Over-exertion related sickness
May 26, 2022 5:05 AM Subscribe
All my life when I overexert myself, I end up sick. I can't really pin this down. It's starting to be a bit more bothersome. Would love any tips/tricks/anecdotes of what you feel/do when you over exert yourself.
I am 31/M/otherwise healthy and not overweight.
Back when I was 10, I have distinct memories of visiting my best friend in middle school who had a pool. I would play in the pool all day, then we would have a sleepless night as we would play Gameboys. The next day, invariably I would be "sick".
As an adult, a similar thing happens. After climbing a mountain, running a 5k, or doing an hour or two of walking in >80 degree f weather, sometime between 0 and 8 hours afterwards I start to see dots, feel dizzy, like with a migraine, focused on the top center of my head, but also sensitive to light, sound, and motion, extremely fatigued, and nauseous.
I've tried many things to avoid this (but still doing the activity). Drinking lots of water, drinking lots of salty water, eating more sugar, eating less sugar, making sure I eat healthy meals beforehand. It only happens like once every 3 months or so, so it's a little hard to pin down.
And... Nothing really seems to help. I get hangry pretty quickly in general but I'm still uncertain what could cause this. I just had a full blood panel done including a ton of sub tests for allergies and nothing came up as negative, though I do have slight thyroid problems in my family.
ANYWAY... You probably don't know what causes this either! You're not my doctor!
Does anyone have any anecdotes of anything similar? Does this sound like you before you were diagnosed with (issue) and ever since then eating (anything) works?
I am 31/M/otherwise healthy and not overweight.
Back when I was 10, I have distinct memories of visiting my best friend in middle school who had a pool. I would play in the pool all day, then we would have a sleepless night as we would play Gameboys. The next day, invariably I would be "sick".
As an adult, a similar thing happens. After climbing a mountain, running a 5k, or doing an hour or two of walking in >80 degree f weather, sometime between 0 and 8 hours afterwards I start to see dots, feel dizzy, like with a migraine, focused on the top center of my head, but also sensitive to light, sound, and motion, extremely fatigued, and nauseous.
I've tried many things to avoid this (but still doing the activity). Drinking lots of water, drinking lots of salty water, eating more sugar, eating less sugar, making sure I eat healthy meals beforehand. It only happens like once every 3 months or so, so it's a little hard to pin down.
And... Nothing really seems to help. I get hangry pretty quickly in general but I'm still uncertain what could cause this. I just had a full blood panel done including a ton of sub tests for allergies and nothing came up as negative, though I do have slight thyroid problems in my family.
ANYWAY... You probably don't know what causes this either! You're not my doctor!
Does anyone have any anecdotes of anything similar? Does this sound like you before you were diagnosed with (issue) and ever since then eating (anything) works?
Am following this with interest as my husband has something very similar. I've heard the phrase "post exertional malaise" mentioned.
He gets dizzy and fatigued the day after strenuous exercise and sometimes also just work stress.
Sinus pain (usually on the right side of his head I believe).
It's very distressing. He tends to get joint pain easily and is prone to injuries but I don't know if it's related.
In the past, doctors have suggested he might have fibromyalgia, and he's tried various diets but nothing seems to help much.
posted by Zumbador at 5:14 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
He gets dizzy and fatigued the day after strenuous exercise and sometimes also just work stress.
Sinus pain (usually on the right side of his head I believe).
It's very distressing. He tends to get joint pain easily and is prone to injuries but I don't know if it's related.
In the past, doctors have suggested he might have fibromyalgia, and he's tried various diets but nothing seems to help much.
posted by Zumbador at 5:14 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I don't sweat very much - ever. I see that anhidrosis can cause some of the problems I've listed, unfortunately no real treatment. I'll add that to my list of possibilities.
posted by bbqturtle at 5:27 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by bbqturtle at 5:27 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Post-exertional malaise and exercise intolerance also tend to go with ME/CFS and long covid (PEM is actually one of the things that earns a diagnosis of ME/CFS). Obviously long covid's not relevant if it was happening when you were 10, but any chance you could have had a virus as a child that left you with this long-term gift? Sometimes even a mild virus can be the cause so you might not be able to answer that, but just adding it into the mix.
I have long covid (which is essentially just a form of ME/CFS) and for me the worst of the PEM usually kicks in a couple of days after over-exertion, with sneezing, swollen throat, fatigue. The fatigue can also involve a weird feeling of just being super-sensitive all over.
It doesn't show up on tests, and there aren't many solutions, except for pacing, so you could try googling approaches to pacing - might be an idea to try keeping an activity, stress and symptom diary which would help you track whether the times this happens coincide with eg. more activity across the week as a whole; being active when you're also stressed etc.
posted by penguin pie at 5:33 AM on May 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
I have long covid (which is essentially just a form of ME/CFS) and for me the worst of the PEM usually kicks in a couple of days after over-exertion, with sneezing, swollen throat, fatigue. The fatigue can also involve a weird feeling of just being super-sensitive all over.
