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Experiencing Dizziness and Nausea After Workouts
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Sports Injuries & Recovery
Question #25061
138 days ago
238

Experiencing Dizziness and Nausea After Workouts

Client_a4fb24

In the past, I used to do bodyweight exercises like pull-ups and push-ups without any problems. However, the last two times I added squats, which I'd never done before. The first time, I felt nauseous, dizzy, and feverish. I collapsed on the balcony tiles until I felt a little better, then I slept, and the symptoms disappeared. The second time, a week later, I finished the workout, which wasn't as strenuous as before; I usually push myself much harder. It also included squats. After finishing, I showered, went out, and slept. When I woke up, I felt exhausted, dizzy, nauseous, feverish, and had a cold because I'd been out after showering. I fought the illness by sleeping, as I slept for almost the entire two days after the workout. I felt dizzy and tight in my chest when I woke up and stood up. After two days, I felt a little better. Also, recently, I noticed my legs cramping when I practiced a pinning and kneeling exercise with a teammate on the grass, just as an experiment.I also had diarrhea once, my ears became blocked, and my vision became dark and blurry when I was dizzy. What could be the problem, and what's the solution?

How long have you been experiencing these symptoms after workouts?:

- Occasionally

Have you changed your diet or hydration habits recently?:

- No changes

Have you experienced any other symptoms apart from dizziness and nausea?:

- Yes, leg cramps
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Doctors' responses

Experiencing symptoms like dizziness, nausea, feverishness, and exhaustion after introducing squats into your workout routine suggests that your body may be reacting to the new intensity or a change in physiological demands. Squats are a compound exercise that engage large muscle groups, which can increase cardiovascular demand significantly. You might be experiencing a drop in blood pressure from the intense physical exertion, known as post-exercise hypotension, which could explain the dizziness and vision changes. Since you also mentioned symptoms like ear blockage and vision changes, it’s possible this is also linked to your body’s blood flow regulation adjustments during and after these exercises.

The addition of diarrhea and muscle cramps could point to potential dehydration or electrolyte imbalances. If you aren’t well-hydrated before and after your workouts, or if your sodium, potassium, and magnesium levels are off, this can exacerbate these symptoms. Another aspect to consider is your nutrition. Skipping a proper pre-workout meal or having poor post-workout recovery nutrition can also contribute to weakness and nausea.

However, tightness in the chest and significant dizziness needs careful evaluation to rule out cardiovascular causes—especially if you have an underlying health condition, family history, or other risk factors. The most immediate step would be to halt strenuous exercise until you’ve consulted with your healthcare provider to evaluate these symptoms further.

In the meantime, ensure you’re hydrating adequately with fluids that are rich in electrolytes, and eat balanced meals to support your exercise routine. Light-headedness can be exacerbated by abrupt positional changes, so move slowly from lying down to standing up. It’s also essential to monitor your symptoms and avoid any activity that triggers them until they have been properly assessed by a professional. Given the complexity of your symptoms and the potential for underlying issues, seeing a healthcare provider promptly would be prudent to ensure no serious conditions are present and to get a personalized management plan in place.

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Hello your symptoms are not normal post-workout soreness — especially the collapse, dark/blurry vision, chest tightness, ear blockage, severe dizziness, and sleeping for two days. That deserves medical attention.

Because this happened twice after adding squats (a large leg muscle exercise), several possibilities stand out:

1️⃣ Vasovagal syncope (exercise-induced fainting)

When you suddenly stress large leg muscles (like with squats), blood can pool in the legs. If:

You held your breath (Valsalva maneuver)

Stood still after finishing

Were dehydrated

Or stood up quickly after resting

You can get:

Nausea

Tunnel/dark vision

Ear pressure

Dizziness

Collapse

This fits part of your story — especially the dark vision and collapsing on the tiles.

2️⃣ Blood pressure or circulation issue (Orthostatic intolerance)

You mentioned: tight chest when standing dizziness when waking and standing

That suggests your blood pressure may be dropping when you stand (orthostatic hypotension).

3️⃣ Electrolyte imbalance / dehydration

Squats use much more muscle mass than push-ups and pull-ups. If you:

Didn’t hydrate well

Were low on sodium/potassium/magnesium

Didn’t eat properly

You can get: Leg cramps

Diarrhea

Dizziness

Fatigue

Feeling feverish

The cramping on the grass strongly suggests electrolyte involvement.

4️⃣ Overexertion / nervous system overload

Large compound leg exercises can spike:

Heart rate

Blood pressure

Adrenaline

If your body isn’t adapted to them, it can cause a crash afterward — especially if you pushed hard on a new movement.

