Incredible Headache while Swimming

typically the bone structure of your face won't have changed since highschool. by then yo big ole head should be done growing. its odd that the goggles fit then but don't now. inspect those goggles to see if they are defective (improper shape, abnormally small, etc etc). i doubt you need oversized goggles in general if you didn't in highschool.

After reading a post on here and trying 4 pairs of goggles (none seemed right - they all leaked or were too small) I went with a mask. At first I didn't want to spend the extra money in case my first tri is also my last (I hope not, but I was trying to be frugal!), but I am SO happy I spent the extra $10. I got the Aquasphere Seal mask - it is really comfortable which actually made me fell more confident in the water. At my local shop the mask was $24. I looked on the internet and that seemed about the going rate for masks.

I had the same problem, but ti ended up being my swim cap.

Does that mean I have a big ole melon?

Mike

Well, as loose as they could go without getting a longer elastic piece. They still feel tight to me. I'll try the "stickin' 'em to your face" test. I did meet another triathlete at the pool and he was wearing a mask like mentioned above. I gotta tell ya, it sure looked comfy.

Were you wearing a cap? Sometimes my cap can give me a headeache at the base of my skull. Also, I know this sounds stoopid and simple, but were your goggles upside down? Are they pushing on the insides of your nose? And another thing that used to give me a headache is if I look forward just a bit. Try looking straight to the bottom, it helps me. Sorry about your headache. Were you feeling yucky before the swim? I use speedo goggles as well and they fit in my eye sockets. There are ones that are blue, with green straps and they fit on the outter part of your eye socket and they are really comfy. Maybe you could try those!? Good luck.

Mindi

Yeah- I was wearing a cap, and I have swum with these goggles before. I guess the only thing that was different about this workout is that instead of doing say 8x50's with a few seconds rest between I decided to swim straight for 800m. But I don't think that continuous swimming should/would create a headache. I have thought the goggles felt tight. The only other time I had a head ache while wearing them was the first time I used them a year or so ago (then they went into a drawer until I started training for a tri at the beginning of June). You would think I would have addressed it sooner. I wish they had come with an overly long strap so I could let them out completely and cut off the excess- I think the strap they came with just isn't long enough for my big noggin.

I guess it could have been the cap- I just assumed it was the goggles because my eyes had these red rings around them. I'm gonna go to the swim store and see what they have. I wish you could test drive them before buying them! At least they're the cheapest piece of equipment for this sport!

Allie

I'll get headaches from not breathing enough. If I stick to breathing every sixth stroke, I'll eventually get a headache. If I adjust to every third, fourth, or fifth stroke, no headaches.

I'm going to suggest something entirely different. 

Consider your neck/shoulders.  Tension and strain in/on your traps and the muscles that support your head can manifest as headaches.

It could be something entirely different, but if your goggles are loose, it most likely isn't them, even though that's where the symptoms manifest.

-C

Oh goody, my favorite topic. I used to have a problem with really nasty headaches while swimming, so bad that at one point I remember having to climb out and sit with my head between my knees because I thought I was going to throw up. Here are a few things I tried that might help you:

- get a looser fitting (silicone) swim cap
- get looser fitting goggles
- work on your breathing to be sure you're getting enough oxygen while you swim
- do a lap of back stroke once in a while to bring down the blood pressure in your head (it increases while swimming face down)
- get tested for a chlorine allergy (this can give you headaches too)
- get an MRI (my doctor wanted to do this because there's a history of stroke and brain aneurysm in my family)
- take an ibuprofen before you swim (this is what finally worked for me).

My mother's advice was "If it hurts, don't do it", but I didn't like that advice.

Are you swimming with a cap? Sometimes I get a headache due to the cap and just being deyhadrated. Do the goggles leave marks on your face when you were done. Sometimes its not the googles, but I use speedo, you can get ones that aren't way over sized but don't sit in the sockets. Check out an actual swim store, they should be able to help you fit the face. Sometimes the nose gets pinched too.

-Kelly in Tampa