Training & Nutrition - Why do I get so light headed?

Ok so I looked through the forum and thought that it would be best to post this in the 'nutrition' part. It fit best. From being on the forum a lot, I've realized that there are a lot of experts in a lot of subjects other than cycling. So hopefully one of you can help me.

Anyway, everyday, a lot of the times that I stand up, mostly when lying down at home, I always get extremely light headed! Even if I spend 2 minutes getting up (I've tried, slowly go from lying to sitting, then up slowly to standing), doesn't work. My vision becomes so blurry that I can't see anything around me, anything! And the world is just spinning in all directions. I have to sit back down, or kneel etc. just to get back to normal. Sometimes my legs even go numb and it feels like I have no muscle, it hurts to walk, feels like I'm waking with 1000 lbs on my shoulders.

I've done some research and found that it could be due to low blood pressure, or dehydration. Now, I drink quite a lot of water when I'm home, I have school now, but I try to drink a lot. So IMHO it cannot be dehydration.

Anyway, does anyone here experience this? And what can be done about it? Because I really hate getting light headed and it would be nice if it could stop. Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

This used to happen to me some years ago and I have no idea what fixed it. I do get light headed from time to time when I suddenly go from laying down to standing but that is rare.

Sorry for the pointless post.
Maybe see a doctor if you can afford it.

Ok so I looked through the forum and thought that it would be best to post this in the 'nutrition' part. It fit best. From being on the forum a lot, I've realized that there are a lot of experts in a lot of subjects other than cycling. So hopefully one of you can help me.

Anyway, everyday, a lot of the times that I stand up, mostly when lying down at home, I always get extremely light headed! Even if I spend 2 minutes getting up (I've tried, slowly go from lying to sitting, then up slowly to standing), doesn't work. My vision becomes so blurry that I can't see anything around me, anything! And the world is just spinning in all directions. I have to sit back down, or kneel etc. just to get back to normal. Sometimes my legs even go numb and it feels like I have no muscle, it hurts to walk, feels like I'm waking with 1000 lbs on my shoulders.

I've done some research and found that it could be due to low blood pressure, or dehydration. Now, I drink quite a lot of water when I'm home, I have school now, but I try to drink a lot. So IMHO it cannot be dehydration.

Anyway, does anyone here experience this? And what can be done about it? Because I really hate getting light headed and it would be nice if it could stop. Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

I used to have that happen a lot, due to low blood pressure.

But as we're ( generally ) not doctors and can't see you, it would be wise to go see one in person.

I take B6 & B12 regularly and that's supposed to be good for capillaries. Everyone is different, have you gotten an annual physical lately and mentioned it to your doctor?

Hydration can be an issue, especially if you experience this while riding, as can blurry vision. Under less than ideal circumstances, such as when you're in a hydration/nutrition deficit, your body tries to compensate for that, which can cause weird things to happen.

However, in your case, that certainly doesn't seem to be the culprit. In addition to blood perssure issues, you could also have a bona fide neurological situation that can only be identified by a qualified neurologist and undergoing either CT or MRI scans. I'd get to one quickly just to see what's happening because if there is a bona fide medical situation, you want to address it sooner rather than later.

Everyone is different, have you gotten an annual physical lately and mentioned it to your doctor?

^^This. It's always best to get checked out when you first notice signs that something is not right.

It's not unusual for really fit people to feel faint if they stand up too fast. It happens to me. My vision goes blank and i get dizzy. I have to hold on to something or stand still and wait for it to pass. It's worst if I am lying on the couch after a hard ride and suddenly spring to my feet.

But getting up slowly prevents it for most people. If that doesn't work for you then you should probably talk to a doctor about it. Exercise induced syncope can be a sign of heart problems in younger athletes.

I suggest going to your doc as well - but in the meantime, run into a drug store and check your blood pressure on one of those machines by the pharmacy. Normal is about 120/80, give or take a bit since you're healthy and active - yours might be 100/60.

Low blood pressure is just as serious as high blood pressure, make an appointment today.

