Why can nausea occur during a workout?

Nausea during exercise is a common occurrence for people with different training experience. There are many reasons for it, and usually they do not signal health problems: nausea will go away on its own after training. But constant urges that do not go away, may indicate the presence of heart and vascular diseases. Together with experts, we tell you when nausea during exercise is normal, and when it is not.

fitness trainer, nutritionist

Nausea after exercise can signal illness. But it usually points to simpler causes.

Why can nausea during a workout?

Overeating before a workout. This happens if you didn’t take a sufficient pause between eating and going to the gym.

online fitness trainer, coach, nutritionist

During training, part of the blood that should supply the gastrointestinal tract, the body begins to use it for an increased supply of micronutrients and oxygen to the working muscles. Accordingly, the digestive processes slow down (to a different degree in each person). The process of fermentation and putrefaction of food (especially heavy foods) begins.

Intense exertion with a strong increase in heart rate can cause nausea.

Hunger. Physical exertion leads to an accelerated burning of energy and a drop in blood sugar levels. If there is a lack of food before exercise, this can lead to bad consequences.

Lack of oxygen and increased blood pressure. Usually this problem occurs in beginners whose body and heart are not ready for an intense load.

Denis Evlanov

online fitness trainer, coach, nutritionist

Headache, weakness, nausea – this is the body’s defense reaction to the lack of oxygen and a sharp increase in pressure. It is aimed at reducing the intensity of physical activity.

Too much load. Often experienced athletes overstress the nervous system when they perform submaximal and maximal loads, which leads to nausea and urges.

Master of Sport in judo, coach of Russian national team athletes

Nausea appears after or during training because of the load. It should be given to the body gradually, in a dosed manner. In professional athletes it can happen even during competitions.

For example, in the rules of judo competitions it is written: if the opponent threw up, he is disqualified.

Poor health before training. If you do exercises when tired and overworked, there is a risk of overstressing the nervous system, as during too much load: the body will give the same response.

Anastasia Simanova

fitness trainer, nutriciologist

It is important not to exercise when you feel sick.

Dehydration. Increased sweating during sports leads not only to nausea, but also to a decrease in strength and endurance.

Overheating. Cardio exercise leads to an increase in body temperature, which can also provoke nausea.

How to get rid of nausea during a workout?

After a workout, nausea will go away on its own. To defeat it faster, you need to drink plain water and rest for 5-10 minutes. In the worst case – go out into the fresh air, sit down and breathe quietly. But if this does not help, do not hold back: after you throw up, you will feel relief.

During your workout, it’s worth monitoring your hunger, thirst, body temperature, level of exertion and how you feel. A gradual and smooth warm-up will prepare the body and heart for exercise, and the warm-up will help to reduce tension and normalize heart rate.

Before exercising, it is best not to eat before an hour or even two.

If you regularly vomit during exercise, it is worth seeing a doctor and exclude the presence of cardiovascular disease and abnormalities of the nervous system.

Anastasia Simanova

fitness trainer, nutriciologist

If nausea appears systematically and regularly for a long time – this is an alarming sign and a reason to seek medical help.