It doesn't show up on tests, and there aren't many solutions, except for pacing, so you could try googling approaches to pacing - might be an idea to try keeping an activity, stress and symptom diary which would help you track whether the times this happens coincide with eg. more activity across the week as a whole; being active when you're also stressed etc.
posted by penguin pie at 5:33 AM on May 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
This happens to me. After periods of being really busy and/or stressed, I can have days of feeling ... sick or sick-ish. For example, I just flew to another state and spent 8 days packing up a house then after flying home spent one day unpacking and repacking and resetting my house before driving over 8 hours to move out of another space then driving back the next day. At home the next day I felt really unwell even to the point of checking my blood pressure, had higher heart rate, migraine symptoms and two more days with on and off temp of 99 (a couple degrees higher than my normal) before feeling better on the fourth day. I also need to have several down days after a busy vacation before I feel well again. I wouldn't say these are actual sicknesses caused by a virus or bacteria but it feels similar to the week after being sick when you think you feel better than being sick but are not 100%.
posted by RoadScholar at 7:16 AM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by RoadScholar at 7:16 AM on May 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
When you were a kid, you were exhausted from not enough sleep and overindulgence, most likely. And it was probably pretty hot, so maybe you were dehydrated. And the long hikes in >80 degree weather could be a kind of heat exhaustion. I tend to be incredibly sensitive to long stretches of exercise in any kind of heat and have come up with some strategies. One is … avoiding the most vigorous exercise in heat.
posted by bluedaisy at 8:01 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by bluedaisy at 8:01 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
This sounds like migraines to me, too.
When you got the full blood panel done, did you see a primary care doctor? Have you told them these details? If not, I'd start there, and describe these episodes thoroughly, and ask if they have any ideas or referrals.
If it is migraines (which I don't know and can't confirm for you; I'm not a doctor) - tracking all sorts of things might help you identify triggers. For instance, I've known for a long time that dehydration can trigger my migraines, but I didn't realize that the diet soda I was drinking for caffeine to ward off the migraines was actually triggering them because I'm sensitive to artificial sweeteners. My neurologist was the one who helped me identify that - and I've had fewer migraines since.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 9:25 AM on May 26, 2022
When you got the full blood panel done, did you see a primary care doctor? Have you told them these details? If not, I'd start there, and describe these episodes thoroughly, and ask if they have any ideas or referrals.
If it is migraines (which I don't know and can't confirm for you; I'm not a doctor) - tracking all sorts of things might help you identify triggers. For instance, I've known for a long time that dehydration can trigger my migraines, but I didn't realize that the diet soda I was drinking for caffeine to ward off the migraines was actually triggering them because I'm sensitive to artificial sweeteners. My neurologist was the one who helped me identify that - and I've had fewer migraines since.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 9:25 AM on May 26, 2022
This sounds like a slightly milder version of what happens to me if I get too much heat/light/exercise.
Here's what helps me: hydrating with electrolyte tablets. It makes a huge difference. Electrolyte tablets are available at nutrition stores, fitness/outdoor stores, and online. They are inexpensive. Make sure yours contains potassium and magnesium.
Also: good sunglasses / hats with brims; avoid overheating; have appropriate food available the next day that you can eat even with a tiny bit of nausea (for me: watermelon, pizza, applesauce, sometimes noodle soup). An electrolyte tablet can help with the nausea, too -- what happens is that not eating can make me feel worse, which makes me even less interested in food, and the whole thing just spirals.
posted by amtho at 10:18 AM on May 26, 2022
Here's what helps me: hydrating with electrolyte tablets. It makes a huge difference. Electrolyte tablets are available at nutrition stores, fitness/outdoor stores, and online. They are inexpensive. Make sure yours contains potassium and magnesium.
Also: good sunglasses / hats with brims; avoid overheating; have appropriate food available the next day that you can eat even with a tiny bit of nausea (for me: watermelon, pizza, applesauce, sometimes noodle soup). An electrolyte tablet can help with the nausea, too -- what happens is that not eating can make me feel worse, which makes me even less interested in food, and the whole thing just spirals.
posted by amtho at 10:18 AM on May 26, 2022
Best answer: Yes, this is definitely migraine, and my symptoms started in childhood where I would feel unwell, usually with a stomach ache, when I was in strange, or a stressful situation. I would go home and lie down, and typically feel better in a few hours. As an adult, this morphed into migraines. I think this is a pretty typical pattern.
So I like to think of myself as a migraneur, rather than someone who has migraines. It helps because it refers to a larger physical constitution that goes beyond just someone who has headaches and into a whole body pattern of dysregulation that happens under certain conditions. I could go on and on about this topic, but for the purposes of your question, I think it is important to understand that the main preventative thing you can do is to keep your lifestyle as regular as is possible. Avoid excess in most things, and by excess I mean out of the ordinary for you. And if you know you are going to be doing something excessive, make plans that the next day you might be sick and need time off. Like, I never go on a flight the day before a big event, because air travel can give me a migraine the next day.
posted by nanook at 10:24 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
So I like to think of myself as a migraneur, rather than someone who has migraines. It helps because it refers to a larger physical constitution that goes beyond just someone who has headaches and into a whole body pattern of dysregulation that happens under certain conditions. I could go on and on about this topic, but for the purposes of your question, I think it is important to understand that the main preventative thing you can do is to keep your lifestyle as regular as is possible. Avoid excess in most things, and by excess I mean out of the ordinary for you. And if you know you are going to be doing something excessive, make plans that the next day you might be sick and need time off. Like, I never go on a flight the day before a big event, because air travel can give me a migraine the next day.
posted by nanook at 10:24 AM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm still trying to put the pieces together and see how everything looks, but I too will be definitely checking into solutions listed here.
