Lightheadedness on days I ride
 

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On days I ride my bike I get lightheaded during the rest of the day when I go to stand up. I rode hard all summer in New Jersey and did not have this problem. It seems to have started after the whether got cooler.

Does anyone else have this problem?

:( :(

I don't know how long you've been riding, but cycling on a regular basis should have you feeling better - not worse. And I don't know just how fast you jump up, but if you're really feeling dizzy whenever you stand I'd consider a check-up before you continue riding - especially if this happens exclusively on days when you ride. DanO

Yeah, I get that very frequently myself. Stand up, get dizzy, can't see, wait 5 seconds, fine. I've not closely monitored which days it happens and which it doesnt, but I ride nearly every day so I wouldn't much matter.
One obvious answer would be to make sure you're drinking enough water. Other than that, I'm in the same boat.

Possibly low blood sugar. Not enough sleep. Not enough food. Not enough water.

Used to happen to me all the time. I think it was from my constant lack of sleep.

Definitely get to a doctor and get that checked out. What if you have a real medical problem? Why wait until it's too late to do something about it? And if it's nothing, then you have one less reason to worry.

Koffee

I ride a minimum of 13 miles every day, and I too have noticed that i get lightheaded after a long or harder-than-usual ride.

Your blood pressure will naturally drop after a hard ride, because during hard exercise you stretch your blood vessels.

You might check your blood pressure after riding. Low blood pressure will cause dizziness when standing.

Those of us on BP meds, particularly Beta Blockers, frequently have dizziness when we stand - it is even discussed in the drug literature as one of the side effects of the drug.

I know my BP drops about 15 points after a hard ride, because I check it frequently.

Good points above. One other area to consider is your neck. Riding places stress on nerves in our neck, it can cause the dizzyness you are experiencing. My wife is a physical therapist and has given me a few stretches (chin tucks, rotations) to do before and after rides. Along with ensuring I drink enough, my problem with dizzyness has gone away.

By all means though if this is a consistent problem - see a doctor to be sure.

I too had extreme lightheadedness when I first started riding again. I attribute it to several things:

First and foremost, lack of aerobic fitness means that blood in the legs is slow to circulate back to the heart-- indeed, what bodybuilders call 'the pump' means that an awful lot of blood volume is temporarily in the legs after a good ride. Staying fully hydrated, spinning for a respectable distance towards the end of your ride (the 'cool down'), and stretching afterwards will certainly help with recuperation.

Next, a drop in one's resting heart rate as one becomes more fit can certainly be a factor...

and last, if one trains a lot in the anaerobic phase, or above one's lactate threshold, you're highly likely to bind a lot of blood volume in your legs as the muscles recuperate.

Dave

My feet hurt so bad I could care less about my head. LoL.

Thank you for your input

The term is orthostatic hypotension. Probably nothing to worry about and could be attributed to certain medicines. To be safe, go see your doctor.

good luck