Lightheaded After A Workout? Here’s Why You May Be Dizzy After Working Out
If you nailed your workout, you likely feel proud and impressed with yourself. Unless you’re an exercise fiend, there’s also a good chance you feel relieved the workout is over.
It’s also completely normal and expected that you feel tired or like your muscles are spent after a hard workout. But what if you feel lightheaded after a workout or running? Feeling dizzy after workouts is not particularly uncommon.
Postural blood pressure is a sudden fall in blood pressure that occurs during certain movements and changes in posture. While in most cases, feeling a little lightheaded after a workout isn’t a major cause for concern, it’s helpful to know the common causes of dizziness after exercise so that you can prevent feeling like the gym is spinning or you might pass out.
Basics of Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force put on artery walls as the heart pumps blood to provide oxygen and energy to the rest of the body. It is regulated by signals sent back by the arteries in response to this blood flow. There are two types of blood pressure: systolic and diastolic.
Systolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure the blood is putting on the artery walls during a heartbeat, and it is the upper number on a blood pressure reading. Diastolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure the blood is putting on the artery walls after a heartbeat, and it is the lower number on a blood pressure reading.
Blood pressure is measured in mmHg, meaning millimetres in mercury. Though both systolic and diastolic should be given attention, the systolic number is considered the more important gauge of possible cardiovascular disease.
Up to 120 mmHg systolic over 80 mmHg diastolic is considered normal; anything above indicates hypertension (high blood pressure). Although lower numbers are also healthy, when blood pressure is too low it indicates hypotension, which is actually only defined through its symptoms, not by numbers. Hypotension is dependent on the individual and is not a generalized number.
It is interesting to note that low blood pressure for one person could be normal for another. For example, if you normally have hypertension, and for some reason, your blood pressure drops to what would be considered a healthier level – you may feel symptoms of low blood pressure.
When a drop in blood pressure happens, the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) launches a mechanism to compensate for the drop. This may cause symptoms as well – like heart palpitations, increased heart rate, increased strength of heartbeats, faster breathing and even fainting.
Low blood pressure can be caused by many factors, such as dehydration, low blood sugar, exposure to heat, adrenal weakness, low salt intake or postural changes.
With postural blood pressure or orthostatic hypertension, as it is also called, there is no cause for alarm when it is mild because the body self-compensates automatically. However, if you experience symptoms frequently or intensely, there may be more to it than simply standing up too quickly.
What Causes Postural Blood Pressure?
When your head is below a certain level, to get more blood to your brain so you don’t faint, your blood vessels automatically constrict. When this mechanism is defective or not functioning optimally, or if the movement is too quick for the blood vessels to constrict in time, your blood pressure drops suddenly.
You can start to feel dizzy, or like the room is spinning. You may also experience nausea, get headaches, and in severe cases, you can faint. This is a common problem that many people experience when doing certain exercises where the head is in a specific position (usually below the heart).
This is why it is called postural blood pressure because it is caused by a postural change. Postural blood pressure is often felt when suddenly standing up after lying down, for example. The blood ends up concentrated in the lower part of the body, like the legs, leading to less volume reaching the heart.
Although dizziness can have many causes, if you feel dizzy in a certain position during exercise, the first thing you have to do is get back to a position where your head is at the same level, or above, your heart.
As mentioned earlier, if you experience this situation frequently or if your symptoms are intense, it is important to then get medical checks including cardiac and neurological workups.
These include making sure that your carotid blood vessels are okay, there are no blockages, and that you don’t have any type of arrhythmia that is causing your heart rate to be dysregulated during such exercises.
You also need to make sure that your ears and nose are fine and that nothing is affecting your balance, as that could also be a cause for your dizziness. Metabolically, you need to keep your blood sugar levels above a certain point. Finally, it may be a case of being on certain medications, such as alpha-blockers.
If all of these checks come out clean, then you will probably be told that this dizziness is posture related. If that is the case, there’s really not much you can do except make sure your head is always above a certain position when exercising.
Is It Normal To Feel Dizzy Or Lightheaded After A Workout?
Feeling dizzy or lightheaded after a workout or high-intensity exercise like a tough spin class or HIIT session is fairly common, though it’s not necessarily “normal.”
We will discuss common causes of post-workout dizziness later on, but before we address why you might feel like you’re woozy or dizzy after exercise, let’s discuss the two primary types of dizziness you might feel during or after working out.
Lightheadedness With Exercise
Lightheadedness is often described as feeling like you’re going to pass out or faint. You might hear a high-pitched ring in your ears and feel a bit of an “out-of-body experience” such that you’re a little disassociated between your brain and body.
If you are lightheaded while exercising or right afterwards, you might also feel a little unstable. However, the room will not appear to be spinning. If you lie down, the lightheaded feeling typically subsides.
