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Old 04-30-02 | 07:24 PM
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LittleBigMan
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Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel
I just made it over my favorite hill, being careful not to push myself too much, but still enduring quite a bit. When I got off the bike, the ol' crazy feeling kicked in. Lightheadedness, serious loss of appetite, and then a panick attack.

Ha anyone else come across a similar situation? Let me know how it worked out for you.
Yes.

When it happens to me, I have a few moments of feeling wonderful, then I start feeling nervous. Very quickly, I start to feel weak. After that, I get very anxious. Finally, I feel so rotten I can't bear it. Panic is a good way to describe the feeling.

Adrenaline. But not in the good way.

In my case, the problem is blood sugar. When I eat, blood sugar rises. My body releases insulin to bring it down to normal levels.
But in my case, the sugar keeps dropping. If I exercise at that point, it drops so low so fast that my body must release adrenaline to bring it back up. It's an emergency response, because the brain cannot function without proper sugar levels.

Exercise is also the key to controlling this condition. But here's how to do it:

Don't eat immediately before riding. Wait until you are about 15 to 30 minutes into your ride before eating or drinking any sugars. So when you do eat or drink, your body will not release lots of insulin to lower sugar levels. Exercise will do it.

It works for me, and I've suffered from this since I was 5 years old. I'm only glad I discovered how exercise can help me avoid this horrible feeling. You see, exercise depletes sugar levels so that your muscles are "hungry" to be refilled. So if you eat carbohydrates at that point, they will go to the muscles. The insulin will not be triggered as much.

Try this experiment: as soon as you sense this feeling beginning, drink something sweet. Get off the bike and wait. If you feel better within 15 minutes or so, you have discovered your problem. If that's it, avoid eating sugar, except during exercise or recovery.
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Last edited by LittleBigMan; 04-30-02 at 07:41 PM.
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