A swollen, throbbing head and sore temples aren’t fun for anyone. Headaches on keto can be a common occurrence, especially at the beginning when you’re first transitioning to this new way of eating. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer through them! There are a few simple ways to prevent headaches on kero!
On keto, several factors might cause headaches:
Glucose is a type of sugar your body uses as a fuel source. When you shift your metabolic state on keto, your body starts primarily using ketone bodies for energy instead of glucose. For some people who aren’t as metabolically adapted or who consume a carbohydrate-heavy diet, blood sugar levels can drop, leading to headaches.
During the transition to ketosis, your body depletes its stored form of carbs called glycogen. Glycogen is bound to water molecules in the body and your body releases water when glycogen is used up [1] [2].
Your body also produces less of the insulin hormone when you’re in ketosis. The insulin hormone helps you absorb glucose from your blood and on keto, you consume less glucose and carbs, so your insulin levels drop. When insulin levels fall, your kidneys release excess sodium. This loss of water, sodium, and electrolytes can contribute to dehydration, headaches, and other symptoms of the keto flu. Other signs of dehydration include dry mouth, impaired vision, and dizziness [3] [4].
Outside of keto, the overuse of certain medications, drugs, and diuretics can also promote dehydration and headaches. Other factors that might play a role include poor sleep and stress [5].
Here are some helpful tips to prevent headaches on keto:
In addition to dehydration, low magnesium and sodium are usually the two main culprits of headaches on keto.
You can replenish magnesium levels on a ketogenic diet with nutritious foods like avocado, dark chocolate, nuts like almonds and Brazil nuts, and seeds like pumpkin seeds [6] [7] [8] [9].
Salt your food to taste to add more sodium to your diet. You could use Celtic sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, Arctic sea salt, or this ketogenic-certified Redmonds real salt!
If you still have headaches after several days or weeks on keto, it might be best to consult your health care practitioner to make sure there’s not an underlying condition to blame.
Share your top tips for preventing headaches on keto! How do you avoid the keto flu?
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Horita, S., Seki, G., Yamada, H., Suzuki, M., Koike, K., & Fujita, T. (2011). Insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension, and renal sodium transport. International Journal of Hypertension,
Riebl, S. K., Davy, B. M. (2014). The hydration equation: Update on water balance and cognitive performance. ACSMs Health and Fitness Journal, 17(6), 21-28.
Probyn K., Bowers, H., Caldwell, F., Mistry, D., Underwood, M., Matharu, M., & Pincus, T. (2017). Prognostic factors for chronic headache: A systematic Review.Neurology, 18(89), 291-301.
Self Nutrition Data. Avocados, Raw, All Commercial Varieties, Nutrition Facts and Calories.
Self Nutrition Data. Candies, Chocolate, Dark, 70-85% Cocoa Solids, Nutrition Facts and Calories,
Self Nutrition Data, Seeds, Pumpkin and Squash Seed Kernels, Dried Pepitas Nutrition and Calories.
Grober, U., Schmidt, J., Kisters, K. (2015). Magnesium in prevention and therapy.Nutrients, 7(9), 8199-8226.