Why Do I Feel Lightheaded After A Workout? 6 Causes Of Post-Exercise Dizziness
The following are some of the most common reasons for feeling lightheaded or dizzy after working out:
#1: Hyperventilating
When your brain is not getting enough oxygen, you can feel lightheaded, and dizzy and may even have a transient sensation of vertigo. One of the primary causes of relative oxygen depletion in the brain during exercise is using inefficient breathing patterns, such as hyperventilating.
Hyperventilating or not breathing deeply enough while running can cause dizziness and lightheadedness after running while working out. When you overexert yourself and are running hard, it’s natural to start taking rapid breaths.
Your mind tells you that the faster you breathe, the more oxygen you’ll get, but in reality, the converse is true. Hyperventilating, or taking rapid and shallow breaths, is inefficient in terms of inhaling oxygen. Slow, deep breaths actually bring in more oxygen for your body.
#2: Holding Your Breath
Hyperventilating can reduce the amount of oxygen you receive, leading to lightheadedness after physical activity, similar to holding your breath.
During difficult exercises, such as when you are trying to do squats or chest presses with a heavy load, some people forget to breathe because they’re just focusing on getting through the set.
If you hold your breath while you are working out, you’re not taking in any oxygen. This will lead to feeling lightheaded after a workout set is over.
Although it’s more common to accidentally hold your breath during strength training exercises than it is while running or doing other forms of cardio, it’s still quite possible that you’re not breathing enough during vigorous cardio or hard running intervals.
#3: Dehydration
Feeling faint or lightheaded after exercise may be caused by dehydration, particularly if it’s hot or you’ve been sweating heavily.
When you are dehydrated, your blood plasma volume drops. This decreases your blood pressure because there is a lesser amount of blood putting pressure on your arteries.
Having low blood pressure can cause one to feel unsteady or faint, and running will make this feeling worse as the body and brain need extra oxygen when running.
#4: Low Blood Sugar
Although low blood sugar, referred to as hypoglycemia, is more common in athletes who have diabetes, it’s also possible for anyone to have low blood sugar during exercise if they have not fueled their body properly for their workout.
Low blood sugar is associated with symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, cheekiness, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. If you have low blood sugar during a workout, you will likely feel lightheaded and weak during and after your workout until you refuel with carbohydrates.
If you feel like your nutrition plan is solid and you have fueled your body properly for your workout, yet you still think your blood sugar is dropping inappropriately, you should consult your physician to get lab work done. It could be that you’re in a state of pre-diabetes or that you have some other metabolic issue that needs to be addressed.
#5: Orthostatic Hypotension
Postural hypotension, or orthostatic hypotension, can occur when you stand up too quickly, particularly if you are standing after lying down. This can result in a sudden drop in blood pressure, which is associated with feelings of dizziness, lightheadedness, and even possibly vertigo.
Dizziness after exercise that occurs as soon as you stand up upon completing a chest press or some sort of reclined strength training exercise or after you have been down on a mat doing yoga or core exercises is often due to orthostatic hypotension.
The answer is to rise slowly from a sitting position and once stable, progress to standing. It is essential to keep track of your blood pressure and if it is frequently too low, you should drink fluids more fervently, specifically including electrolytes.
Sodium will help your body retain more water, which increases your blood volume and, thus, blood pressure.
How To Prevent Lightheadedness After A Workout
In most cases, with a little planning and preparation, you can avoid feeling lightheaded after exercise, allowing you to relish in just the afterglow of being done with your workout.
Here are some tips to prevent feeling lightheaded after running or other forms of exercise:
#1: Rethink Your Hydration
A common aftereffect of exercise is feeling lightheaded due to dehydration. Make sure you drink enough water before, during, and after your physical activity.
You should be drinking a minimum of 4-6 ounces of fluid every 15-20 minutes during exercise, and more so if it’s hot out or if you’re sweating a lot. However, do not exceed 800 mL per hour without consuming the fluids with electrolytes and, ideally, in a 6-8% carbohydrate solution.
If you are exercising first thing in the morning, you are already starting out in a dehydrated state, so you must drink enough before your workout.
Electrolytes will increase your fluid absorption, and sports beverages with a little bit of glucose come further enhance the absorption of both the liquid itself as well as the electrolytes.
#2: Get Up Slowly
Bringing oneself to an upright position suddenly after being in a reclined position can lead to postural or orthostatic hypotension. When you are done with exercises while laying down, it is important to rise to a sitting position slowly and then get up from there gradually.
#3: Have a Snack Before Your Workout
If you’re waiting too long after eating to do your workout, or if you are exercising first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, there’s a good chance your blood sugar is dropping too much during your workout, causing you to feel lightheaded and weak.
Ensure that you consume a snack that contains a high amount of carbohydrates before engaging in an exercise involving long durations or of a strenuous nature. Working out while having not eaten may be connected with feeling faint after.
On the other hand, if you’re eating too many simple sugars—such as fruit juices, sports beverages, and processed fruit snacks—before running or working out, your blood sugar might be crashing (reactive hypoglycemia).
Opt for snacks with complex carbohydrates and some healthy fats or protein to have a more stable release of glucose into your bloodstream.
