Headache while Fasting?

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TimothyH

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Anyone else get this, headaches while fasting?

We are not supposed to be gloomy or bring our fasting to the attention of others but recently it is bad for me and so I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else experiences this.

Is there some food which helps? I have been experimenting with my little morning snack to see if some protein helps. No relief. I’ve tried prayer but the only thing that seems to help is Advil. 😦

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Tim-
 
Headaches can be triggered by hypoglycemia, which can be caused by fasting. One way to prevent hypoglycemia, would be to consume caloric beverages, such as juices.
 
My biggest problem on fast days comes from avoiding coffee in favor of water. The caffeine withdrawal causes headaches for me.

The choices I see are to drink coffee anyway, offer it up, take aspirin, or take a No-Doz type caffeine tablet. I’ve made different choices at different times.
 
I have the same problem too… I’ll drink Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure or Boost.
 
sometimes i will use a 5 hour energy drink if it is intolerable.
 
I used to have the same problem. I found that if I drink plenty of water it helps. I’m probably dehydrated most of the time and just get the extra fluid from food most of the time. Since adding 8 oz of water every hour or two I can generally make it all day with minor discomfort. I actually tend to feel better over all then when I’d add juices (no sugar crash).

I still get a minor headache on occasion, but I never feel right drinking a breakfast shake while fasting. I mean “break fast” is right there in the drink’s name. 😃
 
TimothyH said:
Anyone else get this, headaches while fasting?

We are not supposed to be gloomy or bring our fasting to the attention of others but recently it is bad for me and so I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else experiences this.

Is there some food which helps? I have been experimenting with my little morning snack to see if some protein helps. No relief. I’ve tried prayer but the only thing that seems to help is Advil. 😦

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Tim-
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Tim, how do you fast? The Church definition of fasting is only one meal during the day, and two small snacks when added together don’t add up to a meal, and nothing betwen that.

I used to think fasting meant no food at all and had the same problem you did.

Now I’m diabetic and cannot fast like that any longer by for obvious reasons, but can still manage the “official” definition of fasting.

If even the “official” version is problematic then I suggest like others, a glass of juice or even low-fat milk. I can appreciate that getting through the day, especially a working day in IT, with a splitting headache isn’t going to work very well. I don’t have to work on Good Friday as it’s a statutory holiday here, but I do on Ash Wednesday.
 
I would think that’s the whole point of fasting… you’re suffering with and for Christ. I had headaches before because I didn’t drink coffee, and it started going away after a few days. I felt better. Now I’m back into coffee… meh.
 
TimothyH said:
Anyone else get this, headaches while fasting?

We are not supposed to be gloomy or bring our fasting to the attention of others but recently it is bad for me and so I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else experiences this.

Is there some food which helps? I have been experimenting with my little morning snack to see if some protein helps. No relief. I’ve tried prayer but the only thing that seems to help is Advil. 😦

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Tim-
Click to expand...
The question I have is that there are only two fast days a year in the U.S., I don’t know about other countries. But if required fast days cause you headaches, you can ask your Pastor for a dispensation from fasting and perhaps take on some other type of penance.

Also, in the U.S., fasting before receiving the Eucharist is only one hour. In that hour you may not eat any foods or drink anything but water. That would not seem to hard to do. I don’t know the fasting times in other countries.

Linus2nd
 
TimothyH said:
Anyone else get this, headaches while fasting?

We are not supposed to be gloomy or bring our fasting to the attention of others but recently it is bad for me and so I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else experiences this.

Is there some food which helps? I have been experimenting with my little morning snack to see if some protein helps. No relief. I’ve tried prayer but the only thing that seems to help is Advil. 😦

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Tim-
Click to expand...
You may be in a position to be exempted from fasting. I would suggest a medical check up to see if you have any signs of blood sugar being to high or low. Also, speak to your Priest/Pastor. Health problems can be a reason that a person should not fast and you will be exempt from it. I have been exempt since my early 20’s for this reason.

My Pastor explained that my illnesses where my fast, due to the difficulties and sufferings they result in. When I can give something up like desert, or new clothes, or give time to others like free babysitting, a trip to the store for someone, I will do that instead of fasting in the sense of having no food or very little food.
 