It is probably caused by gravity. You could get a g suit that would sense vertical acceleration of the head and it could be adjusted to squeeze on the legs when you stand so that the blood would not have any problem getting to your brain. :)

There are many things that can cause you to be light headed. Take a trip to the doctor and see what they have to say after running several thousand dollars of test. Maybe just a few simple blood test and a physical exam can pin point the problem but if you have some blockages or heart problems these will require much deeper testing.

I hope that you can find your problem and get it taken care of.

I havn't had a physical in a while, but my doctor is terrible. She's like Greek, can't speak English, and doesn't know what she's doing. But this issue isn't new to me, I just wanted to know what I could do, if I could do anything. I have a lot of other stuff to worry about like how my jaw clicks (my bone up near my right ear) everytime I open it, it hurts to sleep on that side. And my neck hurts a lot. Oh and most of all, my first race tomorrow! :D thanks for the advice though everyone.

I havn't had a physical in a while, but my doctor is terrible. She's like Greek, can't speak English, and doesn't know what she's doing. But this issue isn't new to me, I just wanted to know what I could do, if could do anything. I have a lot of other stuff to worry about like how my jaw clicks (my bone up near my right ear) everytime I open it, it hurts to sleep on that side. And my neck hurts a lot. Oh and most of all, my first race tomorrow! :D

The next time you get your teeth cleaned, tell your dentist about your jaw issues.

I havn't had a physical in a while, but my doctor is terrible. She's like Greek, can't speak English, and doesn't know what she's doing. But this issue isn't new to me, I just wanted to know what I could do, if I could do anything. I have a lot of other stuff to worry about like how my jaw clicks (my bone up near my right ear) everytime I open it, it hurts to sleep on that side. And my neck hurts a lot. Oh and most of all, my first race tomorrow! :D thanks for the advice though everyone.

Good luck tomorrow. What sort of race is it?

Ya I've been waiting for a while to go to the dentist, I'll probably end up forgetting to ask though.. lol.

And thanks, the race starts with a TT, my time is 10:37 am, I have to wake up at 6:30, drive an hour, arrive 1:30min before start, wait another hour to race at 10:37. I'll need the luck :P Aside from that, there is a 36km crit on a 6km 'L' shaped lap. There's only 16 riders in my race, but I think that I'll do pretty well if I can manage to stay out of the wind.

Another thing to consider is low blood sugar. Have you noticed if it happens more often when you haven't eaten for a while? I'm pretty bad for that sort of thing... I start feeling dizzy/weak before my stomach tells me it wants food.

As an aside: judging by your location and mention of school, I'm guessing you're at U of G? I went there for undergrad! Fun place. Too bad it's in Ontario though ;)

Another thing to consider is low blood sugar. Have you noticed if it happens more often when you haven't eaten for a while? I'm pretty bad for that sort of thing... I start feeling dizzy/weak before my stomach tells me it wants food.

As an aside: judging by your location and mention of school, I'm guessing you're at U of G? I went there for undergrad! Fun place. Too bad it's in Ontario though ;)

I've never actually measured when it happens, pretty much whenever I guess.

And the U of G is a 10 minute drive by car from me, I'm only in grade 11 so not really at that level yet ;) but I'm getting there. And you'd know by the commercials that "good things grow in Ontario", so no, its not to bad that it's in Ontario! Lol but living in Alberta would be awesome! Do you live near the mountains?

That used to happen to me when I was a teenager, but it stopped. Are you a member of reddit.com? It is easy to sign up if you're not. They have quite a good health section, at http://www.reddit.com/r/Health/

When you are on that page you can click on 'submit a link,' (right hand side about 1 fold down). On the page you get to, click on the 'text' tab. There you can pick a short title, and then go into details in the text box. They have an enormous number of readers and they can be a big help.

I also agree with your comment in the first post that there experts in a lot of fields here. It's an impressive place.

Good luck with that.

Edit: you won't see the 'submit a link' until after you sign up.

If I had the symptoms you describe...along with neck pain...I'd be searching for a Dr. right away.