencing headaches, it would make sense to start isolating variables and see if one is causing the issue or if it is multiple working together.

For example, being well hydrated and just saunaing - no fasting no contrasts, same temp and duration. Headache? Y/N.

Next.

Saunaing - fasting, no contrasts, same temp and duration. Headache? Y/N.

Next.

Sauna-ing, no fasting, yes contrasts, same temp and duration. Headache? Y/N.

Etc.

This simple strategy would allow you to see - is it hydration, is it blood sugar related to fasting, is it related to contrasts, is it related to duration, is it related to temperature.

Again, not medical expert. If you have been sauna-ing without headaches and now are getting headaches, you probably should check with your doc (and look back and see if you've changed/added anything).
 
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