Going all light headed after exercise?

[wooger]

So I took up exercising again fairly recently after a pretty long break.... Doing like 30 minutes or so either on my bike or rowing machine.. for about 3 weeks

anyway, I decided I needed to maybe up the intensity if I wanted to improve my fitness so I increased it to like 40-45 minutes at a higher intensity 4 times per week.

Anyway, since doing this (began last weekend) I notice that after I stop exercising and go to get a shower or whatever I become quite light headed. Is this normal?! or a sign something is not right

 

[addictivepersona]

If the shower is cold, it could be the temperature change causing the sudden change in blood pressure.

I too have been noticing extreme lightheadedness after biking lately--To the point where I fell down the other day after getting off my bike... :-/

Hopefully someone can shed some light on this phenomenon. I think it's just from doing too much too soon--But you said you've been doing this for weeks...

 

[chucktownbrown]

there is something called a runners high. its adrenaline making you feel like that

however i used to very bad headaches after training bjj. as soon as i would step off the mat it would hit

 

[Changed]

Could be blood sugar defects -- are you eating enough calories to sustain your exercise? Perhaps you're eating too much sugar in general?

Like AP said, extreme changes in temperature have caused me to pass-out (rigorous exercise straight into a cold shower), or a cold house into a steaming hot shower...

Could be dehydration-- do you drink enough water?

Finally, check your blood pressure throughout the day-- after exercise, your BP is basically at its lowest, so you could just have hypotension...

 

[wooger]

Hmm I'm thinking it might be a combination of the temperature and blood sugar.. I ate some around 2 hours beforehand today and when I had my shower, it was set to a much lower temperature than it was before and this seemed to clear it up.

Anyways, thanks for the tips/advice .

 

[addictivepersona]

Could be blood sugar defects -- are you eating enough calories to sustain your exercise?
[...]
Could be dehydration-- do you drink enough water?

I think either of these could be my issue. Once the weather breaks (again 8)), I'll post back how my dizziness after biking goes.

 

[DoUbLeYoU]

Maybe also all the blood rushing to your head, when I do sit-ups I sometimes get lightheaded.

 

[fudgebeast]

you're perfectly fine if you are eating normally and drinking enough water and getting all your vitamins.

I used to box and take a few months off at a time, when you're out of shape your body isn't used to the exercise and your blood pumping so quickly.

It should pass once you get back into shape.

If it doesn't pass then talk to a doc.

Also, if you're going really hard, like sprinting on the bike, you need to spread out the hard days and make sure to let the body rest and sleep.

 

[dokomo]

Those symptoms sound like orthostatic hypotension, essentially your blood pressure drops quickly and causes dizziness, lightheadedness, possible visual impairment for a few minutes, etc. Its not dangerous (beyond injuries sustained from falling, if it gets bad enough to make you pass out for a few seconds.)

You can reduce the occurrence of this by 'cooling down' to lower your heart rate and blood pressure more gradually. Also, since you're using a rowing machine, you are changing positions from being on the machine to standing, which causes blood to shift in your body and can contribute to orthostatic hypotension (sometimes called postural hypotension, as people can experience it when standing quickly from a sitting position.) Doing this after cooling down, and more gradually, will also reduce what you're feeling.

 

[addictivepersona]

^ Took your advice, dokomo, and I took it easy on the last maybe quarter mile today. Also, instead of getting off the bike at a stop, I got off while still moving and walked with the bike. No major dizziness.

Also concentrated on taking deeper breaths during and after biking. Forget where I read that (maybe the general workout thread?), but it helped.

 

[dokomo]

^ Took your advice, dokomo, and I took it easy on the last maybe quarter mile today. Also, instead of getting off the bike at a stop, I got off while still moving and walked with the bike. No major dizziness.

Also concentrated on taking deeper breaths during and after biking. Forget where I read that (maybe the general workout thread?), but it helped.

Awesome! :D Glad to hear it helped!

 

[tiggerific]

I used to get this when going to different classes, yoga was fine, but aerobics I could get light headed, normally it was the lack of oxygen going round my body as you find you breathe faster your body is not absorbing the right amount of oxygen. Slower and deeper ratews of breath should help, blood sugar could be another point.

If you are doing a lot more than normal you are burning more calories than what your body would normally do in the same amount of time you can find yourself getting light headed . You can get a tester kit and you can easily get a sample of blood (normally a finger prick test) to see if it is that and maybe have something like an orange juice to boost it. Maybe half way through exercise take a few sips, not too much or you could end up with cramps.

If the simplest ideas do not help and it continues consider seeing your doctor for further tests. good luck