- Do you often feel nauseous after exercising? It’s common and short-lived, but it can still be uncomfortable.
- There are several reasons why this happens. So if it happens, it’s probably nothing to worry about.
- There are also things you can do to reduce or prevent this feeling. This includes when eating food.
Most of us exercise to feel better. Some people get a “runner’s high” after a workout, but unfortunately others leave the gym feeling nauseous. This is usually temporary, but it can still be uncomfortable.
Fortunately, there are some good explanations for why this is happening. So if this happens, you probably don’t need to worry.
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Exercise increases blood flow to working muscles, brain, lungs and heart. This increased blood flow is facilitated by the sympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system (the sympathetic nervous system helps regulate all of our involuntary bodily responses, including heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion). .
This is done by widening the arteries so that they can carry more blood to these tissues.
However, the sympathetic nervous system, which normally drives the “fight or flight” mechanism, simultaneously narrows the blood vessels entering the gastrointestinal system (such as the stomach) by up to 80% during strenuous exercise.
This is because the body has a limited amount of blood, and the increased demand for oxygen by some tissues can only be met by altering the amount of blood flowing to other tissues.
This means that blood supply may be reduced in areas that need less oxygen at that time. This is true regardless of whether you have eaten recently.
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But let’s say you recently ate before going to the gym or going for a run. When we eat, the food stretches the stomach, releasing the acids and enzymes necessary to digest the food.
The stomach muscles also become more active during digestion, increasing the demand for oxygen and blood flow to the stomach and other gut tissues. Increase blood flow.
Significant competition within the body from various tissues for oxygen may be one reason nausea occurs during or after exercise. The body adapts blood flow to tissues in response to changes in demand. is needed.
This means that when you exercise, your blood needs to go to your muscles, heart, lungs, and brain. This means that even if you are currently digesting dinner, blood flow will be reduced in less active tissues such as the digestive tract.
Decreased blood flow in this area irritates the nerves in the intestine, causing nausea.
In addition to this, the stomach and other abdominal organs can also be compressed during exercise, which can lead to nausea. Your body draws more air into your lungs because your tissue’s heart rate and oxygen demand increase.
This causes the diaphragm (under the ribs) to press down on the abdominal organs more forcefully. Other muscles also help, such as the muscles of the abdominal wall, putting more pressure on the abdominal organs with each breath.
Some evidence suggests that exercise, especially long-distance running and other endurance events, can damage the gastric mucosa.
This can also cause nausea. In extreme circumstances, this can cause bleeding of the stomach lining, especially in endurance and long-distance athletes.
when to eat
Exercising immediately after eating or within an hour after eating increases your chances of feeling nauseous, regardless of your exercise level or intensity. It takes about two hours for solids to break down in the stomach and enter the small intestine, so if you feel nauseous after exercising, you should wait at least two hours after eating.
What you eat before exercise may also determine whether you feel nauseous. High-fiber, high-fat, and even high-protein foods are all associated with an increased chance of post-workout nausea. Supplemental protein, especially whey and shakes, are also digested more slowly.
This can cause nausea during your workout as your stomach tries to digest it.
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Certain fats, especially saturated fats, can induce nausea in different ways. Animal models show that they irritate and damage the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. This activates the nerves lining the stomach that lead to the vomiting center (located in the medulla oblongata) in the lining of the stomach. brain.
Consuming sports drinks and other high-carbohydrate beverages (juices, energy drinks, sodas, etc.) has also been associated with nausea during and after workouts. This may be because it stays in the stomach longer than other drinks.
For those who often feel nauseous after exercise, there are a few things you can do. First, modify or reduce your regular workouts and slowly increase the intensity.
This is because the longer the workout, the more blood is consistently drawn from the stomach. Make sure you drink enough water before and after.
As for meals, avoid it two hours before and choose the right foods, including high-quality carbohydrates (such as bananas and sweet potatoes) and proteins, and unsaturated fats (such as nuts).
Not only do these fuel your body, they are not as difficult to digest as other foods if you plan on exercising.
Adam TaylorProfessor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Center, Lancaster University
This article is reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
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