Exercise-induced migraine with aura
I’m a 27 year old man (turning 28 soon) and I’ve had migraine with aura since I was around 14. Over the years I’ve noticed that roughly 75% of my attacks are triggered by physical exercise. I played football until I was 23 but eventually stopped, partly because the attacks were so frequent and unpredictable.
My aura typically lasts 30 to 45 minutes and during that time my vision is seriously impaired. On top of that I often lose the ability to speak properly and can’t read either; it’s like my brain just partially shuts down for that window. After the aura the headache kicks in at a specific point in my head (location varies per attack). The combo is pretty debilitating when it hits mid-activity.
Now I’m almost 28 and I’ve barely exercised for about 3 years. Not because I’m lazy, but because I’ve developed a genuine fear of triggering an attack. I know exercise is supposed to be good for you and I genuinely want to get back to it, but every time I think about starting again I feel anxious about what might follow.
A few things I’m curious about:
• Does anyone else have this specific pattern (migraine with aura, consistently triggered by exercise)?
• Have you found any way to keep exercising without constantly triggering attacks?
• Has anyone worked with a neurologist specifically on exercise-triggered migraine? Worth it?
I’m not looking for a miracle cure, just hoping to hear from people who actually live with this and have figured out some kind of balance. Any experience helps. Many thanks in advance!