Post concussion symptoms?

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To stick my oar in here, dehydration and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) would be two of the commonest causes of headaches after exercise (just like a hangover!).  But I entirely agree with Rita, if you get headaches that stop you to the point of being unable to do anything you want you should get it checked out, even if it is nothing serious better to be sure, i get tension headaches and squash can make them worse just by causing tense muscles in the neck for 40 minutes, thankfully they normally go quite quickly.

To deal with dehydration you have to "pre-hydrate" (always reminds me of a poweraid add back in Ireland with Paul O'Connell talking about pre-hydrating in a monotone for a minute).  This means stock up on fluid before the match, this goes along with eating something about an hour before the match in order to keep the electrolytes like sodium up and the blood sugar high.  Then remember to drink during the match, take a few seconds between each game to sip some water, even if your opponent doesn't and finally get the liquid back in after the match.  Sports drinks are best but are expensive, water would normally be fine for most people esp if you have a bit of food in before the match but you can buy powders to dissolve to your own sports drink that are cheaper.

For the blood sugar, eat a snack before the match, try carb loading if possible, there are loads of bits of advice out there on structuring eating before sport, and eat after the match if possible within 20 mins get another snack in.

On the coffee, as an addict if i dont get mine it is headache time! It is now 1130 on a sunday, not in the lab so no coffee yet and getting itchy for some, coffee does dehydrate but not always as much as people think, especially the ones like americano with a fair bit of water in as well, remember flat coke is one of the best rehydration drinks.  Also coffee improves performance, many elite distance runners drink litres to keep them going better.  But it is not so got just before a match, water, herbal teas etc will get more fluid in and keep it in.

Sorry for the long post, hope it helps

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I totally agry about coffee and dehydration, but if i don't drink it in a morning, i don' t even need to play a squash to have a headaches in the evening. And if I play, its just guaranted.

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I was a bit reluctant to give advice on this one as health issues came to mind.  The questions in my head were varied, eg blood pressure, hydration, effort, overheating, pulse rate resting and under extreme pressure, existing medical history, medications, etc..

For safety sake I would consult my GP and have the usual routine tests, and if all seems ok suggest  a supervised stress test.  You do not mention your age, blood pressure, weight , fitness level - the things that might have some bearing on why the headaches come on.

Re the coffee, I doubt if this is a withdrawal from caffeine problem!!! Coffee and alcohol can cause a dehydration problem in squash players, so the two glasses of water a half an hour before play would be a good thing, but definitely not two coffees!!

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For me it happens if I forgot to drink my coffee. My case is a blood pressure related i think...

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i'm guessing this is a sodium deficiency. you should drink sports drinks before and after you play. depending on how hydrated you are, water can actually flush minerals out of your system, so sports drinks are better. you may also want to consider multi-mineral and calcium suppliments.

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