How To Avoid Headaches When Fasting

Have you ever gotten a headache while fasting? Or maybe y'all've heard of other people getting headaches while fasting, and wondered how to avoid them?

Today I'll explicate what causes fasting headaches, and what you tin can do to prevent them.

I'll also explicate two methods yous tin can use to treat a headache if it starts during intermittent fasting.

Let'due south become started.

How does Intermittent Fasting Cause Headaches?

There are two master reasons why you might go a headache while fasting.

i. Starting As well Quickly

When you lot offset start intermittent fasting, a lot of changes happen in your trunk.

For instance, various hormones are fluctuating, including insulin, cortisol, adrenaline, and others.

Without getting into all the details, the bottom line is that a lot of things are moving around, and information technology's likely different from what you're used to. Which means you'll as well feel dissimilar, and may have some unexpected symptoms.

One of those symptoms may be a headache.

(Side note: The changes I've described here are also related to the "keto influenza".)

2. Salt and Other Electrolytes

When you first fasting, your insulin level goes down. Lower insulin results in your kidneys releasing more salt (aka sodium) and water.

In other words, you'll exist losing more than salt, water, and other electrolytes through urination.  As a event, you'll take a lower sodium level in your bloodstream. You'll likely also have lower levels of other minerals, such as potassium and magnesium.

Low levels of these minerals tin can cause cramping, dizziness, and a multifariousness of other symptoms–including headaches.

How to Prevent Headaches while Fasting

Keeping in mind the above, there are 2 main steps for preventing headaches during intermittent fasting.

Step 1: Build Upwardly Gradually

Since your torso has a lot of adaptations to practice when you lot start fasting, information technology'southward best to build up a piffling chip at a time then you can get used to it.

In other words, start with a super easy version of fasting, and progress 1 little baby step at a fourth dimension.

Hither'southward a video where I explain 1 method for getting a smooth and easy start with fasting:

If you accept the approach I depict there, you'll already be doing a 12-60 minutes overnight fast earlier long. Then you tin gradually increment the elapsing of your overnight fast (while shortening the duration of your daily "eating window"), fiddling past niggling.

Footstep 2: Heave Your Table salt and Other Electrolytes

Since low electrolytes can contribute to fasting headaches, it follows that boosting your electrolytes can help preclude headaches while fasting.

The chief electrolyte to focus on is sodium (aka salt),  because that's the almost plentiful one in your bloodstream, and the 1 that helps maintain your claret pressure level.

For most people, a few extra grams of sodium per day volition do the trick. (1 gram = 1,000 milligrams.)

Potassium and magnesium are the two other electrolytes that are often worth supplementing while fasting.

If y'all wanna get into the nitty gritty details about electrolytes, check out this podcast episode:

Episode xx: Salt & Electrolytes: Why you NEED Them, How to Get Them

Circumspection:  In that location are some medical conditions where electrolyte supplementation needs to be done cautiously. Brand sure yous practice adequate research and consult with your own medical providers.

How to Get Rid of Fasting Headaches (after they start)

If you're fasting correct now and you already take a headache, here are a few things you lot may want to try.

You lot could first with a medication like Tylenol. Simply y'all may want to consider trying one of the other methods below, since they're more than likely to get at the root cause and hopefully eliminate your headache.

one. Take Some Electrolytes

Nosotros've already talked nigh this 1. Non merely practice electrolytes help with prevention, sometimes they can help you get rid of a fasting headache as well.

Take some actress salt, potassium, and magnesium, and there's a proficient chance you'll start feeling better.

two. Use Training Wheels

If electrolytes don't do the trick, you may also desire to endeavour using some "grooming wheels".

Training wheels are little bits of food that don't really disrupt your fast, but can aid you feel better in a pinch.

For example, yous could attempt a few olives, a couple tablespoons of chia seeds (soaked in water), or a glass of os broth.

Just like when you lot learn to ride a wheel, you don't accept to use training wheels forever. But when you're a beginner, it helps you get a smoother commencement.

Of class, if you lot've tried these methods and you're still not feeling well, it's probably fourth dimension to quit your fast. Furthermore, there's ever a chance that something more than serious is going on, every bit opposed to merely a benign side consequence from fasting. So if in dubiety, seek medical intendance.

Related Questions

Here are a few other questions related to fasting headaches.

Can Intermittent Fasting Cause Headaches?

Intermittent fasting can potentially cause a headache because of all the different changes happening in your torso. That includes electrolyte and fluid shifts, equally well as various hormone changes every bit I described higher up.

How Long Do Intermittent Fasting Headaches Terminal?

Like hunger pangs and other fasting side effects, fasting headaches may simply go away on their own in an hour or two. But it depends on what'due south causing the headache.

In many cases, the headache will go away once you've addressed the root crusade (e.grand. a low sodium level).

How to Avoid Hunger Headaches When Fasting?

"Hunger headaches" is probably a misnomer here. Most likely, it'south not hunger that's causing a headache while fasting, but rather some electrolyte or hormone related changes.

In general, the manner to avert these types of fasting headaches is to build up gradually so your trunk has time to adapt, and to supplement your electrolytes.

Is it Normal to Have Headaches During Intermittent Fasting?

Aye, it can be perfectly normal to go a headache during intermittent fasting. Merely you lot can probable prevent them easing into things and giving your body a chance to adapt, boosting  electrolytes, or using training wheels.

Final Thoughts

Headaches are a somewhat mutual side outcome of intermittent fasting.

In this post I explained a couple of the most common reasons for getting headaches while fasting, along with a couple ways that you can probably forbid fasting headaches.

I likewise explained what you can practise after you develop a headache, to hopefully get rid of it.

For additional step-by-stride guidance about how to get a polish beginning with intermittent fasting, check out my podcast (details below)!

Source: https://fastingwell.com/intermittent-fasting-headaches/

Share this post