{"id":4010,"date":"2025-01-28T22:15:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T22:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/causes-of-dizziness-post-workout.html"},"modified":"2025-01-28T22:15:39","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T22:15:39","slug":"causes-of-dizziness-post-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/causes-of-dizziness-post-workout.html","title":{"rendered":"Causes of Dizziness Post-Workout"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Feeling lightheaded, faint, or dizzy after a workout can be scary \u2014 not to mention dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Clifford Stark, Medical Director for Optum at Sports Medicine at Chelsea, notes that some lightheadedness and dizziness can be totally benign. Other symptoms, however, might be the sign of something more serious.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Do I Get Lightheaded After a Workout?<\/h2>\n<p>Here are some causes of exercise-induced dizziness and what you can do to avoid it.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Increased blood flow to muscles<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p>You are more likely to experience dizziness and lightheadedness when you have done lunges than bicep curls.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Stark explains the simple cause for this is the size of your muscles:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When exercising, blood flows away from other areas of the body toward the muscles being used<\/li>\n<li>Your quads and hamstrings are larger muscles, therefore more blood is being used<\/li>\n<li>This can result in dizziness and lightheadedness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On top of this, endurance-oriented training involving your quads will get your blood flowing faster to these major muscles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSprinting, jumping, jump squats make your heart rate go way up,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re pumping a lot of blood into your body; you\u2019re sending it back to your heart through the muscle contractions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The problem often comes not during the actual workout, but after it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I had you jump 100 times, you\u2019d probably feel fine,\u201d he says. \u201cBut when you stop suddenly, your heart is still pumping really hard, but there\u2019s nothing to return the blood to the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>The solution<\/h4>\n<p>According to Dr. Stark, this type of dizziness after a workout can be overcome with a good warm-up\u00a0and a cooldown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you stop, especially if it\u2019s a hard workout, you need to taper off,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can\u2019t come down too quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When in doubt, follow the advice of your high school coach \u2014 walk it off.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Exercising with low blood sugar<\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165495\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/22164657\/dizzy-after-workout-600-runner.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman Recovering During Workout | Dizzy After Workout\" width=\"600\" height=\"449\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Many people think training on an empty stomach causes dizziness. This isn\u2019t true, strictly speaking.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Stark says feeling dizzy after a workout can be caused by low blood sugar, which might be a side effect of training on an empty stomach. On the other hand, overeating can also cause problems when working out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you eat a big meal before a workout,\u201d he says, \u201cyour body will see this as a vegetative moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So what\u2019s the right kind and amount of food to eat to avoid dizziness? Dr. Stark says this can be hard to tell, based on your body\u2019s needs as well as the type of training you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no perfect thing to eat before a workout,\u201d he says. \u201cDifferent people do better on different things. If you go too high on the sugars, you can bottom out in the middle of your workout and get\u00a0hypoglycemic.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>The solution<\/h4>\n<p>All things being equal, Dr. Stark recommends some carbs with some nuts to help sustain the carbohydrate energy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou certainly want low volume,\u201d he says. \u201cYou want a lot of calories, but not a lot of food. A big meal will inflate inside your stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, he stressed that there\u2019s not one ideal pre-workout meal for everybody.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Being dehydrated<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165493\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/22164647\/dizzy-after-workout-600-hydrate.jpeg\" alt=\"Couple Hydrating after workout | Dizzy After Workout\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important not just to rehydrate right after or during a workout,\u201d says Dr. Stark. \u201cYou need to hydrate long before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He says hydrating as soon as possible is important. The importance of hydrating in advance lies in how the body processes water.<\/p>\n<p>According to Dr. Stark, your body can process a quarter-liter of water every 15 minutes, or a liter of water every hour. Any more than that and the water will just sit in your stomach, making you feel\u00a0waterlogged\u00a0and full.<\/p>\n<h4>The solution<\/h4>\n<p>Dr. Stark believes the average person needs significantly more than the \u201ceight 8-ounce glasses\u201d that\u2019s normally quoted \u2014 and active people need even more than that.<\/p>\n<p>To know if you\u2019re getting enough, he recommends you use your urine as a guide. \u201cKeep it as light as you can,\u201d he says, adding that water needs vary from one person to another.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t worry too much about\u00a0drinking too much water\u00a0and dropping your sodium levels. Dr. Stark says this is primarily a concern for endurance athletes, such as marathon runners.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Extreme strain<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165496\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/22164702\/dizzy-after-workout-600-tired.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman Tired After Workout Wiping off Sweat | Dizzy After Workout\" width=\"600\" height=\"401\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Strain can lead to feeling dizzy after a workout. Remember how we talked earlier about stopping quickly?<\/p>\n<p>This is similar to standing up too fast and getting lightheaded, a phenomenon known as \u201corthostatic hypertension.\u201d A similar phenomenon is\u00a0vasovagal syncope, which is like when you strain yourself going to the bathroom.<\/p>\n<p>This can also happen, in a more extreme fashion, when you work out.<\/p>\n<h4>The solution<\/h4>\n<p>The main way to avoid this is to remember to breathe. \u201cLearn the specific types of breathing for each workout,\u201d Dr. Stark recommends.<\/p>\n<p>This is especially true for those lifting heavy weights. Breathing is perhaps one of the most important parts of any movement or exercise. Learn how to do it properly\u00a0to protect yourself from dizziness and lightheadedness.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, Dr. Stark says that holding your breath can be counterproductive \u201cunless you\u2019re under water.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>When Dizziness After a Workout Should Worry You<\/h2>\n<p>According to Dr. Stark, dizziness that results in loss of consciousness warrants concern, but even more concerning is fainting with no warning signs whatsoever.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you have warning signs, that\u2019s actually good as compared to just going out cold,\u201d he says. \u201cAny person who is getting\u00a0exertional dizziness\u00a0should get evaluated to make sure that there aren\u2019t other causes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you show any signs of dizziness or lightheadedness, you should see a doctor before continuing or beginning a new exercise regimen.<\/p>\n<h3>When it could mean a trip to the doctor<\/h3>\n<p>Repeated dizziness and lightheadedness can be worth a trip to the doctor just to make sure everything is working the way it\u2019s supposed to.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe absolute worst is fainting without warning,\u201d Dr. Stark says.<\/p>\n<p>But if you find yourself getting dizzy or lightheaded at the gym despite eating right, properly hydrating, warming up, cooling down, and breathing the way you\u2019re supposed to, it\u2019s time to make an appointment and find out if the cause of your dizziness is benign or something more concerning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Feeling lightheaded, faint, or dizzy after a workout can be scary \u2014 not to mention dangerous. Dr. Clifford Stark, Medical Director for Optum at Sports Medicine at Chelsea, notes that some lightheadedness and dizziness can be totally benign. Other symptoms, however, might be the sign of something more serious. Why Do I Get Lightheaded After [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}