Exercise has many amazing health benefits to the body's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. When exercising, the body reaps positive benefits and possibly avoid the adverse effects of aging.
However, as one pedals their heart out or runs like escaping a zombie apocalypse, it could sometimes take a toll on the body. That person starts to feel nauseated, making the feeling of accomplishment into agony. Nausea caused by exercise is quite common as exercise-induced gastrointestinal problems affect nearly 90% of endurance athletes.
But what process is happening in the body that gives the person this nauseated feeling after an exercise?
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - AUGUST 26: Jessica Learmonth of exhausted after her 2nd place finish during the women's elite race of the Vattenfall World Triathlon Stockholm on August 26, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images for WTS)
Cause for Nauseated Feeling After Exercise
The muscles in both arms and legs contract during exercise, and for each muscle to work efficiently, it needs oxygen. The heart then begins its work to pump harder to send oxygenated blood to the body's working muscles.
To fully support the working muscles, more blood is pumped toward them which diverts blood from the inactive muscles. The sympathetic nervous system then interprets it as a fight or flight reaction and causes the blood vessels to narrow, limiting blood flow. Since this is an autonomic response, the person has no control over this process known as vasoconstriction.
Only the inactive blood vessels experience vasoconstriction because the working muscles have a way of preserving blood flow in them. This resistance to vasoconstriction is called "functional sympatholysis."
According to ScienceAlert, the lack of blood flow can have different effects, such as changing how cells absorb the digested and broken down food that moves through the gut. These changes then cause an unpleasant feeling after doing an exercise.
However, the scenario might change if the digestive system is still churning and absorbing food when the lack of blood flow is constricted. It could cause exercise-induced nausea that can be worse if the person has just eaten. It is especially true if the person has just eaten foods rich in fat or concentrated carbohydrates.
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How to Avoid Nausea After Doing Exercise
According to Healthline, it is always advisable to warm up and cool down before and after doing an exercise to stretch the muscles and ease the heart rate into and out of target zones to prevent injury. Also, without doing warm-ups or cooldowns, it can cause nausea.
Moreover, it is also advisable to avoid eating right before working out. Fats and protein take longer to digest, which makes them more likely to cause nausea. Besides, avoid overhydrating because too much water can dilute the electrolyte levels, which will cause hyponatremia or low sodium concentration in the blood that leads to nausea as well.
Furthermore, intense or bouncy workouts, such as running, are more likely to cause nausea. When the person has just eaten, the food inside his stomach is going to be jostled around. Experts said that it would help to change the exercise into something that is less bouncy and take a sip of water from time to time.
Lastly, there is also the issue of intense heat and overexercising. Experts advise to hydrate through the workout and slow down to recover a little and cool down.
READ MORE: Are Fitness Trackers Helpful In Making People Fit?
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