I often fast one or two days (or more if a Fast Day is in the same week). I also am subject to a severe headache if I try to Fast totally, or just water. I am hypoglycemic, therefore, I eat two small meals, and try to include not so much protein, but carbohydrates and cheese, sometimes also a peanut butter and jam sandwich, rather than a small meal. I found that since my glucose levels get too low, doing these things eliminates the headaches entirely. (I’m allergic to Advil, so that’s not an option), but if I get a headache anyway, I take Tylenol once during the day. Fasting causes the blood sugar levels to drop a lot, so if you have a tendency to low blood sugar or diabetes, you have to plan at least two small meals during the Fast day that will provide enough carbohydrates and long-term sugar foods which will keep you leveled out. I do occasionally do without ANY foods, but do drink one cup of coffee with sugar in it, and a glass of juice with some cheese to keep my glucose (sugar) level from getting too low, since if it does, I can’t drive, walk very shakily, and sometimes pass out! With these types of medical problems, some leeway must be made for the body’s functioning and health.:coffee:
 
Believe it or not the worst foods for glucose levels (high or low) are carboydrates. If you are going to have carbs stick with the complex variety like brown rice, whole wheat breads or pasta. (Stay away from white rice, white bread,) Protein actually helps stabalise sugar levels over long periods of time. High protein diets are better for most hypoglycemics and even diabetics. (My mother was one, and the one sure way to have better sugar levels was eating 6 small, high protein meals a day.)
 
The type of carbs I meant are: fresh (raw usually) veggies; a piece of fresh fruit; peanut butter on bread; 1/2 cup brown rice, etc…

I only eat a small amount of protein (meat protein) when fasting; I prefer small pieces of baked fish or boiled white meat chicken for meat proteins, but proteins and good carbs can be gained from almost any type of beans, especially green beans or snap peas; a small bowl or cup of cooked white or spotted beans, things of that sort, which are healthy as well as containing good carbs, some healthy vitamins, and some of them have protein as well. I also do well with a small bowl of either whole grain cereal or cooked oatmeal.🙂
 
Eat nutrient dense foods during your fast. Dates have been popular for centuries among Muslims and Middle Eastern Christians during fasts. There are tons of nutrients packed in them and they’re very tasty. Other good foods are peanut butter, figs, tuna, hummus, and pretty much anything where you’re packing lots of food power. Boost drinks were mentioned, and they would be a very good choice. Also, don’t forget to drink water. There are a lot of people that simply don’t drink nearly enough fluids - notwithstanding any fasting at all - hence they smash into the infamous 2 o’clock afternoon crash at work.

The US is very gluttonous when it comes to its eating habits, and there’s a high possibly you simply eat too much in general, so when fasting comes around your body is going to take time to acclimate to the much lower calorie intake. Part of this will (may) be solved simply by giving yourself time to adjust. Think of it like a rapidly spinning Spintop. It can spin for quite some time, even though it’s not receiving any additional force to keep it going. If you’re not at all used to it you’re going to risk getting headaches and suffering from fatigue.

Mild exercise can also be helpful to blast the fatigue away. I can’t say this ex cathedra, but I’m basically 99% positive that Jesus performed bench crunches while he was in the desert, about 45-60 minutes after having his locust-flavored power bar.
 
I’ve had headaches during fasting before. One thing that seems to help me a little is making sure my electrolytes stay in balance. I add a small amount of grey sea salt and baking soda to my water on fasting days. It’s not enough to taste but does seem to help.

You could just drink gatorade or coconut water if you aren’t sure how to mix it.
 
TimothyH said:
Anyone else get this, headaches while fasting?

We are not supposed to be gloomy or bring our fasting to the attention of others but recently it is bad for me and so I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else experiences this.

Is there some food which helps? I have been experimenting with my little morning snack to see if some protein helps. No relief. I’ve tried prayer but the only thing that seems to help is Advil. 😦

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Tim-
Click to expand...
Fasting should not be done without the approval of your doctor, and advice from your priest.
You most certainly need to be medically fit to fast.
 
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