5️⃣ Something more serious (must rule out)

Because you had:

Collapse

Chest tightness

Severe dizziness

Visual changes

You should rule out:

Heart rhythm issues

Blood pressure disorder

Anemia

Blood sugar problems

Post-viral weakness

POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome)

These require proper evaluation.

What to do for now

Until you see a doctor:

✅ 1. Hydrate properly

Before workouts:

500–700 ml water with electrolytes (not just plain water)

Eat carbs + salt beforehand

✅ 2. Do NOT hold your breath during squats

Exhale while pushing up.

✅ 3. Reduce intensity drastically

Start with:

10–15 slow air squats

Rest 2–3 minutes

No pushing to failure

✅ 4. Cool down properly

After workout:

Walk slowly for 5–10 minutes

Don’t stop abruptly

Don’t shower immediately while overheated

✅ 5. Don’t go outside immediately after a hot shower

Thank you

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Hello, thank you for sharing your concern. Your symptoms suggest that your body is not tolerating the sudden addition of intense lower-body exercise. This might be due to Sudden blood pressure drop / Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance / Post-exercise vasovagal response, etc. Here is my advise-

1. Before workouts- Hydrate well (500–700 ml water 1–2 hrs before). Eat a light meal/snack containing carbs + salt. Start squats gradually (very low repetitions initially)

2. During workouts- Avoid breath-holding. Take rest intervals. Stop immediately if vision darkens or severe dizziness occurs.

3. After workouts- Perform 5–10 minutes cool-down walking. Rehydrate with fluids containing electrolytes.

4. Consult a doctor if: You collapse during exercise. Chest tightness or occurs without exertion. Heart racing or irregular heartbeat occurs. Symptoms appear even with mild exercise. Persistent fatigue, anemia symptoms, or frequent leg cramps.

5. Also consider getting these tests done - BP check, CBC, ECG, Sr. Electrolytes. Review with reports.

Regards, Dr. Nirav Jain MBBS, D.Fam.Medicine

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Hello

Most likely cause:

A combination of sudden lower-body exertion (new squats), dehydration/electrolyte imbalance, and post-exercise blood pressure drop.

This can cause dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, cramps, and near-fainting.

Showering and going out immediately after intense exercise can worsen it.

What to do:

Start squats gradually (low reps, slow progression)

Hydrate well and include electrolytes (salt/potassium)

Eat a light carb snack before workouts

Cool down and avoid hot showers right after training

Stop exercise if symptoms start and lie down with legs elevated

Seek medical check if episodes continue: blood pressure (including standing), ECG, blood count, electrolytes.

Persistent chest tightness or fainting → urgent evaluation.

I trust this helps Thank you Take care

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Hello dear See as per clinical history it seems overexertion Usually adding a strong exercise will result in excess burning of calories which will cause hypoglycemia. I think that could be reason. I suggest you to please Gradually start new exercise with slow frequency Take balanced diet and zincovit multivitamin Avoid skipping meals Avoid refined food Hopefully improvement will occur Regards

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Your symptoms suggest that your body is likely not tolerating the sudden addition of intense lower-body exercise (squats) well, rather than a simple muscle issue. Squats recruit very large muscle groups, which sharply increase oxygen demand, blood flow shifts, and fluid/electrolyte loss. If your conditioning, hydration, or blood pressure response is not adapted, this can cause exercise-induced dizziness, nausea, fainting/near-fainting, leg cramps, and temporary vision darkening, which are signs of reduced blood flow to the brain (similar to vasovagal or exertional hypotension). However, because you also described chest tightness, collapse, severe fatigue lasting 1–2 days, and ear blockage, this should not be ignored, as it could also relate to anemia, dehydration with electrolyte imbalance, low blood pressure, or occasionally a heart or circulation issue.

The safest approach is to stop intense workouts for now, restart gradually, hydrate well with water plus electrolytes, eat a proper meal with carbs and salt before exercise, warm up slowly, and avoid sudden heavy squats. Most importantly, you should see a doctor for a check-up to rule out medical causes with basic tests like blood pressure, hemoglobin (to check for anemia), blood sugar, electrolytes, and possibly an ECG, especially since you experienced chest tightness and near collapse. Until evaluated, avoid pushing yourself hard, because passing out during exercise can be dangerous.

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Your symptoms (severe dizziness, nausea, near-collapse, chest tightness, dark vision, leg cramps, extreme exhaustion) after squats suggest possible exercise-induced low blood pressure, dehydration/electrolyte imbalance, overexertion, or a heart or circulation issue, and this is not normal after routine exercise. Stop intense workouts for now and get checked by a doctor for blood pressure, ECG, blood tests (hemoglobin, electrolytes), and fitness evaluation before continuing training. Start again only gradually with proper hydration, warm-up, and supervision once serious causes are ruled out.

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