Feel Dizzy Post Workout? Here Are Some Possible Reasons

Whenever you crush a challenging workout, all you want to do is pat yourself on the back and feel proud of all the work and sweat you’ve just put in. But, when your workout is followed by dizziness or light-headedness, the feeling of pride might get replaced by a sense of worry instead. There are a number of reasons that could be causing you to experience dizziness after your workouts. Let’s go over a few of them.

1.  You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

All the sweat you lose during a grueling workout session? That’s your body’s mechanism of maintaining its temperature (which increases when you exercise hard) and cooling down. You lose water as you sweat, and if your water loss exceeds your water intake, then you’re likely to face dehydration. If the weather outside is hot, then the sweating and fluid loss might just worsen. Apart from dizziness, some other dehydration symptoms are fatigue, dry mouth, weakness, etc.

To avoid going through dehydration in your workouts, keep yourself sufficiently hydrated during as well as before and after the workout session. Hydration also plays an important role in how well you’re able to perform mentally and physically during the workouts. Therefore, drink enough water not just to avoid post-workout dizziness, but also to complete your exercises safely and efficiently. Never hit your workout sessions without a water bottle in hand.

2. You’re Exercising Too Hard

Whether you exercise alone, with a partner, or in a group setting, one thing that you always want to avoid is overexerting yourself. Sure, challenging and pushing yourself to new limits during workouts is good, but you should be careful that you’re not going overboard with this. Overexertion in workouts can lead to light-headedness, therefore know your own physical capacity and limitations.

Don’t rush yourself into doing a workout that your body may not be ready for currently. Whether it’s weight-lifting, cardio exercise, yoga, or anything else, be cautious when upping the difficulty level.

Keep the intensity of your workout such that it’s hard enough to improve your fitness, but not so much that it makes you dizzy by the time you’re through with it.

3. Your Blood Sugar Level Is Low

The need for energy, and thus glucose/sugar consumption by the body, becomes higher than usual when working out. Glucose is especially required to enable proper functioning of the brain, and you could experience dizziness when your brain doesn’t get enough of it.

When you begin working out, for the initial 15 minutes, the body will turn to the sugar present in bloodstream as well as muscles for energizing you. When these sources are all used up, the level of blood sugar falls down. The next source that the body will turn to for energy is the glucose stored in the liver.

Including dizziness, the symptoms of low blood sugar are headache, irritability, confusion, fatigue, and shakiness. Pre-workout snacks, comprising of protein and carbohydrates, can help prevent low blood sugar. Just make sure that there is sufficient time gap between your snack and your workout.

4. You’re Not Breathing Properly When Working Out

If you’re guilty of holding breath while trying to get through difficult exercises, or not breathing deeply and properly enough when exercising, then resulting lack of oxygen may be another factor causing the dizziness. The oxygen consumption by muscles increases when you’re working out. But, if you don’t get your breathing right, your muscles as well as your brain won’t get enough of requisite oxygen. In such case, dizziness may occur because of lack of enough oxygen to the brain.

It’s essential that you correctly align your physical movements with your breathing. Even with the hard exercises, ab workouts for example, ensure that you’re breathing as best as you can. Timing your inhales and exhales perfectly with the movements can be tricky to manage at first. However, with regular efforts, you’ll get better at it. Also, don’t hesitate to pause and catch your breath whenever you feel the need to.

Keep in mind that, apart from these common reasons, sometimes there could be more serious physical conditions causing the dizziness. Be vigilant towards the problems and symptoms you’re experiencing, and consult your doctor for any concerns that you might have.

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