Monday, November 30, 2009

Ever Feel Dizzy?.......

Often whenever I get up off the sofa, or out of bed etc etc, I go all dizzy and for a couple of seconds try to remain upright. I always just thought it was a case of getting up way to quickly but now I found out that it may be due to just being fit.

In the weekly Road Bike Rider newsletter, there was an article about "Feeling dizzy or seeing black spots when standing". Apparently this is often considered a good thing among athletes -- a sign of fitness. Cycling physician Gabe Mirkin explains the lightheadedness this way: "When you raise yourself, the force of gravity pulls blood down from your brain and it can't get back until your next heartbeat. If you have a pulse rate of only 50 beats a minute, it will take more than a second between beats. That can be enough time for your brain to suffer briefly from a lack of oxygen, so you feel dizzy." So that's not necessarily a bad thing, but Dr. Mirkin cautions that "dizziness can also be a sign of an irregular heartbeat or blocked arteries leading to your brain, so people who feel dizzy when they stand should check with their doctors. If they are athletes, chances are that they only have a strong athletic heart with a slow rate, and all they need to do is remember to get up slowly."

My resting pulse rate is generally in the region of 35 beats a minute and so it seems logical that it takes a while for the blood to get back to the brain after standing. I wonder if that excuse will work with Sarah and why she claims I don't remember always all the things that she says to me :-)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

When you feel dizzy, don't try to remain upright, because you risk passing out. Rather, immediately squat down and lower your head between your knees. This will return the blood to your brain and keep you from falling onto anything hard or sharp if you pass out.