One possible connection that seems potentially very accurate, is that in my case at least I think it's partially connected to autism meltdown. Why that comes with migraines I don't know, but I have heard they can be connected. I also hear that autistics are typically low in magnesium as well. And since I hide my almost certain autism extremely well, I don't have an official diagnosis yet in my early 40s.
posted by Jacen at 11:26 AM on May 26, 2022
One possible connection that seems potentially very accurate, is that in my case at least I think it's partially connected to autism meltdown. Why that comes with migraines I don't know, but I have heard they can be connected. I also hear that autistics are typically low in magnesium as well. And since I hide my almost certain autism extremely well, I don't have an official diagnosis yet in my early 40s.
posted by Jacen at 11:26 AM on May 26, 2022
I have a poorly -diagnosed autoimmune issue, and get exercise effects when I am quite active, well beyond muscle aches and tiredness. I'm having some difficulty regaining the ability I lost during the Pandemic, when my dance group stopped for long periods, and my dog died, so I didn't get as much walking in. I try to balance getting back in to some sort of condition while not being flattened the day after we dance. And I have a sweet new pup keeping me walking. Do your best to get exercise every day that you can, and good nutrition, including Vit. D, and maybe Vit. B12. Both are helpful to me, as far as I can tell.
posted by theora55 at 12:42 PM on May 26, 2022
posted by theora55 at 12:42 PM on May 26, 2022
Best answer: This sounds very much like a migraine. Does it happen only with activities that involve exposure to sun? You might try wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses as a first step.
posted by ssg at 3:05 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ssg at 3:05 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
As an adult, a similar thing happens. After climbing a mountain, running a 5k, or doing an hour or two of walking in >80 degree f weather, sometime between 0 and 8 hours afterwards I start to see dots, feel dizzy, like with a migraine, focused on the top center of my head, but also sensitive to light, sound, and motion, extremely fatigued, and nauseous.
You really want to read this NYT article on a guys unexplained fatigue, please. In the end, I learned migraine does not have to equal headache.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 3:20 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
You really want to read this NYT article on a guys unexplained fatigue, please. In the end, I learned migraine does not have to equal headache.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 3:20 PM on May 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: That does sound a lot like some migraine might be accompanying it too. I got them as a preteen -- I had the "aura" - the dots at first (which were like blind spots) and then I'd feel nauseated and often throw up, and then most times a terrible headache, and I'd usually sleep for a few hours which would "reset" me.
For me, the key was identifying low blood sugar and making sure to eat a really hearty breakfast. I noticed I often got them during P.E. after strong physical exertion. I added high fiber and protein to my morning, ate a snack before P.E., and the migraines just... stopped. I had been eating breakfast before, but the cereals were really "quick" carbs which can spike and crash blood sugar, leaving me more vulnerable to exertion.
Some people outgrow migraines but I think ID-ing that was really key for me.
I've only gotten like 3 in my adult life, period, twice when my eyes were strained and I think it wigged out my brain, and once when I was incredibly fatigued after 3 months volunteering in a foreign country and was stressed out helping my friend with her wedding.
Also, mine didn't start until puberty, so there might be some other hormonal element at play? Best of luck.
posted by iadacanavon at 9:55 PM on May 27, 2022
For me, the key was identifying low blood sugar and making sure to eat a really hearty breakfast. I noticed I often got them during P.E. after strong physical exertion. I added high fiber and protein to my morning, ate a snack before P.E., and the migraines just... stopped. I had been eating breakfast before, but the cereals were really "quick" carbs which can spike and crash blood sugar, leaving me more vulnerable to exertion.
Some people outgrow migraines but I think ID-ing that was really key for me.
I've only gotten like 3 in my adult life, period, twice when my eyes were strained and I think it wigged out my brain, and once when I was incredibly fatigued after 3 months volunteering in a foreign country and was stressed out helping my friend with her wedding.
Also, mine didn't start until puberty, so there might be some other hormonal element at play? Best of luck.
posted by iadacanavon at 9:55 PM on May 27, 2022
Response by poster: Well, I've been testing for a while, and I don't think it's the sun itself. I think it's getting "too hot" and not sweating. I'm going to see a PCP soon to learn more.
posted by bbqturtle at 8:22 AM on June 30, 2022
posted by bbqturtle at 8:22 AM on June 30, 2022
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrom runs in the family - mom has it, grandma has it. Just food for thought. I've never been tested, but I also have the same issues you're talking about, esp from sunshine. So far, gatoraide has been my cure, and damn it helps a lot.
posted by rebent at 1:17 PM on August 9, 2022
posted by rebent at 1:17 PM on August 9, 2022
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posted by iamkimiam at 5:13 AM on May 26, 2022 [8 favorites]