I have about a 5 mile commute. It's fairly hilly, but nothing crazy. I feel great when I get to work, but as soon as I go inside I get nearly immediately nauseated and ill. It's like 40 degrees outside, and like 69 inside, and I think maybe the leap is just too much or something. I try to cool down outside for some time but it doesn't seem to help. Should I be wearing less during my ride? Help!

- How long is "some time"?
- What are you wearing on your ride?

Do you drink plenty of water before you ride? Sounds like dehydration to me.

Also....don't ride on an empty stomach.

I'm just wearing some cycling pants, a jersey, and a windbreaker. It's pretty chilly out. And gloves, I suppose.

Hmm, I am kinda just getting up to go to work and riding without having breakfast. I could also be dehydrated.

Are you listening. Ano'?

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong here. You are reacting in precicely the way that six billion years of evolution has prepared you!! You are a creature of the outdoors and of physical activity and of the Primal Human Experience; of weather: cold, hot, humid, dry, and wet. When you "return" to the artificial environment of indoors employment, you are forced to accomodate its equally artrificial climactic accomodation of other humans who are acclimatized to it as a way of life. Your body reacts as if it's something alien; which it is. This is [as you will come to know] the basic life's-lesson of "commuting".

Congratulations, you are a Human Being in Nature experiencing Earth's Reality. . .embrace it.

There's something to that. Nevertheless, I never get nausea upon entering a building.

Well - most buildings.

Anogar, perhaps it would be helpful, in addition to watching your hydration, to allow your body to cool down to such a level that you feel cold again before you enter the building. I mean, cold. Not cold enough or long enough to get sick, but cold enough that you're feeling the environmental temperature as you normally would - which means your body temperature has fallen enough that when you enter the building, you're entering it on the same terms as everybody else.

If you want to do this, it takes a while. 10-15 minutes minimum, I would think.
I don't do this myself, although I do sometimes wait a few minutes (up to 5) before I enter my building.

im used to the drastic outdoor/indoor temp change, especially in winter it doesn't bother me now. last year i had some episodes where i damn near puked and found it hard to breathe for 5 or 10 minutes once inside

Is this a joke or are you just really a hippie? I hope you at least wear those artificial things we call "clothes" for the accommodation of other humans. Don't you think performing physical activity without eating breakfast is a more likely cause?

Take it easy the last 5-minutes before you get to work. Drink some water during this time. When you get off the bike, you shouldn't be breathing hard. You should've stopped sweating and starting to feel a little chilly. Give this a try and see how it works.

Haha I kind of figured someone would say something like this.

Thanks everyone, I think I'll just make sure to drink more water, eat breakfast, and stay outside until I actually feel cold before going in.

The last part of the ride always seems to require more effort to deal with traffic on my part, so I end up riding slowly in circles or around the block to cool off before standing around and trying to cool off. You're going to get warm after a couple of miles, so you might as well plan for it.

+1 on the cool down laps! I do this as well and it really helps. You should also really eat something as well prior to the ride. Doesn't sound like you're overdressed at all to me unless you arrive in a sweaty mess. Stick to it though, it'll get better!

Do you strip off layers before you go inside? If not - do. It'll help equalize things out.

+1 on eating (a slice of toast w/ peanut butter will suffice), good hydration (water, never leave home without it) and cool down a bit before entering the building. All of the above are my morning routine.

I like to have at least a 10 minute cool down time when I get to work, even when it's 35 F out. Your core temperature goes way up if you push yourself at all (read: have fun while riding), and it takes some time for it to come down.

In the summer having ice water handy is great for cooling down faster.

I have the same issue when I decide to take the light rail in winter.
Instead of hammering to the station I slow down in the last couple miles and try to have my heart rate down to zone 1. My HRZ is just an arbitrary guide I use. I also unzip my jacket to aid in cooling down.
I very rarely overheat in summer due to wearing less clothes. Winter is a big issue for me.

Hydration and eating have absolutely no effect on whether I overheat or not.

Sounds like to me you are allergic to work... Many of us are

Sounds like a case of "running a horse hard and putting it to bed wet". Makes horses sick, does it to people too.

If I'm not feeling pretty cold for the first 10 minutes, I overdressed.

Get a jacket with pit zips.

I'd guess hydration too... It's easy to get dehydrated when cold because you aren't really thinking about it because you aren't sweating the way you do when it's warm. However I'll drink almost as much on a cold ride as I do on a warm ride. The air in winter is typically pretty dry and you lose a significant amount of moisture as you breathe.

Speculation is ok, but this is a 5 mile ride, right? Mine is a 3-1/2 mile ride with a 6% upgrade the last 1-1/2 miles. Heavy roadified MTB with at least one loaded Ortlieb. I hate the sweat "break-out" when I arrive. My solution is go the the men's room, take off my shirt/jersey/whatever, run the cold water and soak some paper towels. Then, like an elephant in a pond on a the hot African day in the Kalahari, splash the cold water over my face, head, neck and as much upper body as I can reach. The blood runs shallow on the head and neck and really cools quickly. Instant cool-down, I garantee it.

Can't explain the nausea. Some peole get nauseated (butterflies)when adrenaline is released in to the system from physical exertion. It can make your hands shaky, too. Nature's own meth. I usually don't eat anything except a small bagel with cream cheese and a couple cups of coffee. I'd be donuts but my wife won't let 'em in the house...

Bingo you gotta eat and drink or ya your going to feel sick like that IMO anyway

Brisk exercise raises core body temperatures. Normally, through the process of vasodilation, the body attempts to cool itself by diverting blood flow to the skin and superficial tissues where heat can be transferred to the environment. When peripheral blood vessels dilate, blood pressure will drop unless the body can compensate by raising cardiac output. A major factor of cardiac output is volume. Dehydration is defined as a lack of volume (remember, blood is mostly water).

The symptoms you describe are most similar to a brief episode of hypotension (low blood pressure), secondary to the vasodilation associated with exercise induced temperature regulation. Plainly stated; you get hot, and your blood pressure drops too low when your body tries to cool off because you're dehydrated. As a result you feel sick, dizzy, weak, and maybe feel like you're going to "pass out."

Best practice is to keep yourself well hydrated, and cool down appropriately at the end of your ride. A light snack before your ride would be prudent. When was the last time you did a fasting blood glucose test? If you feel you're adequately hydrated yet continue to experience the described symptoms, get yourself to a doctor.

yup ... cool down before entering the building.

(I push motorcycles outside the showroom floor for 20 minutes, so no cool down for me!)