Why do you feel nauseous in training and how to deal with it

Increased acidity

When the intensity of exercise is greatly increased and the glycolytic and phosphagenic pathways are used for energy production, hydrogen ions build up in the muscles and blood, which changes the pH of the blood to an acidic side.

This condition is called acidosis. It negatively affects muscle contraction, causes nausea, and makes you stop so that your body can restore its pH balance.

How to handle

Reduce intensity. The body will cope with hydrogen ions, and the nausea will pass.
Exercise regularly. Lactate helps eliminate hydrogen ions, so increasing the amount of lactate in the blood decreases the risk of acidosis.
Drink an alkalizing drink. It will help to cope with the growing acidity.

You can use sports drinks or prepare your own:

1 liter of water;
juice of one lime or lemon;
¼ teaspoon of Himalayan or Celtic salt (regular salt will work as well).

An alkalizing sports drink can help prevent nausea, prolong muscle fatigue hours, and protect the body from dehydration. A 2016 study on the Effect of electrolyzed high-pH alkaline water on blood viscosity in healthy adults found that an alkalizing drink helped reduce blood viscosity during exercise by 6% compared to 3% of regular water intake.

Slow down digestion

During intense exercise, blood rushes to the working muscles to provide them with enough oxygen, and to the skin to cool the body. At the same time, the blood supply to the internal organs, including the digestive organs, decreases.

A 2011 Food-dependent, exercise-induced gastrointestinal distress study found that when VO2max (maximum oxygen consumption) is reached, blood supply to the abdomen, kidneys and non-working muscles is reduced by 80%. The results of the experiment Effects of exercise on mesenteric blood flow in man in 1987 proved that blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery, which supplies blood to the digestive organs, decreases by 43% after just 15 minutes of exercise.

In addition, intense physical activity slows down gastric emptying - the removal of food from the stomach into the duodenum. As digestion slows down, eating heavy-to-digest foods shortly before exercise can cause nausea.

How to handle

Eat at least two hours before training. So the stomach has time to digest food. Choose foods that are high in protein and carbohydrates because foods high in fat take longer to digest.
Drink sports drinks. According to the Duodenal motility study during a run-bike-run protocol: the effect of a sports drink, sports drink with 7% carbohydrates significantly accelerates gastric emptying during physical activity.

Dehydration

During intense and prolonged exercise, the body loses a lot of fluid with sweat. Drinking plain water can lead to hyponatremia, a condition in which the concentration of sodium ions in the blood falls below normal.

According to the Exercise-induced vomiting study, hyponatremia can cause nausea and vomiting during intense exercise.

How to handle

Sodium replacement and plasma sodium drop during exercise in the heat when fluid intake matches fluid loss carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks will help replenish sodium reserves. According to the Multiple transportable carbohydrates enhance gastric emptying and fluid delivery study, the most effective way to rehydrate is to consume 8.6% carbohydrates, a combination of glucose and fructose.

If you have your own ways to cope with nausea during exercise, share in the comments to the article.